The Florida Fishing Experts
Specializing in Florida Bass Fishing on all of the Florida Freshwater Lakes.

Published on: April 19, 2010

For 30 years, I’ve had the opportunity, challenge and pleasure of working with some great fisheries biologists and a cadre of supporting scientists, technicians and staff dedicated to conserving Florida’s unique fisheries resources while providing quality recreational fishing. Mostly unbeknownst to the angling public, the Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management, first within the Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (GFC) and more recently in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), has had a stellar series of division directors guiding the way.

The first trained fisheries biologist, and subsequently the first division director, was Jack Dequine, who was hired in 1943. Jack is still an active member of the Florida Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.

A true Southern gentleman, Jerry Banks, was at the helm when I was hired in 1979. He passed the torch to Smokie Holcomb. Smokie was known for his hands-on knowledge of fisheries and helping pioneer lake restoration work as well as having a compassionate understanding of anglers’ needs.

Around 1996, Jerry Shireman took over from Smokie. He brought his experience as leader of the Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences program at the University of Florida to state government. In 2000, Ed Moyer, became fisheries director. Among Ed’s notable accomplishments was opening of the state-of-the-art Florida Bass Conservation Center. He was here when the residents of Florida overwhelmingly voted to merge the GFC, Marine Fisheries Commission and elements of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) related to marine fisheries into a new constitutionally authorized FWC.

In 2004, the FWC realigned and redistributed the resources and programs that were first brought together when the FWC was created. Part of that initiative resulted in the Division of Fisheries, which previously included its own research, habitat restoration and boating access staff totaling 170 employees reorganizing into a streamlined force of 69 employees focused on direct fisheries management and hatchery production. Other employees were mostly moved into the new Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, the Florida Wildlife Research Institute, or Office of Boating and Waterways. As the first director of the new Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management, Darrell Scovell brought a wealth of experience to the new challenges.

Darrell Scovell, Director of the Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management, during the past six years worked diligently to develop stakeholder relations.Before acquiring an advanced fisheries degree at Auburn, Darrell had served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. When he was hired by the GFC in 1978, he was initially on the Lake Okeechobee Fisheries Utilization and Management Program where his economic expertise was a plus. That started a 32-year career during which he had major impact on commercial fisheries and aquaculture programs before becoming director.

When April ends, so will Darrell’s distinguished FWC career.

“Throughout his career, he has influenced and inspired many of us within the FWC family with his conservation ethic, honesty, and compassion,” said executive director Nick Wiley in an e-mail to employees.

Recently, Darrell has paid special attention to two initiatives while balancing and maintaining the Division’s other core functions. First, he encouraged expansion of the conservation education model developed at the FWC’s Joe Budd Aquatic Education Center, which documented actual stewardship behavioral changes and angler recruitment. His support for the Get Outdoors Florida! Coalition, Florida Youth Conservation Center Network and internal education and outreach programs promises to be a lasting legacy.

Second, he recognized the teamwork necessary to manage the state’s three million acres of freshwater fisheries. Internal coordination with research biologists, habitat restoration managers, law enforcement, the new aquatic plant management section (first returned to the FWC in 2009), outreach personnel, boating access planners and regional staffs within FWC are part of the coordination challenges. When you add that DEP is the agency primarily charged with water quality, and various water management districts and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulate water quantity and schedules (which are vital to fisheries conservation), you get an idea of the complexities the division director faces. Recognizing these needs and the importance of getting public support from anglers, fishing-related businesses and waterfront landowners, Darrell initiated an effort to create a Florida Black Bass Management Plan.
Tom Champeau and son Kyle show off a nice bass.

