Join FWC and Bass Pro Shops for first TrophyCatch 10-Tag Celebration Ceremony

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Bass Pro Shops invite you to join the first 10-Tag Celebration Ceremony! They will be awarding lucky angler, Dale Dew, who caught the first pink-tagged bass of the 10-Tag promotion.

The event will take place Saturday, June 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the Lowrance “Show Up and Shop” event at Bass Pro Shops Tampa, 10501 Palm River Road, Tampa, FL 33619. The public is invited to hear the surprising story of Dew’s lucky catch, with the award ceremony taking place at 2:30 p.m.

In recognition of 10 successful seasons of FWC’s TrophyCatch program, biologists with the FWC tagged and released 10 largemouth bass with bright pink tags in 10 different locations across the state. Dew is the first angler to catch one of these special bass, collect the tag, and successfully submit the fish to TrophyCatch. Each fish rewards the angler with a $5,000 gift card to Bass Pro Shops and $1,000 to shop at AFTCO, and a chance to win an additional $10,000.

“If we needed one more reason to get excited about freshwater fishing in Florida, here it is,” said FWC Commissioner Gary Lester. “The 10-TAG celebration has positively motivated our anglers to get out and enjoy what freshwater fishing has to offer in the Fishing Capital of the World and we commend our first winner!”

“The success of TrophyCatch has further elevated freshwater fishing in Florida and allowed us to learn more about the fishery through conservation-based citizen science,” said FWC Executive Director Eric Sutton.  “I want to personally thank our sponsors and stakeholders and congratulate the winners of the 10-TAG celebration.”

“Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s are proud to stand with anglers across Florida in support of TrophyCatch. Together we are ensuring a bright future for bass fishing in Florida and showing how important recreational fishing is to conservation. As long-time supporters of TrophyCatch, we are proud of where the program is today and all that it has done for bass fishing in the Sunshine State,” said Bob Ziehmer, Senior Director of Conservation for Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s.

Nine more pink-tagged bass are still waiting to be caught in other waterbodies across the state! Anglers should check the TrophyCatch website for the list of locations, rules and updates. For more information about the TrophyCatch program or the 10-TAG Celebration, email KP Clements at Kp.Clements@MyFWC.com.