Balon's Pro Guide Service
Fishing Report

May 1, 2008

Hello again fishing friends! I hope everyone is having a great spring and thank you again to everyone these past couple of weeks. It was awesome even with that freakish cold front that hit during the middle of April. It slowed are numbers down from 25-40 to 20-25 a day. That was tough huh :) Everyone got a kick out of all the cloths I had on. It sure didn't feel like Florida there for awhile. But, as they say that was then and this is now. The fishing has remained excellent and should continue well into the summer. We are catching good numbers on Artificial and shiners. I hope to hear from a lot of you in the coming months.
As I have mentioned in the last couple of reports Lake Okeechobee is low but is holding at 10.3 What does this mean? Well, nothing really for us here in Clewiston we have over 30 miles of fishable water and access to the main lake when the wind is not blowing. So if you are still on the fence about coming to Okeechobee. Don't let the low water stop you. We will have an excellent time and catch a lot of fish. My prices have also remained the same. Even with gas at 3.73 a gallon and Diesel 4.33 OUCH! Who would of ever thought. To bad my boat wont run on $#!+ cause lord knows are government sure has enough of it! LOL!!!
Thank you again guys for your friendship and business and I hope too hear from everyone again. Enjoy the photo's

Good Fishing...Capt. Mike Balon

Another couple of great office views.

April 13, 2008

Hello again fishing friends! Lets just get right to it. What an awesome time we are having this April. As many of you know April and May are my two favorite months to fish Okeechobee. The photos below say it all. Not only are we catching the numbers we are also landing some beautiful Hawgs!! Thank you again to everyone for your friendship and business the past couple of weeks! It was flat awesome and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did! With everything going on in the world right now none of this would be possible with out you guys. Enjoy the photo's
That brings me to the condition of Lake Okeechobee. Since I last wrote the lake has come up over 6 inches. Yes, it is still low but this has in no way slowed the action on Lake Okeechobee. We are still catching just as many bass if not more than we ever have. So if you are on the fence about coming to Lake Okeechobee for some bass fishing please don't let the low water scare you. My prices have also remained the same as last year. I am sure eventually we will have to go up like everything else but for right now we will remain the same through the summer. Give me a call for some Excellent fishing this April and May. As of right now I do not personally have a full day open until Wednesday, April 23 Please call or email me for availability. I will look forward to hearing from you.

Good Fishing.....Capt. Mike Balon

It flat just doesn't get any better than this!

March 29, 2008

Hello again fishing friends! Wow! April's here already, what an awesome March this year. Thank you to everyone this past month. It was awesome and I had a blast. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. Enjoy the photos and I will look forward to seeing you all again very soon.
So, that brings me to the state of Lake Okeechobee for April and as many of you know April and May are my two favorite months to fish Lake Okeechobee. Right now the water level is holding steady at 10.2 and compared to last year at this time that is a foot higher. So, what does this mean? We are going to catch a lot of bass as usual in April. Right now we are averaging 25-40 bass a day! It doesn't get any better than that! So, if you are sitting on the fence about coming to Okeechobee because of water levels. Don't let that stop you. We will have an excellent time and catch a lot of bass. My prices have also remained the same as last year even though everything else is getting ridiculous! Gas at 4.07 a gallon! Who would of ever thought!
Give me a call this April for some great action.

Good Fishing....Capt. Mike Balon

What an awesome start to a Morning!!!

This guy was a foot away from the boat waiting on Bob to miss another bass and kill one more shiner! Sorry Bob I had to do it. LOL!!

March 16, 2008

Hello again fishing friends! I hope everyone is gearing up for an excellent second half of March. It has been an Awesome winter here on Okeechobee. Most days we are averaging 25-40 bass!! I look for this action to continue well into the Summer. If you are thinking of planning a trip to Okeechobee you won't be disappointed.
Thank you again to everyone for your friendship and business the last two weeks. I had a blast. Enjoy the photo's.

Good Fishing...Capt. Mike Balon

Another awesome Lake Okeechobee sunrise!