Stepping up to become the new division director is Tom Champeau. Currently regional director for the Southwest Region, Tom began his employment in Florida in 1981, coming from the University of Michigan with a fisheries degree, and served as a fisheries biologist for 28 years. In announcing the appointment, Wiley described Tom as “passionate about the future of freshwater fisheries management in Florida and having many strong relationships with people in this arena.”
Tom was critical in initiating the Black Bass Management Plan concept and can be expected to aggressively pursue its completion and implementation.
Tom recently acknowledged his main accomplishments are enjoying 28 great years of marriage, raising their children to be good citizens with an appreciation for nature, and helping make his community a better place.
Professionally, Tom indicated his primary responsibility as division director will be to enable and support staff in efforts to ensure that fish and wildlife resources are protected and managed for sustained benefits for all Floridians. He specifically stated that he looks forward to working with stakeholders and helping build partnerships to make FWC’s work more relevant to a wider segment of the population.
“It is a great honor to be entrusted with this responsibility, and I look forward to helping ensure Florida’s reputation as the Fishing Capital of the World!” Tom said upon his appointment.
So the time is right for everyone who is interested in Florida freshwater fisheries to provide input and support these efforts. Here are two important opportunities.
First, provide input for the newly proposed Black Bass Management Plan. In Florida, black bass annually provide more than 800,000 anglers with nearly 15 million days of healthy outdoor recreation and generate more than a billion dollars in economic impact. Although the FWC and its predecessor agencies have zealously managed these fish to ensure their survival and sustainable use, it is time to pull together all the loosely connected pieces into one cohesive management plan.
For additional background visit MyFWC.com/Fishing, and select Black Bass Management Plan proposal. Then fill out a survey to provide the FWC with your opinion about how to ensure quality bass fishing in Florida.
We have also has teamed up with partners in the angling industry to create a 5-year freshwater fishing license promotion. A 5-year license costs just $79, plus a convenience fee. For most anglers, that amounts to barely a dollar per fishing trip, or about one quarter per hour, for healthy, relaxing recreation. Long-term licenses are also convenient and lock you in at the current price thus potentially saving you more money. Remember, your entire fishing license fee goes to FWC for conservation. In addition, every paid license (a 5-year license counts for each of the five years it is valid) holder helps recover federal excise taxes you pay on fishing tackle and motor boat fuels to support Sport Fish Restoration and boating access projects in Florida.
As if that isn’t enough, if you upgrade now to a 5-year or lifetime freshwater fishing license, you will receive a free bonus package by mail with tackle and accessory samples, magazines and coupons from fishing-related companies. The box of goodies comes in the mail absolutely free of charge and has you covered hook-line-and-sinker, literally.
Go to MyFWC.com/Fishing for details, including the opportunity to see all of the content and to verify the offer is still valid (current expectations are it will last until early June 2010). It’s a great deal for you and the future of freshwater fisheries conservation in Florida.

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer BASSonline – fishing@bassonline.com
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS

Florida, the bass usually begin spawning in January or February but this year they started at least a month late, said Mike Allen, a fisheries professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Largemouths are the state’s most popular freshwater game fish. To spawn, male bass make shallow nests in the sand, court females, and then protect the eggs and hatchlings for several weeks.

Males guarding nests are notoriously aggressive, striking anything that moves. The fish are easy to catch, but it’s commonly believed that spawning-season fishing reduces bass populations. Allen’s latest study suggests that notion is rarely true.

The findings were published in the current issue of the journal Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.
“We found that in most cases, spawning area closures won’t improve bass populations, for a couple of reasons,” he said. “One is, there’s a lot of catch and release nowadays. The other is, if you lose some nests, the ones that are left have higher survival rates.”

Catch and release is the practice of setting fish free, rather than keeping or “harvesting” them. In 2008, Allen and colleagues published a study showing that the percentage of largemouth bass harvested by anglers had fallen by half since the 1980s.

When nesting male bass are harvested — or if they’re released after a long delay — their nests are likely to be invaded by predators such as bluegill, which gobble up eggs and hatchlings.

However, the young bass that survive face less competition for food and shelter, giving them a better chance at reaching adulthood, Allen said.

The study used mathematical models to predict changes in two types of bass populations. One was typical of southern states, with fast growth rates, early maturation and high natural mortality. The other had the opposite qualities, typical of northern states.

Allen and biological scientist Daniel Gwinn, the study’s other author, gathered data on anglers catching bass during spawning seasons in three states. The researchers plugged the data into mathematical models representing several types of restricted and unrestricted fishing.

The results showed that prohibiting bass fishing during spawning season would only boost populations in waters where very high percentages of spawning bass are caught.

“Those conditions are pretty rare,” Allen said.

To test his findings in the field, Allen is collaborating with researchers from the Illinois Natural History Survey. They’ll catch nesting bass in two Florida lakes and four Canadian lakes to see if it influences the number of young that reach adulthood.
If there is no decrease, some officials might want to reconsider their policies, Allen said.

