Okeechobee habitat rundown

Lake Okeechobee’s famed fishery has traditionally been fueled by the wealth of aquatic vegetation, which provides ample nursery areas and ambush points for predatory bass. Bassmaster Elite Series anglers have complained of a vastly reduced vegetation, but there are still some areas covered with mats. And where you find that vegetation, you find clean water and plenty of bass

Anglers focused their efforts on those grass mats, sometimes burying their boats in the mat and punching the thick vegetation …

… while other times they worked the edges of the visible mats.

Key to success is making lots and lots of casts, dissecting the vegetation.

The classic water lily is prevalent, offering lots of cover for bass …

… and other predators.

However, the vegetation availalbe is far more extensive than just lilies. There is a diverse number of species, including water hyacinths and pennywort, that combine to provide maximum cover.

The fields of lilies also conceal submerged vegetation. Here, milfoil can be seen among the lilies, adding to the tangled canopy.

More milfoil.

Then there is submergent vegetation like cattails that add to the possible bass-holding areas.

Stands of cattails offer openings in which bass can hide.

Stands of soft rush also break up the submerged mats and offer another target for anglers.

Other emergents like pickerelweed are likely bass haunts, as well.

When all the different species mix is when things get interesting, forcing anglers to really analyze each bite to determine if there’s a pattern that allows them to narrow down their search.