TrophyCatch rewards on the rise!
Thanks to the generosity of its partners, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s TrophyCatch program awarded nearly $60,000 in prizes to anglers during the first year of competition. The exciting news is that for the second year we’ve been able to raise the stakes for anglers who catch and release a trophy bass in Florida–so Register Now. Anyone that provides a documented submission at TrophyCatchFlorida.com of their released largemouth bass 8 pounds or heavier receives a variety of great prizes! Of course, the bigger the fish, the bigger the rewards and TrophyCatch has just added an additional $50 gift card for Lunker Club members raising the “take” by lucky anglers to the following prize levels:
- Lunker Club (8-9.9 lbs.): $100 worth of gift cards (Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and/or Rapala), a customized Bass King T-shirt, and discounts for Sportsman on Canvas.
- Trophy Club (10-12.9 lbs.): $150 worth of gift cards (Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and/or Rapala), long-sleeved Bass King shirt, and discounts for Sportsman on Canvas.
- Hall of Fame Club (13+ lbs.), over $1,000 value: $200 worth of gift cards (Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and/or Rapala), free fiberglass replica mount from New Wave Taxidermy ($500 value), Bass King duffle bag with customized hoody, shirt and hat, Glen Lau DVD, name entered into Florida Bass Hall of Fame at Florida Bass Conservation Center, and entered into drawing for fishing trip with Peter Miller (Bass2Billfish).
All prize packages also include a TrophyCatch certificate and exclusive TrophyCatch Club-specific window decal. If you’ve already submitted a Lunker Club bass after Oct. 1, 2013 (the start of the current TrophyCatch year, which runs through Sep. 30, 2014), don’t worry—you’ll be sent an additional $50 gift card to bring you up to the enhanced prizing level.
In addition to these great prizes, everyone who registers for TrophyCatch is automatically entered into the random drawing for a $40,000 Phoenix bass boat powered by Mercury and anchored by Power-Pole. But the best news is that each time a bass is approved, the angler’s name is entered 10 more times into the random drawing. That’s right—10 more entries for every bass accepted into the program! Finally, if the heaviest bass successfully entered during the current TrophyCatch year comes from one of five specified Kissimmee-area lakes, Experience Kissimmee will award that angler $10,000. The prizes just keep on coming!
A major goal of this free FWC program is to decrease fishing mortality of trophy-sized fish through promotion of catch-and-release. Data collected from TrophyCatch submissions will also help inform FWC biologists’ decisions about trophy bass habitat management, regulations, bass and forage stocking, and vegetation control. All these will help ensure Florida is the undisputed “Bass Fishing Capital of the World”. Anglers must register at TrophyCatchFlorida.com to submit their catches. All that’s required is a photograph of the bass on a scale, with the entire fish’s body and tail visible and the weight legible. Additional recommended (but not required) photos include the fish on a measuring board or ruler, girth measurement, and/or a “hero” shot of the angler holding the bass. So grab your rod, scale and camera and get ready to release a trophy bass! Even better prizes make saying “My trophy still swims in Florida!” that much sweeter!