Check out this 15 pound, 11 ounce BEAST landed by Seth Chapman. According to TrophyCatchFlorida.com, Chapman caught the Hall of Fame class fish on Kingsley Lake this past Sunday, March 15th. The caption under the photos submitted by Chapman state; “First fish of the day,” as well as “caught her in about 6 ft. of water on a 4-inch tube.”
Nothing else is known about the catch that leads TrophyCatch season 3, other than the listed length of the fish at 27.500 inches, and girth at 23.500 inches.
Kingsley Lake is located in NorthEast Florida, due west of Green Cove Springs, and boasts depths of up to 90 feet. An arial view of the lake shows an appearance of a nearly perfect circle. The almost 2,000-acre lake has been restricted to public access since the sale of Kingsley Beach, yet has produced 59 bass submitted to TrophyCatch since March 2013.
Chapman’s giant isn’t the only 15-pound trophy pulled from Kingsley’s waters. One week prior on March 8th, Lenard Andrews weighed a 15 pound, 9 ounce brute, which he submitted to TrophyCatch. Kingsley Lake is also not the only body of water to produce a 15-pound class bass this season. Gary Smock submitted a 15 pound, 8 ounce monster he caught from Lake Weohyakapka (Lake Walk-in-Water for those who are unfamiliar with the given name) on February 8th. The angler caught and released the bass while visiting from Ohio, the day before leaving to travel back north.
Can Kingsley continue to produce the giant largemouths anglers seem to hook on a daily basis? That is still to be seen, but 35 of those 59 catches have been submitted since February 13, 2015.
More information on the TrophyCatch Program
TrophyCatch is an incentive-based conservation program designed for anglers who catch-and-release largemouth bass heavier than eight pounds, in Florida.
Our goals are:
- Collect valid information through citizen-science about trophy bass to help the FWC better enhance, conserve and promote trophy bass fishing
- Encourage catch-and-release of the biggest, oldest, most valuable bass
- Excite anglers about Florida freshwater fishing encouraging them to purchase licenses and fish more resulting in benefits to anglers, fishing-related businesses, local communities and the fisheries by having more support and funding for conservation
- Share information about fishing opportunities and destinations to make fishing more enjoyable
Anglers are encouraged to follow catch-and-release guidelines for these big bass and to document the catch through a photograph of the entire bass on a scale with the weight clearly legible. See RULES and PRIZES for details.
Don’t qualify for TrophyCatch? Angler recognition is provided for memorable catches of 33 different species of freshwater fishes in Florida through Big Catch, and features Specialist, Master and Elite Angler challenges. See more at BigCatchFlorida.com.
More information on the TrophyCatch Program can be found at TrophyCatchFlorida.com