It’s a beautiful time of year for bass fishing. All across North America, spring is in full swing, bringing opportunities from North Carolina to Newfoundland. Anticipation meets opportunity.
Thoughts are now off Florida, as our tourist bassers have packed up and headed north. I wonder how many will be back.
Each year, the state of Florida loses interest from freshwater anglers. That may not sound like a dilemma, but consider that Florida’s biggest industry is tourism and sitting atop the recreational pyramid is fishing. Yet, in terms of anglers traveling to Florida to freshwater fish, all indicators point to a decline.
Sure, many still flock to a few hot spots. The lakes around Fellsmere have blossomed into exceptional bass fisheries. But those manmade water bodies are, literally, a drop in the bucket when compared to the millions of acres of water that once filled the state.
Far more common nowadays are tales of woe.
It’s visible here on the St. Johns River. On the average day, I rarely see anyone bass fishing. I can’t blame them. Nearly every tournament bass fishing broadcast I watch features fishing that’s better than 95 percent of Florida. I frequently ponder this while driving past faded signs still claiming rights to the Bass Fishing Capital of the World.
What’s gone wrong?
Florida was once home to spectacular bass fishing. Stories from the 1970s describe 10-pounders being commonplace. Yet, what most of us perceive as the glory days can’t even touch the historical records of the past. In the early 1900s, fish-camp records detail wealthy sportsman catching several thousand bass each during the winter season. Today, those camps are gone.
A case in point: I don’t know a single bass fishing guide who still exclusively fishes the St. Johns River. Think about that: The state’s largest freshwater resource, surrounded by over 6 million people, can’t support one fishing guide.
What’s to blame? Management.
A unique, delicate ecosystem, coupled with tremendous population growth results in a tricky scenario for freshwater managers. Everywhere we look, lakes have been dammed and diverted, resulting in more reservoirs than natural systems.
Florida’s unique landscape requires natural highs and lows of the water table, something now prohibited most places. Agriculture and subdivisions don’t do well with ebbs and flows.
Just as challenging, our sub-tropical climate, the only one in the U.S., is a literal breeding ground for exotic and invasive species. Plants like water hyacinths and hydrilla run largely unchallenged, with potential to take over our shallow lakes.
Population growth – faster than anywhere else in the country – fuels the fire with more nutrients, thanks to systems that can never keep up and lax laws under-regulating run-off.
The solution taken by managers of Florida’s freshwater systems has been an artificial attempt to maintain the natural system. It equates to running the Mississippi River through a pipe.
Our majorly modified water systems no longer flush and fill, creating stagnant lakes incapable of cleaning themselves. Nutrient levels increase. Invasive plants flourish. Managers answer with herbicides, including glyphosate, endothall and 2,4-D.
Science proves that herbicides make the problem worse. By killing plants and leaving them in the system, nutrients are released, actually increasing the ability for the invaders to flourish. Managers like the Florida FWC and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers don’t care. They push down the pedal; give the machine more gas.
Grow, kill, decay. Over and over. Algae blooms persist, making it impossible for native plants to flourish.
Now, many Florida lakes don’t seem like Florida at all. Gone are the spring-fed bass havens, replaced by stock ponds on a dairy farm.
A few individuals, myself included, are working toward a better future for freshwater Florida. One that severely reduces the use of toxic herbicides and instead begins to address our declining situation and search for a natural solution.
In the past, advocates turned to raising awareness of the situation, even becoming vocal at management meetings. For a few minutes, it appeared their hard work was paying off. In 2019, the Florida FWC paused the bulk of their herbicide program to, supposedly, study the impacts and consider stakeholder outrage.
Following that pause, they published a checklist for a new way forward. The release was carried by Bassmaster.com and others. Included were interviews with angler-friendly agency personnel, determined to implement herbicide alternatives and improve public relations.
Today, nothing has changed. More herbicides are used in Florida waters than ever before. There has been no real consideration for alternatives. Waters continue to suffer from documented declines proven by the State’s Department of Environmental Protection and Water Management Agencies.
Along with local partners, I formed Mighty River Recovery as a way to take on these issues on the St. Johns River. While we’d like to tackle Florida freshwater as a whole, we thought the state’s largest river would be a good place to start. Sixteen months later, I continue to function as executive director of the group, working to address the declines in our waterway. For the time being, it’s a thankless, 60-hour-a-week job with no pay, all in the hopes of someday changing the world, or at least our little corner of it.
Since forming Mighty River Recovery, I’ve uncovered more about the management game than I ever wanted to know. The tie-ins with chemical companies and their supposed “scientific experts.” The direct narrative to control public perception of the issue. The unbelievable “pass the buck” mentality everyone seems to have when it comes to facing tough topics.
I’ve also learned a lot about plants and the challenges in managing freshwater Florida. It’s true, there are invasive species out there that will flat kill a good bass lake. But they’re not hiding behind every boathouse and they can’t run when you chase them.
I hope you can join us as we push to change freshwater management in Florida. It’s an uphill climb, but the time is better than ever to make substantial change thanks to the power of communication. Membership to Mighty River Recovery is now free, and available here. In addition, our social media pages and website will fill you in on everything we’re up to, from habitat restoration projections to legally challenging the protocol.
We’re working to restore the original bass fishing capital of the world. We can only do this by organizing a group large enough to draw a line in the sand. We hope we can count on you to help.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