Wildlife managers in some northern states prohibit bass fishing during spawning, arguing that it protects bass populations. Local anglers don’t always agree, he said.

In Florida, no spawning-season restrictions on largemouth bass are likely, Allen said. But the study may have implications for proposed fishing restrictions on other species.

“This research shows that protecting fish just to let them spawn won’t improve sustainability,” Allen said. “If overfishing happens, we will need a larger closing to reduce annual fishing-related mortality — closing over a longer time or a larger area.”

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer BASSonline – fishing@bassonline.com
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS

Florida Largemouth Black Bass

10/29/2009 – Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the University of Florida need assistance with a statewide largemouth bass research study. This year-long project is an interactive way for the public to help biologists obtain critical information necessary to manage the largemouth bass fishery for quality and trophy-sized fish.

From this study, biologists hope to learn how frequently bass are caught and harvested. They also hope to learn more about the size range of fish caught.

Beginning this month, biologists are tagging largemouth bass with small, yellow tags along the back of the fish just below the dorsal fin. These tags carry a printed telephone number, e-mail address, tag number and reward value.  Anglers should carefully examine all bass caught in Florida lakes for reward tags, as biologists will tag fish in numerous lakes throughout the state.

Biologists encourage anglers to remove these tags by cutting them as close to the fish as possible and then treat the fish as they would normally. Once anglers remove a tag, they should immediately report it to the FWC Angler Tag Return Hotline at 800-367-4461 or e-mail TagReturn [at] MyFWC [dot] com.

Anglers participating in the study will receive a reward for each largemouth bass tag they return to the FWC. When reporting the tag, anglers should provide the following information:

• the species of fish,
• tag number, fish length,
• date and time of capture,
• name of the lake where the fish was caught, and
• whether the angler kept or released the fish.

Anglers should mail the tags to:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Attn: LMB Tagging Study
601 W. Woodward Ave.
Eustis, FL 32726

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer BASSonline – fishing@bassonline.com
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS

For decades, we bass anglers have been telling ourselves that a world record largemouth would be worth $1 million — maybe more — to the fisherman lucky enough to catch it. After all, the largemouth is the most sought-after and prized record in the entire world. Surely there’s a king’s ransom to be had.

We’ve had fantasies of ticker-tape parades, television appearances and full page advertisements in all the outdoor magazines. But just how realistic are those fantasies? And how much can Manabu Kurita make on this fish — assuming it’s certified and bigger than the 22-pound, 4-ounce bass caught by George Perry more than 77 years ago?

Well, the news may not be good for Kurita. It seems the pot at the end of the world record rainbow may be more hype than gold. Here are 10 reasons Kurita’s bass — even if properly certified — might not be worth a fortune.

1. Made in Japan

No offense to the Land of the Rising Sun here. They’ve been a wonderful ally to the United States for the past 64 years and make some of the finest fishing tackle in the world. But if you’re looking to cash in on a record bass you might want to consider catching it in California, Florida or Georgia rather than halfway around the world. It’s going to be tough for most of us bass anglers to identify with the fishing in Japan and almost none of us are going to pack up and trek out there to give it a try.

2. English Please

Manabu Kurita is probably a fantastic angler, and he’s certainly caught the fish of a million lifetimes, but if he doesn’t speak English and can’t communicate effectively with an American audience and the American outdoors media, he’s going to have a very tough row to hoe when it comes to selling himself and the story of his catch. If there are big bucks to be made off this fish, they’re to be made in the United States and before an English-speaking audience.

3. The Right Lure

The really big dollars to be made off a world record come from marketing the lure that was used to catch it. Unfortunately, the most reliable reports available at this time indicate that Kurita caught the giant bass on live bait — either a bluegill-type fish or some sort of koi. Without a bait to promote, the lion’s share of Kurita’s sponsorship opportunities may be gone.

4. The Right Distribution

The Deps tackle company obviously makes some terrific equipment. After all, Deps made the rod that Kurita used to catch the monster. The problem is that virtually no one in the U.S. — the biggest part of the bass market — has ever heard of Deps or held one of their rods. In order for Deps to take advantage of the buzz created by the new potential record, they’re going to have to mobilize a whole lot faster than most companies could ever hope to mobilize.

