OKEECHOBEE – With Lake Okeechobee’s level below 11.5 feet above sea level, concrete Reef Balls are visible along the edge of the pier at the Clif Betts Jr. Lakeside Recreation Area (Lock 7).

One hundred hollow concrete balls riddled with holes  were dropped at five sites around Lake Okeechobee in June 2000. Each ball  measures 4 feet in diameter and 3 feet in height.   At that time, years of high water levels had decimated the  lake vegetation that young fish depend on for cover. The holes in the Reef Balls allow small fish to swim inside to escape from predators.

The project was made possible, in part, through at $35,000 donation and partnership between the Walmart FLW Tour and the FishAmerica Foundation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided matching funds and was responsible for placing the Reef Balls.

Reef Balls, specifically designed and manufacturered as fish attractors, have been used in over reef projects world wide, most of them in deep-water ocean areas.