Spring and early summer were good to bass fishermen on Lake Istokpoga. Between February and the middle of June this year, the 27,692-acre lake in Highlands County produced nearly 100 largemouth bass registered with Florida’s TrophyCatch program and weighing heavier than 8 pounds. And that’s only the fish that anglers reported. There’s no telling how many caught big bass there actually were.
The highlights this year from the big-bass factory northwest of Lake Okeechobee were two largemouth bass that qualified for TrophyCatch’s Hall of Fame, which means they weighed more than 13 pounds.
On March 25, Syl Sims caught a 13-pound, 4-ounce bass from Istokpoga. He caught it with the Enigma fishing rod he won for catching a Hall of Fame bass last year. That fish weighed 13-pounds, 2-ounces and Syl caught it out of Huckleberry Lake in Orlando.
Adrian “Lunker Louie” Echols caught the second Istokpoga hall of famer. He has 50 bass heavier than 8 pounds and registered with TrophyCatch. Although he has come close before, the 13-pound, 14-ounce fish he caught from Istokpoga on June 6 is his first to qualify for Hall of Fame status.
TrophyCatch a Benefit to Lake Istokpoga
Since launching in 2012, record seekers have caught more than 430 TrophyCatch-approved largemouth bass weighting 8 pounds or heavier. A total of 347 fish have been entered into the Lunker Club (8-9.99 pounds) and 81 have been entered into the Trophy Club (10-12.99 pounds). Syl and Louie’s Hall of Fame catches make the first two Hall of Fame Club bass caught on Lake Istokpoga. As an integral part of the TrophyCatch program, fishers release all of these bass. Because of this, the trophies still swim in Lake Istokpoga.
TrophyCatch Hall of Fame anglers each receive Bass Pro Shops gift cards, Spiderwire merchandise, a custom fiberglass replica mount made by New Wave Taxidermy, an Enigma fishing rod. They also receive a plaque from American Registry commemorating their catch.
For more information on TrophyCatch, go to www.trophycatchflorida.com.