Florida Fish and Wildlife halts bass tournament exemptions permits at Orange and Lochloosa Lakes for summertime events

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has halted the use of bass tournament exemption permits at Orange Lake for the dates of June 15th through September 15th. That’s not to say organizations cannot hold a tournament on Orange Lake during these dates, they just will have to abide by state length regulations for those events. This means only one fish 16 inches or longer may be brought in per angler.

Orange Lake is arguably the hottest lake in Florida in recent years. The largest lake in North Central Florida sits at 12,550 acres, while Lochloosa Lake sits at 5,500 acres. It’s been so hot, the state has started a “contest” between Orange Lake and Headwaters Lake in Fellsmere.

Prior to 2016, state regulations required a bass to be a minimum of 14 inches to keep. Anglers were allowed one bass 22 inches or longer as part of their daily 5 bass per person bag limit. In July 2016, those regulations shifted to no minimum size limit and only one bass per person 16 inches or longer, which is current state regulations.

The below excerpt was taken from the black bass tournament exemption webpage on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.

“In an effort to protect trophy bass as part of the Florida Trophy Bass Project, Bass Tournament Exemption Permits will not be available for Orange and Lochloosa lakes from June 15, 2023 to September 15, 2023. During this time, water temperature is at its highest. Despite anglers’ best efforts, recent research has estimated that on average 40% of the bass caught in summer tournaments in Florida die within a few days due to the stress of being hauled in live wells and weighed in at tournaments. Orange Lake is unique in that the bass exhibit fast growth rates and bass of very old age have been documented from the lake when water remains in the lake long enough. This is a great combination for growing trophy bass in excess of 13 lbs. The lake is also entering into a window where conditions are right to continue to produce many trophy sized bass over the next few years. By protecting the trophy bass currently in the lake, more and larger trophy fish should be caught for several years. Anglers wishing to hold tournaments on Orange and Lochloosa lakes during this time must do so within current bag and length regulations, and FWC encourages those anglers to consider tournament formats that include catch, weigh, and immediate-release format. For more information, email TrophyBass@MyFWC.com or call 386-623-1836.”