5. Wanted Dead or Alive!

In years past, several companies — usually tackle manufacturers trying to ensure that a new record was caught on their bait, rod, reel or line — offered bounties on the world record largemouth. Creek Chub Bait Company, Berkley and BASS were just a few of the companies that had bounties ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 on the fish. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Big Bass Record Club offered as much as $8 million for a record caught by a member. It appears that none of these bounties are offered anymore, and their absence will definitely cut down on how effectively Kurita can monetize his catch.

6. (Insert Cricket Sounds Here)

The latest word from Japan is that Deps is creating a video with Kurita offering details on his catch. Supposedly they’ll be offering it for sale. That might be OK for the casual fan, but for the hardcore and especially for the American media, this simply will not do. We need more and we need it faster. When it comes to record bass, the story is a lot like justice — story delayed is story denied. Kurita, with or without Deps, needs to get his story out, and the sooner the better.

7. Bass of the Great Depressions

What is it about economic strife and big bass? When George Perry caught the record in 1932, the world was in the middle of the Great Depression. Now, as Kurita applies for record status with his fish, the world is in another financial abyss. Just as the tough economic times are hurting us, they’ll likely cut into what Kurita can get for his accomplishment.

8. Fool Me Once

We’re a tougher, savvier audience today than ever before. Back when George Perry caught his record, or even in the ’70s and ’80s when California was establishing itself as the place to go for record class fish, bass fanatics might have believed that the key to catching a record was having the same gear as the angler who caught it. Not anymore. Now we realize that tackle is just one element in the mix, and we’re not going to go out and buy a Deps rod or Toray line just because Kurita used it. That kind of savvy is great … unless you’re trying to make a buck.

9. Jaded

When Mac Weakley foul-hooked “Dottie” a few years back, the angling world got a look at a 25-pound, 1-ounce largemouth bass that few could have anticipated. After all, who knew they got that big?! Well, Dottie opened more than a few eyes and plenty of bass experts felt it was just a matter of time before Perry’s record fell to a California bass — Dottie, to be specific. Of course, it didn’t happen. But once you’ve seen the bright lights of a 25-pounder, it’s tough to get fired up over a garden variety 22-pounder, right? Kurita may have earned a share of the record, but his fish was no Dottie, and he’ll suffer the financial ramifications of that.

10. When is a Record Bass Not a Record Bass?

That question is really one for the International Game Fish Association. According to their rules, “To replace a record for a fish weighing less than 25 pounds, the replacement must weigh at least 2 ounces more than the existing record.” Since Kurita’s bass weighs less than 1 ounce more than Perry’s, the two will be considered a tie for the all-tackle mark. Ties, they say, are like kissing your sister, and Kurita’s bank account isn’t going to benefit from that. To really cash in, he needed to break the record, not tie it.

So is a world record bass really worth $1 million? Maybe, but it’s likely worth nowhere near as much as it could have brought a decade or more ago — when a million bucks was really a lot of money and things were a little different. It looks like the record may not be all it’s cracked up to be … at least if you’re talking about dollars and cents.

Click here to JOIN BASS! Till next time tight lines and good fishing…. From Staff Writer BASSonline) fishing@bassonline.com BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS BassOnline.com is Florida Fishing largest Freshwater Guide Service, specializing in Florida bass fishing in the Florida lakes, canals and rivers. To learn more about Florida bass fishing, visit Bass Fishing Blog. Also visit or sister website Florida Bass Fishing, Lake Okeechobee Fishing, Bass Fishing Florida, Florida Peacock Bass

Central Florida Bass Fishing

If you are a largemouth bass Fisherman you mite want to head for Lake Toho in Florida for some amazing bass fishing at this Nationally ranked largemouth bass fishing lake.

Florida is one of the best states in the US for bass fishing  and is ranked as the “Fishing Capital of the World” addtional is know as the “Bass Capitol of the World.”  There are more than 7,500 freshwater lakes and rivers that hold good populations of large mouth bass, infact it is hard to pick just one location in florida. It is a rough decision because there are so many lakes that hold good populations of bass and are easy to access and fish.

We have compiled a list of the lakes the Florida Fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) has listed as holding very good populations and sizes of largemouth bass. This list is a good guide to use to plan for your next large mouth bass fishing trip to Florida. Our focus is on the top ten areas in and around Lake Tohopekaliga that hold good population of Largemouth bass. We hope this information will help you plan a fishing trip to lake Tohopekaliga (called lake Toho by locals). You can also visit our Interactive map to get more detail information.

