Hite halfway home
07.Feb.2014 by Kyle Wood
CLEWISTON, Fla. – Brett Hite has found success on Okeechobee in the past but never to the extent he is experiencing this week. The Phoenix, Ariz., pro is keeping the momentum rolling as he busted 23 pounds, 8 ounces today to take a commanding lead to the tune of 12-9 that he will carry into day three.
While his day-two limit was substantially less than yesterday – over 10 pounds less – Hite is comfortable and confident with his pattern.
“Things have been going right for me this week,” said Hite. “I’m feeling relaxed and fishing the way I like. Nothing has really bothered me. I have a lot of boats fishing near me but I just tune them out.”
For years Hite has spent his time on the water watching media boats fly by in search of the Randall Tharps and JT Kenneys paying little respect to him. He knew that one day his pattern would produce when the time is right, and that time is now.
“There are a lot of people not fishing the same style or pattern that I am,” continued Hite. “I’m really keying in on a specific thing that I think is helping me get those bigger bites.
“I still have some spots saved that I haven’t fished. I’m not saying they are my best spots, but I have caught some of my bigger fish from areas I didn’t think were that good. But I’m looking for places I call a salad bowl which is just a big clump of all different kinds of grass. When you find one there are big numbers of fish in it.”
Hite says these “salad bowls” consist of anything from eel grass to hydrilla and anything else you can find on Okeechobee. He has waypoints in these certain areas that he focuses on but hasn’t quite figured out what is holding the bass on the particular spot.
“You can go down a stretch to your waypoint and catch one right off it and leave. If you come back a little while later you can catch another one or even a few from that same area. It’s crazy how it replenishes. I don’t know what holds them there but it is something specific they like.”
The morning (usually one of the better bite windows) started off a little slower for Hite which he attributes to the cloud cover early in the day. He says that there is generally a lull from 10 to 1 o’clock before the fish fire back up in the afternoon.
Hite is still tight-lipped about his presentations but is using three or four different baits to catch his fish.
His two-day total weight stands at 58-7 putting him well on his way to hit the century mark this week.
