Florida Trophy Bass Project
Conservation Article Featured in the 2023-2024 Fishing Regulations
Check out this featured article about the Florida Trophy Bass Project.
About the Project
The Florida Trophy Bass Project is the FWC’s new initiative with the goal of Florida being the undisputed Trophy Bass Capital of the World. In the coming years, more effort will be focused on producing, documenting, and promoting trophy bass as well as increasing opportunities to catch Florida’s heaviest trophies. FWC biologists will be utilizing both proven and innovative management techniques to grow even more large bass in certain areas while also conducting research projects to learn more about what it takes to grow giant bass.
Examples of specific strategies to help us reach this goal are:
- Document a higher percentage of trophy bass catches
- Increase marketing for trophy bass and the opportunities to catch them
- Regulation changes
- Supplemental forage stocking
- Small bass removal through increased bag limits in specific places
- Genetics research
- Water level fluctuation
- Habitat enhancement
Register for TrophyCatch, Enter to Win a Free Boat
TrophyCatch is FWC’s data collecting and promotional program for largemouth bass in Florida. Want to participate?
About TrophyCatch
TrophyCatch rewards anglers who provide documentation of their catch-and-release of largemouth bass weighing 8 pounds or heavier in Florida. To be eligible for prizes, anglers are required to submit photos or videos of their catch to TrophyCatch.com, showing the entire fish and its weight on a scale, before releasing it back into the water. FWC biologists use TrophyCatch data for bass research to make informed decisions about the management of Florida bass fisheries and to promote the catch and release of trophy bass.
Follow the TrophyCatchFlorida Facebook page for updates!
Are you new to fishing? Visit our First Time Angler web resources for fishing tips, equipment checklists, and more.
Bass fishing legends like Shaw Grigsby, Jimmy Houston and JT Kenney know Florida is the premiere destination for trophy bass fishing. Check out this video to see what they think! With the goal to elevate Florida’s status in the trophy bass world, fisheries biologists will enhance our current largemouth bass research, management, documentation and marketing efforts to focus on trophy bass, especially those 13 pounds and larger.
