I'l be in Stuart, FL November 6-15 and want play a day or two of bass fishing. After striking out at the Stick Marsh in August, we have decided that wherever we go, a guide is in order. We are reasonably close to Okeechobee, as well as Stick March Blue Cypress, Garcia, etc. Before you ask whether we are looking for numbers or size, the answer is yes ? Any suggestions on which will be the best trip? Thanks in advance

For what it's worth, I had never even heard of Garcia until a few months ago.  Since then, I've seen a couple of reports a week on it and it seems to be pumping out some serious 5 fish limits.  With that being said, most those folks are saying they only caught those five fish and nothing else so it doesn't seem to be a numbers place.  Most of what I've heard about Okeechobee and Stick Marsh over the last year is that since the hurricane came through last year, the fishing just hasn't been what it was on those lakes.  Not sure how much of that is just talk though considering I have seen photos of 35-40 pound bags over the last year.

1 hour ago, bigbassin' said:

For what it's worth, I had never even heard of Garcia until a few months ago.  Since then, I've seen a couple of reports a week on it and it seems to be pumping out some serious 5 fish limits.  With that being said, most those folks are saying they only caught those five fish and nothing else so it doesn't seem to be a numbers place.  Most of what I've heard about Okeechobee and Stick Marsh over the last year is that since the hurricane came through last year, the fishing just hasn't been what it was on those lakes.  Not sure how much of that is just talk though considering I have seen photos of 35-40 pound bags over the last year.

Good observation. There is a reason you don't hear much about Garcia past or present. ?

The big O is definitely not what it use to be. But it's not just since the hurricane. It's been on a steady decline for a few years now. Especially numbers wise. 

None of the lakes mentioned in the OP are chiseled in stone. I'm just looking for a good place to fish in the first half of November near(ish) Stuart. I figured that information gleaned from fellow bassers with local(ish) knowledge of the area and seasonal patterns would assist me with making a decision.

Okeechobee

 

I was on the Big O yesterday and pretty much face-planted..... Again! Bunch of dinks is all we could come up with. The few people we spoke to out there said that's all they got as well. Not sure of it's me or the lake? 

Ultimately, I booked a trip on Okeechobee with a guide who also fishes for peacocks on Ida and Osborne. We will evaluate the bite on each lake a few days before my scheduled trip, and decide where to go from there. A significant change from my original plan, but those peacocks are quite intriguing.

The Lake is a mess right now, and improvements may take a long time to improve.  Its all about fertilizers used by big sugar, lawn runoff as far north as Orlando, and Big dairy waste north of the lake.  They know what the have to do, but do everything they can to not do it.  Very sad.

Hey all, I live in Sebastian, and just wanted to let people now it has been very slow for bass fishing.  My friends are only getting a few fish at a time right now. The new lake next to the Marsh called Egan Lake mostly is weeded out except for the channel. Egan lake is a NO motor lake, and can lots of fun on a yak, trust me, lol.   Garcia lake depending on who you talk to is generally slow, but a few have been doing ok from what I hear, I don't generally fish there.  Once weather cools some the area should hopefully turn on once again.

Kind of funny, I consider Garcia my “home waters” as I’ve been fishing there for over 17 years, and has always been a numbers and big fish lake, I’ve had plenty of 50 fish days there, a few 100 days, and caught several fish over 7lbs. It has been pretty much a well kept secret for a long time but has certainly gained in popularity in the last couple years. Like most lakes, you must know the lake a bit in order to have success, but believe me, Garcia can fish as well as any lake around, including Lake O. 

7 hours ago, geo g said:

The Lake is a mess right now, and improvements may take a long time to improve.  Its all about fertilizers used by big sugar, lawn runoff as far north as Orlando, and Big dairy waste north of the lake.  They know what the have to do, but do everything they can to not do it.  Very sad.

I was in the monkey box Sunday and it was a complete shame. The smell was horrible! The decaying plants were everywhere from the spraying. One big slime home is what it looked like. Managed 3 dinks all day. 

There is a good article in the Sun Sentinel today (9/19/18) Page 11A, about the plight of Lake Okeechobee now and in the future.  Worth the read, if you love fishing the lake know your friends and what needs to be done.

Once the weather cools off the Marsh/Farm 13 should improve.  

Key factor there is wind direction. Anything with an N in it will stir up the water due to the sediment (created from past hurricanes when they ripped out the hydrilla and it settled to the bottom after dying). If you must go with a north wind, try what’s called the “north 40” which is the section that’s separated from the main part of the Stck Marsh.