Merritts Mill Pond a Sleeper

Anglers, time for a break from science. I know—I’m disappointed too. Fear not! This is some good stuff, nonetheless. This blog and many other social media outlets give us a chance to provide you with brief updates about fisheries straight from the mouths of our field biologists. FWC has its eyes and ears covering the state in fresh and saltwater, and we can now bring information to you faster than ever.

Springtime is electrofishing season (I posted that blog last time… go read it after you read this). Our field biologists spend a lot of time on many of Florida’s water bodies. And they know which lakes are currently looking good. A small lake in the northwestern part of the state has caught the attention of several biologists as having a quality largemouth fishery that is likely going unnoticed. Merritt’s Mill Pond, located near Marianna, is the lake, and it was recently highlighted in an FWC article as a small-water gem.

Opportunities are Endless

An FWC biologist releases a tagged trophy largemouth bass back into Merritt’s Mill Pond. The yellow “spaghetti tag” is visible on the fish’s back. Come catch him if you can!

In recent years, our annual fish sampling has shown more solid-sized bass in this Merritts Mill Pond a Sleeper lake. Suggesting it could be a bit of a “sleeper.” This past March, as part of a state-wide research project measuring angler catch and harvest rates for trophy-sized (8 lbs) largemouth bass. FWC biologists hoped to capitalize on the up-trending population at Merritt’s Mill Pond and tag this trophy-sized bass. They succeeded. Overall, the bass population was healthy, with plenty of bass in the 3-6 lb range, with the trophy-sized bass icing on the cake.

We expect to see more trophy-sized bass be produced from this lake in the future, as there was quite a few bass that missed the 8 lb minimum for tagging by just a few ounces. The big bass is there. If you are a bass angler in the Panhandle, head out to Merritt’s Mill Pond! It should be worth a trip or two. Good luck, folks. Your regularly scheduled science will continue next time.

If you enjoyed this article on Merritts Mill Pond a Sleeper Paradise, you might also like these tips on Sturgeon Fish.

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