Go Fish! Like a Pro: Lake Okeechobee

DeMott Flips “Front Yards and Picnic Tables” to Success! 

 A tournament wouldn’t be a tournament on Lake Okeechobee without a cold front to challenge competitors. Don DeMott of Boca Raton, Florida braved the elements while trusting in a variety of Gambler Lures to produce in difficult circumstances to earn a 3^rd Place finish in the 2010 Southeastern FLW American Fishing Series.

With the exception of an impending cold front, conditions were ideal for fishing on Okeechobee. The bass were in various stages of the spawn, biting aggressively, and water levels were such that anglers could fish virtually anywhere on the lake. There was adequate depth for flipping grass mats and casting open pockets all around the lake. Don prepared for the frontal conditions by focusing on two large grass beds. Within those areas, he identified specific mats of vegetation that bass could migrate to when temperatures dipped. Additionally, he turned to his confidence lures, the Gambler Flappy Daddy, BB Cricket, and Ribbon Tail Worm, when the bite deteriorated.

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Overnight, just prior to the first day of the tournament, water temperatures fell five degrees and the wind kicked up to a blustery 25 miles per hour. Although Don was prepared to flip if the bite entirely shut down, he did not have to. He cast a Gambler Flappin’ Shad and 7-inch Ribbon Tail worm to claim the top spot on the leader board with a 24-pound limit when other competitors scrambled to catch mere numbers of fish.

Don believes Gambler’s unique worm design provided a distinct advantage in the conditions he encountered on Day One. “I especially like Gambler’s 7-inch Ribbon Tail Worm because of the body. It holds a screw-in weight real well. The tail is a little thicker, too, which helps to move more water. I caught nearly all of my big fish on that June Bug colored worm.”

The beefy tail combined with the ability to hold a heavy screw-in weight allowed Don to cast with pinpoint accuracy despite the windy conditions. In the event the tail wrapped around a clump of Kissimmee grass, he was able to drag the worm into the water without exhausting valuable time replacing a torn lure.

Don rigged the Ribbon Tail Worm on a 3/0 Gambler KO hook and 25-pound monofilament line. A ½-ounce Gambler Tungsten Florida Rig Weight topped his big-bass-enticing assembly.

Conditions further worsened on Day Two. Temperatures continued to fall and the steady wind dirtied water in many of his previously productive areas. Bites in the morning were scarce, so Don adjusted by spending the majority of his tournament day flipping dense mats of vegetation that helped filter the turbid water. He turned to a Shadow Blue Flappy Daddy and BB Cricket to trigger fish into biting.

“Some of the stuff I was fishing looked like your front yard and other areas looked like the top of a picnic table. Where it was light enough to flip with, I used the Flappy Daddy. I really believe that the bigger the bait, the better off you will be when flipping. Bigger baits move more water and larger fish usually respond well to that. The Flappy Daddy’s claws move a lot of water. Where the cover was like the top of a picnic table, I went with a BB Cricket and 1-1/2 ounce weight. I was really aiming to just pierce the cover and get a reaction bite. The BB Cricket is a ‘high-horsepower’ plastic crawdad that way – you can flip it through the thickest cover.”

He screwed on a 1-ounce Tungsten Florida Rig Weight with the Flappy Daddy, and pegged a 1-1/2 ounce tungsten weight on the smaller-sized Cricket. Both baits utilized a 3/0 KO hook. Don’s 16-pound, 12-ounce limit positioned him within 7 ounces of the lead heading into the final day.

By the dawn of Day 3, the water temperature had fallen 15 degrees from the start of the tournament. Don continued flipping the BB Cricket and the Flappy Daddy in the cooling water. His efforts yielded a third consecutive limit, good enough for 3^rd Place in the tournament – not too bad for fishing front yards and picnic tables!

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