The Trophies Are Coming
By Bob Wattendorf
TrophyCatch Season 4 is off to a good start, with peak fishing time right around the corner. TrophyCatch is the citizen-science program that allows the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to collect data on largemouth bass heavier than 8 pounds. In return, anglers are rewarded for properly documenting the catch with a photo of the entire bass (head to tail) on a scale with the weight showing, and releasing it.
At TrophyCatchFlorida.com, anglers can register, submit fish and examine other catches from around the state. Just registering makes you eligible to win a $40,000 boat package. Ed Prather was the lucky winner of the third Phoenix Bass Boat given away by TrophyCatch. The prize boats are powered by Mercury and equipped with a PowerPole. To be eligible for the random drawing at the end of Season 4, ensure you are registered and your information is up-to-date.
Data has shown FWC biologists that while there are hot lakes, like Kingsley Lake in Clay County, which has limited access to the military and homeowners, numerous catches come from small urban or rural ponds. Large popular public lakes like Istokpoga, Tohopekaliga, Okeechobee and Kissimmee provide equal opportunity for all anglers. At TrophyCatchFlorida.com you can search for catches by county or water body to determine where to try next.
A trend wasn’t unexpected but was interesting to see confirmed. Last season about 50 TrophyCatch bass were verified in December, which doubled to over 100 in January, then increased to about 150 in February and peaked in March with almost 400 approved submissions. Of course, this is keyed to the spawning cycle. TrophyCatch helps ensure these big bass get put right back to continue their activities and challenge other anglers.
March panned out very well for the 15 Hall of Fame winners from Season 3. Those anglers caught, documented and released 17 bass over 13 pounds, five of which were caught last March. This included Seth Chapman, who caught a 15-pound, 11-ounce bass from Kingsley Lake and earned the TrophyCatch championship ring for the biggest verified bass of the season.
Each Hall-of-Fame angler earned a fiberglass replica prepared by New Wave Taxidermy, gift cards from Bass Pro Shops, a SpiderWire sweatshirt and sunglasses, a Fitzgerald rod and Glen Lau DVD. In addition, American Registry presented them with a plaque featuring a photo of their catch with all the details.
Porschia Gabrielse was the first angler with three Hall-of-Fame bass—13-, 14-, and 15-pounders—all from small Polk County ponds. She has contributed a total of 41 TrophyCatches to the program. Other anglers with more than 30 include: Robert Burnett, Mark Lemieux and AJ Jackson.
Each Hall-of-Fame fish would be a state record in 28 other states, and Florida has had 23 documented in three years. A 15-pounder exceeds the records in all but 12 other states.