Earlier this year, the The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission passed a motion to not allow organizations the ability to pull tournament exemption permits for Orange/Lochloosa from the dates of June 15th through September 15th. This means teams will not be able to bring their 5 best bass to the scales. Effective for June, July, and August, the Orange Lake division will be moving to a 3 fish limit, but abiding by state length regulations. A team of two anglers can weigh one fish 16 inches or longer per person. One of those 3 fish must be less than 16 inches when measured on a Pro Rule. No team shall bring a third fish to the scales that measures 16 inches or longer. This means if you weigh a third fish that touches 16 inches, your catch will be disqualified for violating the state length law of more than one fish 16 inches or longer per person. If you are fishing solo, you will only be able to bring one fish 16 inches or over to the scales. Your other two fish must be less than 16 inches.
Regulating the size of the fish you are allowed to bring to the scales is something we do not prefer to do, but with this new regulation regarding exemption permits put in place, we will have to abide by state law. We appreciate your patience and willingness to abide by these new regulations for Orange Lake these next few months. You can view the state’s length limit information here.
As we come into these hotter months, regardless of the event you’re fishing, please remember to do what you can to ensure your fish are being well taken care of during their stay at the “Livewell Inn’. Ensuring you have properly working aeration pumps should be first and foremost. It’s a good idea to test your pumps before your next outing on the water. Keep a spare or floating pump in the boat at the ready is not a bad idea either.
Filling up your livewells early once in clean water and switching to recirculate is recommended. This ensures no bad water enters your livewell during the day, especially in the canal idling in. Add your preferred livewell treatment such as Rejuvinade or G-Juice to keep the fish healthy. Adding ice periodically throughout the day to keep the water cool will go a long way in your fish management. Reusable ice packs can be purchased at Walmart for around a dollar each, depending on size.
I also want to address the concern about the conversation about Marjorie Rawlings boat ramp being shut down for the summer by Alachua County for renovations. There is no set timeframe at this time for the county’s plan to start the project. Their loose plan was to begin in July, but there are still various approvals, bid processes, budgeting, and scheduling, and just more general red tape that needs to be completed before the project commences. This is a fluid project and we will pass along more information as we receive it. At this time, we still plan on holding events at Marjorie Rawlings for the rest of the season.
