Lake Trafford Restoration Yields Great Bass Fishing
Trip Overview
Historical context: This story preserves a July 2017 FWC trophy-bass report; it is not a current fishing forecast.
Fishing Experience
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has confirmed a 10-pound, 7-ounce largemouth bass was caught on Lake Trafford and approved in the TrophyCatch program. Lake Trafford, in Collier County, has received national recognition for its resurging bass fishing made possible by ongoing restoration projects.
Catch Highlights
The nearly 26-inch largemouth bass was caught by Steve Dial on an artificial lure on June 25. This is the first Trophy Club submission from Lake Trafford into TrophyCatch, FWC’s award-winning catch, document and release program.
While reports of trophy-sized bass catches are less common during the summer, this fish is no fluke. FWC reported in 2017 that sampling had documented excellent growth rates for abundant bass in Lake Trafford.
“With trophy bass reported more frequently around the spawning season, I’m really excited for what the coming season may produce,” said Barron Moody, FWC regional fisheries administrator. “We can also confirm the presence of an even larger bass in the lake – our biologists tagged and released a bass weighing more than 11 pounds during routine sampling as part of our trophy bass tagging study.”
Highlighted in Bassmaster Magazine in August 2016, 1,500-acre Lake Trafford’s history of devastating fish kills and unhealthy habitat is no more. It can now boast of quality populations of black crappie and largemouth bass – all thanks to a partnership between the determined citizens of Collier County, the South Florida Water Management District – Big Cypress Basin, the FWC and others.
Original source: FWC July 26, 2017 TrophyCatch news release. Later update: FWC May 2021 habitat planting report.
