ON TOUR
COSTA FLW SERIES
LAKE OKEECHOBEE
CLEWISTON, FLA.
By Rob Newell
photos by Jody whIte
detaIls
Jan. 26–28, 2017
presented by power-pole
hosted by roland & Mary ann Martin’s Marina & resort
and hendry county tourism development council
costa Flw series division: southeastern
Winning angler
target areas
taylor ashley, Warrior, ala.
Winning Weight: 68 pounds, 12 ounces (15 fish)
stat line: This was Ashley’s first-ever Costa FLW Series tournament. He previously fished
as a boater and co-angler at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League level.
Ashley’s primary area was
some 500 yards long and
about 200 yards wide. It fea-
tured a generous mix of lily
pads and small reed clumps
interspersed with pockets of
open water with hard bottom.
Ashley could catch keeper
buck bass in the area at will,
but he began to notice that
his bigger bites often came
from boat lanes, which sliced
through his area. Early on day
two, he discovered that one
boat lane in particular
seemed to have a better draw
for big fish than the others.
“It was a lane that connect-
ed the main canal [the rim
ditch] to the lake,” he details.
“The boat lane was about a
foot deeper than the sur-
rounding water. I really think
those bigger females were
using that particular lane to
migrate in. Any reed stalk
along that boat lane was a
perfect stopping point for a
big one to hold up on. That’s
where most of my best bites
came from.”
Ashley targeted boat lanes
coursing through a flat covered
in reeds and lily pads.
Winning Baits
CONDITIONS
Weather | sunny with passing clouds on day one; heavy fog in the morning on day two,
followed by overcast skies and drizzle in the afternoon; clear, blue skies on day three
air temperature | highs in the mid-70s on days one and two; 60 degrees on day three
Water temperature | 65 degrees on days one and two; 61 on day three
Water clarity | stained and turbid in the main lake; clear but tannin-stained in the back-
waters and north shore area
Wind | SW to 12 mph on day one; north at 10 mph on day two; NE to 20 mph on day three
moon phase | new
predominant lake features | various shallow aquatic vegetation, man-made canals
fishery type | natural lake
76
Ashley did most of his fish
catching on Lake Okeechobee
with a 3/8-ounce Dirty Jigs
Tackle No-Jack Swim Jig teamed
with a Zoom Super Speed
Craw, both in white. He also
mixed in a green pumpkin ver-
sion of the jig, but notes that
most of the big fish bit the
white offering. He tied the jig to
65-pound-test PowerPro braid
and fished it on a 7-foot, 4-inch,
heavy-action rod from Ark
Rods teamed with a Lew’s reel
with a high-speed 7.8:1 gear
ratio.
flWfIshIng.com I aprIl 2017