Absent from this list is Lake Kissimmee, a longtime favorite of many Florida fishermen because of its large bass. The lake has a healthy population of 13- to 14-inch bass, and some real monsters said Marty Mann, a biologist with the FWC’s Kissimmee office.
Lake Kissimmee is the best in the Kissimmee chain for speckled perch (black crappie), bluegill and shellcracker (redear sunfish), Mann said.

New on the best-bass lakes list this year is Crescent Lake near the St. Johns River northwest of Daytona Beach. FWC biologists using electric stunning methods for sampling fish there turned up “good numbers” of 8-plus-pound bass. Fall and early winter tend to produce the best bass fishing at Crescent Lake.

Other top 10 bass lakes designated by the FWC are:

• Rodman Reservoir, east of Gainesville and south of Palatka. The state’s largest bass of 2000 – 15 pounds, 17 ounces – came from the reservoir. Most big bass are caught in the “stump fields” along the river channel. Limited-consumption mercury warnings apply for women of childbearing age and children under 10.

• Lake George, east of Ocala and northwest of Deland. One of the many natural lakes along the St. Johns River, Lake George is the second-largest lake in the state, behind Lake Okeechobee, and is a favorite for those who enjoy wade fishing with plastic worms or top-water lures. Limited-consumption mercury warnings apply for women of childbearing age and children under 10.

•Lake Tarpon, north of Tampa near Tarpon Springs. Lake Tarpon anglers often catch 20-plus bass, most of them 12 to 16 inches but some up to 10 pounds. Flipping and pitching along bulrush edges and canal banks can be productive, as can fishing humps and eelgrass beds offshore. Limited-consumption mercury warnings apply.

•Lake Tohopekaliga, also known as Lake Toho, just south of the town of Kissimmee. This lake has produced a documented 17.1-pound bass. And this is the lake that produced Dean Rojas’ record-setting string of five bass that weighed 45 pounds, 2 ounces in January 2001. Plans to drawn down Toho for shoreline restoration have been postponed until the fall. Limited-consumption mercury warnings apply.

•Stick Marsh/Farm 13, near Fellsmere west of Vero Beach. The re-flooded farm fields have become a hot bass-fishing spot, and FWC sampling in 2002 confirms “good reproduction and growth” of bass. Anglers find fish near stumps, submerged canals and hydrilla domes. All bass must be released.

• Lake Walk-in-water, off State Road 60 east of Lake Wales. Anglers frequently catch 25 bass, with several in the 4- to 8-pound range, by drifting live shiners over hydrilla domes on the northern half of the lake. A three-bass limit and 15- to 24-inch slot limit apply, as do limited-consumption mercury warnings.

•Lake Istokpoga, between U.S. 27 and U.S. 98 south of Sebring and east of Lake Placid. This lake is known for large bass, with regular catches of 8-pounders and some between 10 and 13 pounds, the FWC said. Live shiners and pitching soft plastics in bulrush patches around the lake’s two islands can be productive. A 15- to 24-inch slot limit and three-bass bag limit apply, as do limited-consumption mercury warnings.

•At 730 square miles, Lake Okeechobee is the state’s largest lake and borders western Palm Beach and Martin counties. (If you can’t find Okeechobee, just look at a map of Florida and find the big blue area in the middle of the state. ) Anglers find fish on bulrush at Eagle Bay Island, Kings Bar and Little Grassy Island on the north end and in eelgrass near South Bay on the south end. Plastic worms and spinnerbaits usually are productive. All bass 13 to 18 inches must be released. A limited-consumption mercury warning applies for women of child-bearing age and children under 10.

• Everglades Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3, off U.S. 27 in western Broward and Dade counties. The best bass fishing tends to be in the spring, when falling water levels force bass to move from shallow marshes into canals. The L-67A and L-35B, accessible from Everglades Holiday Park and the Sawgrass Recreation Area off U.S. 27, are two popular fishing canals. Because of mercury, no Everglades bass longer than 14 inches should be eaten. Limited consumption is advised for the smaller bass.

Hope this helps you make a decidtion to come fish one of these great rated fisheries.

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer BASSonline) fishing@bassonline.com
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS