Released by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission ——
Our Purpose: To identify excellent Florida freshwater fishing opportunities and to provide anglers with relevant information that will enhance the quality of their outdoor experience.
| In this issue: TrophyCatch Tracker Featured Fish: Florida gar Featured Locales: Harris Chain of Lakes Fisheries Biology: Keeping Your Catch Alive |
| TrophyCatch Tracker The FWC’s TrophyCatch citizen-science program is now well underway with its seventh season! Milestones since TrophyCatch’s start in 2012 include: * 26,556 registrants * 8,136 approved submissions * 55 documented Hall of Fame size bass 13 pounds or larger. If you’re new to TrophyCatch, the program is a direct response to FWC’s Black Bass Management Plan, which placed an emphasis on establishing trophy bass fishing opportunities throughout the state. TrophyCatch was established to collect data on trophy bass while promoting bass conservation by rewarding catch-and-release fishing. Various industry partners have teamed up with FWC to make this program not only fun, but rewarding. Just by registering, you are automatically entered into a free drawing for a Phoenix bass boat, and you don’t have to submit a fish to win! The primary submission requirement is a photo showing the entire bass on a scale, with the weight reading clearly visible. Our biggest tip to new participants is to not cut off the tail in the photo—the entire fish must be visible. Hall of Fame (HOF) bass weighing 13 pounds or more are extremely rare nationwide and are one of the factors that make Florida the Bass Fishing Capital of the World! Each of these giants submitted to TrophyCatch would be the state record in over half the United States! Several TrophyCatch participants have made the incredible accomplishment of catching not one, but two or more of these once-in-a-lifetime fish that they have submitted to the program. In fact, participant Syl Sims used the Enigma rod he received for submitting one HOF bass to catch this one! Stay up to date on TrophyCatch, partner promotions, special events and our top producing anglers by liking our TrophyCatch Facebook page and subscribing to the TrophyCatch YouTube Channel. Who knows—you might see your trophy bass photo featured here soon! Featured Fish: Florida gar Size: The Big Catch minimum qualifying sizes are 4 pounds or 28 inches for adults, and 3 pounds or 21 inches for youth (BigCatchFlorida.com). The State Record is 9.44 pounds. Identification and similar species: The Florida gar is a long fish with a narrow, toothed mouth and bony scales that form a hard armor. Irregular round spots occur on top of the head, all over the body and fins. A number of “new” State Records that have been reported to FWC have turned out to be longnose gar, which can be distinguished from the Florida gar by a longer and narrower mouth and the presence of small bony plates on the underside of the head. Angling qualities: Gar receives a “bad rap” among anglers because they steal shiners and can scratch up lures intended for bass. However, they are a natural part of Florida’s freshwater ecology and often surprise anglers with a sporting fight. Gar can be caught with minnows, bacon, artificial lures or frayed nylon cord that entangles the gar’s teeth. Food value, however, is considered poor. Where to catch them: Florida gar are found in the Ochlockonee River and waters east and south into peninsular Florida where they inhabit streams, canals and lakes with mud or sand bottoms near underwater vegetation. They are common to abundant throughout central and peninsular Florida. They will often stack up like the proverbial cordwood near culverts or other areas with an outflow. Interesting facts: Gar use an airbladder to breathe air in low-oxygen water. Spawning occurs in late winter and early spring when both sexes congregate in shallow weedy waters where the females lay adhesive eggs. Newly hatched young possess an adhesive organ on the end of their snout and stay attached to vegetation until 3/4-inch long. Adults primarily feed on fish, shrimp and crayfish. Featured Locales: Harris Chain of Lakes Size: 75,976 acres in total. Comprised of eight lakes larger than 1,000 acres each, including Lake Apopka which is the fourth largest lake in Florida. Location: Lake and Orange Counties. Description: The Harris Chain of Lakes is one of the five largest chain of lakes in central Florida. The lakes alone, not including the numerous canals and creeks connecting the chain, total 76,000 acres of fishing paradise. The chain supports abundant and diverse vegetation that provides excellent opportunities for fishing bass to bluegill. Since the start of Florida’s TrophyCatch Program, the Harris Chain has accumulated 250 approved TrophyCatch fish through May 2018. Of those catches, 216 are Lunker Club (8-9.9 lbs.) and 34 are Trophy Club (10-12.9 lbs.). Lake Harris is the highest contributor with 80 approved catches followed closely by Lake Griffin with 76 catches. Recently Field & Stream listed the Harris Chain as the best fishing spot in Florida. Also, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) has recommended the Harris Chain as one of the top 10 fishing destinations in Florida. The FWC has constructed 35 artificial fish attractor areas located in Lake Griffin (18), Lake Harris (7) and Lake Dora (10) to enhance fishing opportunities. Another favorite sportfish is the sunshine bass stocked annually into Lake Harris, with over 200,000 stocked in 2018. The Harris Chain of Lakes also received great recognition during 2018 in hosting several very successful major tournaments: FLW, B.A.S.S., Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Tour and just recently the BassMaster Team Championship. Whether you are a pro or a “weekend warrior,” the Harris Chain is worth a trip! |