NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

April 16, 1998

CONTACT: Tom Champeau (941) 648-3202

FISHING AT ISTOKPOGA SO HOT IT’S SIZZLIN’

March 1, 1998 is a day that Doug McClelland will never forget. That was the day the Lorida, FL angler caught the bass of a lifetime.

At about 9:30 a.m., McClelland was fishing with his trusty Zebco rod and reel and a Rat-L-Trap lure near the Spillway at Lake Istokpoga, in Highlands County, when he hooked a bass. A really big, big bass. The largemouth measured 26.5 inches long and tipped the certified scales at 16.43 pounds.

"This catch gives McClelland bragging rights for having caught the biggest largemouth bass, to come from Lake Istokpoga, since 1991," said Tom Champeau, regional fisheries biologist with the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (GFC) in Lakeland.

Needless to say, McClelland was more than happy to fill out a Big Catch application to have his fish recognized by the GFC. For information about how you can have a fish officially recognized as a Big Catch, contact the GFC’s Division of Fisheries at (941) 648-3202, or click on the previous link.

While McClelland’s bass is the largest caught in many years, it’s not the only trophy size bass to come from Istokpoga recently. According to Champeau, local guides on Istokpoga have been keeping fishing diaries for the GFC, and they have reported catching bass 10 pounds or larger, nearly every trip out. The largest bass reported by a guide so far has been 13.5 pounds. These trophy size bass are being caught on both live and artificial lures.

"We encourage anglers who catch trophy size largemouth to release them unharmed after taking their picture and measuring them. If they would like a reminder of their catch, a taxidermist can use the measurements and photo to produce a lifelike reproduction of their catch," Champeau said.

Bass fishing isn’t the only thing that’s hot at Istokpoga. According to Champeau, black crappie, locally called specks, have been caught in near record numbers since last fall and winter. As a matter of fact, anglers who have learned to move inshore, past the vegetation, are still reporting large catches of crappie.

"Our recent creel surveys indicate that crappie anglers have caught an estimated 250,000 fish since last fall," Champeau said.

The GFC is working to ensure that Lake Istokpoga continues to offer some of the best fishing around. The lake will become one of the state’s newest fish management areas (FMA) on July 1, 1998. Champeau indicated that only one major regulation will change as a result of the lake becoming a FMA at that time. After July 1, 1998, if you fish Istokpoga, you must have a freshwater fishing license, unless you’re exempt, even when using a cane pole. Biologists are looking at possible regulations to enhance the fisheries that could take effect sometime down the road.

Biologists are already working to improve fish habitat on the Highlands County hot spot. A mechanical harvester is being used to remove tussock material from Big Island. The process should be finished by the end of June and improved fish habitat will be the result. The Army Corp of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District have agreed to hold the lake level up to aid the harvester in removing as much undesirable vegetation as possible.

Educational displays, called kiosks, have been added at local boat ramps around the lake. Constructed by inmates at the Avon Park Correctional Institute, the kiosks will be used by GFC biologists to keep Istokpoga fishermen up to date on what’s going on in the lake.

When asked what the GFC hoped to accomplish on Istokpoga, Champeau said, "We’re dedicated to providing a quality fishing experience while working to improve the lake’s fisheries habitat, both now and in the future."