March 1, 2008

Hello Again fishing friends! I hope everyone is planning their trips to Florida in the next few months as the weather is warm and the fishing is just flat AWESOME! Even with the cold snap we had recently the fishing was excellent! For the last 3 days I have had a long time customer and friend Stan Kulow from Iowa. We lost count on the numbers but we did manage some HAWGS!! Check out the photos below.
I think enough said!!!

Thank you again to everyone this February for your friendship and business it was an awesome time and I will look forward to seeing all of you again.

Good Fishing...Capt. Mike Balon

The Bass aren't the only things biting! LOL!!

What an Awesome office view :)

February 1, 2008

Hello again fishing friends! Wow! February already, I had a No Show today so I wanted to get my report updated for everyone. Looks like winter is in full affect as I sit here in shorts the sun is shining and at 8:30am it's already 76 out. I bet you guys cant say that! Looks like freezing rain and snow everywhere but here. So give me a call the fishing has been Awesome and the weather has been even better. This is when I really love my job and Florida (except for the NO Show)
I will keep this pretty short and let the pictures speak for themselves. Thank you again to everyone this past month for your friendship and business. I will look forward to seeing everyone again.

Good Fishing...Capt. Mike Balon

A great start to 2008

January 9, 2008

Hello again fishing friends! Wow! Can you believe its 2008? This year makes my 17th year as a guide on Lake Okeechobee out of Roland Martin's. Seems like only yesterday when I started this adventure. I wanted to thank everyone again for your friendship and business in 2007. It was an awesome year and I hope 2008 is just as good. THANK YOU!!!

So, lets get to the fishing and the condition of Lake Okeechobee. We are just coming off one mother of a cold front. It took are water temp down from 74 to 52 degrees! OUCH! To say things got slow on Okeechobee was an understatement. We went from catching 30-40 bass a day to 12! Not a bad day by any means but this is Okeechobee and I am spoiled :)
The good news is we are warming up fast and the fish are starting to be on the move again. That brings me to the # 1 question about Okeechobee. What's the water level? Well, as many of you have heard she is low. We are presently at 10.2 ft above sea level. What does that mean for the fishing? Nothing really except we will again not be fishing the grass that everyone is accustom to.
If you are planning a trip to Okeechobee you will not be disappointed in the action. Just remember we will not be running through the grass as in years past.
I will look forward to hearing from a lot of you in the coming months and remember when you are shoveling snow or pointing that magic little button on your keys out the window to start your car because its freezing out side and for the low techies scrapping ice off your windows. Just remember its warm in Florida and the Bass are Biting!!! Just for the record it was 79 today!! Sorry I had to do it :)

Good Fishing....Capt. Mike Balon

December 11, 2007

Hello again fishing friends! Can you believe its almost 2008! Were did the year go? I hope everyone is enjoying this Holiday season. I know I am. The fishing on Okeechobee has been excellent! The big girls have been on the prowl with the water finally cooling down and the weather remaining stable. While we are not catching 50 a day like in years past we are still getting 20-30 bass a day! The last two days have produced 3 over 8 or 3 over 10 by some guides scales! :) You know who you are and stop trying to find where I am fishing by these pictures!
So, any way guys despite all the bad press Okeechobee is receiving due to the low water. The fishing has defiantly not been affected. (a good example) My friend and customer Bruce from NY brought his own boat down this year and in the last 2 weeks him and his uncle caught over 300 BASS! You know, I honestly cant count that high but Bruce is a numbers guy! That is just awesome and let me tell you I was up in Bruce's neck of the woods on the Hudson river this fall and I caught NOWHERE close to those numbers! But, I still had fun!!

So, if you are thinking of planning a trip to Okeechobee. You wont be disappointed.. Give me a call or drop me an email and I will do my very best to put you on a big bass and provide a fun day out on the water. Thank you again to everyone for your return and new business and friendship this past week. I will look forward to hearing from a lot of you in the coming weeks.

Good Fishing....Capt. Mike Balon