Lake Okeechobee—Randall Tharp caught a four-day bag of 101-pounds, 12-ounces to win the FLW tournament last week on Lake Okeechobee, testimony to that the big lake is back to historic proportions. Tharp was flippin’ the outside grass mats and mud tussocks with the best action coming in the middle of the day.

Changes affecting spotted seatrout include: Redefining the areas where spotted seatrout are managed by splitting the state into four management zones instead of three; The recreational season will be open year-round statewide; Raising the recreational bag limit in Northeast Florida from five to six.

Changes affecting red drum include: The creation of three management zones for red drum instead of one statewide management area. The areas represent the northwest, northeast and southern sections of the state's waters; Increasing from one to two the number of red drum that a recreational fisherman can take per day in the Northeast and Northwest zones; Establishing a statewide vessel limit of eigh

The recreational harvest season for snook reopens Wednesday in Florida's Atlantic coastal and inland waters, including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. Anglers may keep one snook between 28 and 32 inches in length per day in the allowable harvest areas only.

Right now, the fish have been near St Road 46 at Lee’s crossing, especially near the mouth of the Econolohatchi River (Econ for short) where it empties into the St. Johns River. The areas near the bridge have produced up to two dozen shad per angler, along with good catches of black crappie and even some striped bass. There have also been fish spread out near Mullet Lake.