What size bass can you keep in Florida?


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No person shall take in any one day more than the following bag limits of freshwater game fish: 5 Black bass (including largemouth, Suwannee, spotted, Choctaw and shoal bass, individually or in total), only one of which may be 16 inches or longer in total length. There is no minimum length limit for largemouth bass.

Where is the best fishing in North Florida?

Considered the best bass fishing lakes in North Florida are Rodman Reservoir, Orange Lake, The St John’s River, Lake George, and The Harris Chain of Lakes.

Where is the best largemouth bass fishing in Florida?

  • Lake Okeechobee.
  • Lake George.
  • Lake Ocklawaha (Rodman Reservoir)
  • Everglades Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3.
  • Tenoroc Fish Management Area.
  • Mosaic Fish Management Area.
  • Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho)
  • Lake Talquin.

What lake in Florida has the biggest bass?

Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee is the most well-known big bass lake in Florida, famous for its quantity and quality bass produced regularly. Lake Okeechobee is Florida’s largest lake and is the second-largest freshwater body in the contiguous United States.

What is the best month for bass fishing in Florida?

In Florida, bass can be caught casting to isolated cover year round, but spring and summer are the best times to catch a trophy because of the spawn. January through April bass will spawn in isolated cover like lily pads, reeds, hydrilla or Kissimmee grass.

Which side of Florida has better fishing?

And while they can be caught almost anywhere along the coast, the two best places are the wall near Key West and the Destin coastline on the panhandle. These areas are excellent places to land marlin. The site off of Key West is in Atlantic waters, but the site off Destin is in the Gulf of Mexico.

What is the best month to fish in Florida?

The best time to fish in the state of Florida in saltwater is normally April through September whereas the best times to fish freshwater are spring through November. Each species of Florida gamefish will have its peak high seasons.

What lake has the most largemouth bass?

Toledo Bend, Texas/Louisiana. For two straight years, Toledo Bend has been ranked the top bass lake in the United States by Bassmaster Magazine. According to the Toledo Bend Lake Association Lunker Bass Program, the lake yielded 12 largemouth bass weighing more than 10 pounds from May 2015 to May 2016.

Where is the bass fishing capital of the world?

Lake Okeechobee is nicknamed “The Bass Capital of The World” for good reason, there is no other lake that holds as many fish over 5 lbs as Lake Okeechobee does.

How old is a 15 pound bass?

A 15-inch bass might be an average four-year-old, a fast growing three-year-old or a slow growing five-year-old. A typical northern-strain five-pounder might be anywhere between six and 16 years old, McHugh reports.

How old is a ten pound bass?

In a Florida study, 822 trophy bass (10 pounds and up) given to taxidermists showed a mean age of 9.7 years. That’s a growth rate of about a pound a year.

What is the best bait to catch bass in Florida?

The plastic worm is the most dependable artificial bait for largemouth bass. A weedless “Texas- or Carolina-rigged” worm is effective for fishing Florida lakes with heavy plant cover.

Why are bass so big in Florida?

Florida’s warm climate and long growing season also enhance the growth rates of largemouth bass. Even with faster growth rates, it takes a while for Florida largemouth bass to reach its full potential, so survival is always a factor in becoming a trophy bass.

What is the best time of day to bass fish in Florida?

Without question, the best time of day to fish for bass is at night. Bass are known to feed more heavily at night than during any other time of day. Not only is night the best time to fish for bass due to bass being more active, there are often fewer anglers and less commotion on the waterways during the evening hours.

Where is the best inshore fishing in Florida?

  • Big Lagoon State Park.
  • Fort Pickens fishing pier & beaches.
  • Johnson’s Beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore.
  • Old 3 mile bridge fishing pier.
  • Oriskany Artificial Reef (22.5 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass)
  • Palafox Pier.
  • Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier.

Where is the best fishing in Florida?

  • St. Petersburg.
  • Clearwater. Clearwater is one of the top destinations for anglers in Florida because it has an abundance and variety of fish, including hogfish, grouper, and kingfish.
  • Tampa.
  • The Atlantic Coast.
  • The Florida Keys.
  • Johns River.
  • Lake Okeechobee.
  • Biscayne Bay.

Where can you catch peacock bass in Florida?

What time of year do Pompano run in Florida?

The Florida pompano lives in the surf zone that laps Alabama’s sugar sand beaches year-round, but the tasty fish are more plentiful when the water is warmer from March through October with the peak fishing season in the spring.

Is there a bass season in Florida?

Largemouth bass are available year-round in Florida, but there are certain times that are better than others. Spring is one of the best seasons because it is when the bass start to spawn. There is no closed season for largemouth bass, so you can fish for spawning bass if you like.

Is October good for bass fishing in Florida?

October Bass Fishing in Central Florida is off the hook folks! This is the time of year when we generally get our first cool front of the year, which not only helps to bring down the air temperatures, but it will also lower the temperature of the water in our lakes.

What months are best for bass fishing?

When it comes to catching bass, every season has its opportunities and challenges. Fishing can come alive in the dead of winter on a mild afternoon, but spring and fall usually present the best action. Generally, I try to avoid extremes of heat and cold and times when the water temperature falls rapidly.

Where do bass grow the biggest?

This has helped biologists better understand why bass grow larger in some areas and not others. Largemouth bass grow bigger in the south. This makes sense, since Florida strain Largemouth bass have the genetic propensity to reach larger sizes. And, they thrive in southern regions since cold water is lethal to them.

What state has biggest bass?

“California is the number one trophy state for bass exceeding 15 pounds,” says David Swendseidโ€”bass pro and tackle rep from the Golden State.

What’s the biggest freshwater fish in Florida?

  • The alligator gar is a freshwater fish that can get to be 4-6 feet long and longer!
  • The largest alligator gar ever caught in Florida was 132 pounds!
  • The Beluga Sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in the world.
  • Alligator gars are 4-6 feet long and 100-160 pounds.
  • Alligators are 10-15 feet long and 400-800 pounds.

What is the largest peacock bass caught in Florida?

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) fisheries biologists certified a new state record butterfly peacock bass weighing 9.11 pounds and measuring 23 5/16 inches long, caught by angler Felipe Prieto from Hialeah.

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