Shiner Fishing-Prospecting Gold on Lake Okeechobee
Shiner Fishing Season starts in November and ends in March. With snowbirds visiting this time of year shiner sales skyrocket at a time when bait fishing is the toughest. What can sometimes take all day during season would take an hour or less during the summer. Unfortunately, during the summer months there is almost no market for these golden treasures.
Golden Shiner fishing is a science and to be good at it you have to master the techniques. You’re at the mercy of the elements and have to follow the weather, water temperature and the signs and behavioral patterns of the species.
An average Shiner Fisherman can work from sun up to well after dark. If you’re good at it, you’ve figured out how to get the best catch with the least amount of effort.. We work smarter, not harder. Ryan and Kyle usually work together, but sometimes lack of sleep, personality traits and spending too much time together can cause the boys to go their separate ways. For the most part everything they do, they do together. Why would they go alone if two can do it faster?
The plan of prospecting gold goes into action with deliveries made well before the sun hits the horizon. Preparation begins with the obvious. Feed, fuel and the not so obvious ice. Ice is used to maintain the water temperature in the tanks for the bait that is harvested.
The boys know the lake inside and out and for shiner fishing they are looking for an area with weeds and a bit of dirty water. When they find the proper conditions and most importantly the fish, they drive a pvc pipe into the bed of the lake, throw the feed and move to another spot. This is the process of making a shiner hole. Every day they run out, bait the holes, fill up their tanks with water and start the netting process. Shiners are caught using a cast net. The boys throw a 12 foot net with 12 pounds of lead. Between the two they will throw the net between 70 and 90 times per day. Factor in 40 to 50 pounds of weeds, mud and bait and each pull can make 70 throws seem like a lifetime. The biggest catch this season…143 dozen in one day. Okeechobee Gold at its best.
After throwing the net on a hole, the sorting begins. Every bait is hand picked for a grade that fisherman enjoy fishing with. A bait too small is hard to cast and does not provide much action, which is key for getting Bass to actively feed in a certain area. A bait too large will not provide tons of bites but will land many quality fish. Perfect Gold is 6 to 8 inches long. Then the process continues. Throw the net, sort the bait, throw them in the holding tanks. Throw the net, sort them and into the tanks they go. Some days you can throw the net all day for thirty dozen and others you could throw five times for the same result.
Once the boys are done fishing for the day, the baits must be taken out of the boat and placed in tanks at the house. These tanks are used to cure the baits and make them hardier and a lot cleaner. At this stage chemicals are added to promote growth of a new slime coat and salt is added to kill any bacteria or fungus from growing on any injured fish. Through the day any bait shops needing bait have placed their orders and are waiting for us to make a delivery in the morning.
If you’re looking for a good net, you’ll want to use Tim Wade Cast Nets. They are custom made, good quality nets for affordable prices. Grundens and white rubber boots are the preferred apparel of choice. From fresh water to salt water, we don’t leave home without our Grundens. Our “Lakeport Loafers” are made by Servus and can be purchased from most commercial fishing supply houses. They keep you from slipping and are thick enough to protect your feet against even the teeth of big meat fish. Most importantly Nutragena SPF 100 spray. It protects against the sun, stays where you put it and doesn’t run when you sweat.
Why Prospecting for Gold? “The money is pretty good and you get to be on the lake, enjoying the beauty our great State provides.”