FWC set to spray ORANGE LAKE... WHY? I was just there

[Manatee Mauler]

Our gov agency known as FWC is at it again. They are scheduled to spray Orange just after the spawn, 3 days after a full moon with fry all in the vegetation. Also...by the way, temps are predicted to be in the mid 90's next week, I'm sure this will bode well for the fry that had been spawned out over the last two months. I was just there last week and there wasn't any need to have any air boat out there spraying. The water was muddy and had dead bluegill floating round. Very few "floating plants" and the hydrilla had been knocked back from previous assault's on the lake.

The guys/biologist for the FWC that allow the spraying to go on has there head so far up someone's ass that you couldn't get it out if you had an excavator going down hill being pushed by a mud slide. FWC STAY AWAY FROM OUR LAKES! Growing up in the 80's and 90's, Orange lake was one mat of hydrilla from PG Run to the north end with open holes in the middle from where it had died off on itself. AND YA KNOW WHAT .....FISHING WAS GREAT, NOTHING TO CATCH 30 FISH FROM 3 PNDS AND UP.

I DROVE AROUND THE WHOLE LAKE AND DIDNT SEE ANYTHNG THAT WOULD CALL FOR A "SPRAY SESSION" BY THE ZAZIS WAND WAIVER CLUB. Its a shame a few people dictate what is considered "right" for our lakes. Bass fishing would be ten times better if the wand waivers stayed on the bank and left our lakes alone. FWC is truly a pitiful excuse for lake management.

[Bill2e]

Because they are a$$hats and know we have a tournament their the next week. It’s complete BS.

I was was on the river today. Looked aweful. Muddy, no vegetation anywhere.

[Manatee Mauler]

FWC is the equivalent of tits on a boar hog....period!

[Gamblerman65]

There has been a lot of talk on here about Orange lake lately with all of its grass and 15lb Trophy Catch bass caught. FWC must be monitoring BBC so to set up their spray schedule..

[Hez]

Had guys in my club witness the same on Harris Chain last week. Big ol' flatbed loaded with tanks full of chemicals....and 4 spray boats...on Dora and Harris.

[Manatee Mauler]

For all yall out there that catch a good fish..... DO NOT POST ON TROPHY CATCH. Many reasons but dont give the FWC a chance to claim responsibility for the growth of these fish. One, we live in Fl where the growth is year round and two, some lakes have faster growth rates which result in bigger fish more frequently and third it adds unneeded pressure to the lake represented by the lake in which the fish was caught.

Growing up in the 80's and 90's we had spot spraying but nothing of this magnitude. I've been fishing tx since I was 13 and Im now 48. Been fishing out of "fancy bass boats" ( as they call them) since I could walk so I have a vast span of time to compare what Ive witnessed. With that said I understand the need for keeping boat ramps clear ect. What it comes down to is that someone figured out this is a cash cow and now they have their tentacles influencing the people who make the decisions and sign the checks. As the young biologist get hired by the state this "spraying" is all they know so they buy into it. They didn't witness all the hydrilla and other plants that we had in the 80's and 90's. Loochlossa used to a round bowl that looked like a big salad from the fish camp all the way across the lake. All you had to do was fish the openings with a trap and wear them out. It was a fish that looked like a football every other cast. FWC TRY AND DUPLICATE THAT NOW IN THERE. WE CAUGHT THEM LIKE THIS YEAR ROUND, NOT JUST BEDDING SEASON. BASS USED TO HAVE TX IN THERE... CALLED MEGA BASS I BELIEVE. NOT NOW..... ITS A MUD HOLE.

For the guides who say we need to spray, its because its ALOT easier to float a shiner in open water and let some yankee reel it in without any obstructions as opposed to having to accurately pin point a certain spot then horse the fish out like a grouper on a ledge. The clients would lose 99 out of 100 fish.

[Gamblerman65]

So it looks like the temporary stop to the spraying was just so they could buy more chemicals and refill the tanks. I watched a Roland Martin fishing program over the weekend and he was fishing in the everglades out of an aluminum boat and did some wading. Parts of Lake Kissimmee used to look that. I hope the FWC was not watching the same show. They could get rid of a LOT of chemicals in the glades..

[Mickstix]

FWC don't give a crap if a lake "needs" it or not. Just that it's on the schedule and a place to dump some toxins..

[L&B200M]

Nobody makes any money if they stop spraying

[BassCatBrad]

Nobody makes any money if they stop spraying

Sad but 100% true

[LewStulePH.D.]

An article about the poisons they're squirting on the Rainbow River. There is a contact number in the article of someone at FWC™

https://www.chronicleonline.com/opin...89ab6ffd7.html

[Casslaw]

Recently a nice guy in a ghenoo asked if he could use my livewell, he had a 10lb 4oz Bass he wanted to take to shore for pictures. Once I was sure he wasn’t going to kill it I put her in there and she was happy. He said he wanted to take a video for the FWC trophy catch. I BEGGED him to not name the lake because of the reasons pointed out above.

The FWC had ZERO to do with this fish getting this size, and the lake is small.

He ended up naming the lake, I was very disappointed.

2 weeks later I caught a bass that weighed the exact same as his. I took a pic and let her go. I won’t give the FWC credit and have my name in their website claiming they’re helping our waterways.

[LewStulePH.D.]

I had a guy one time see me catch a big one and he worked his way over. I then caught a real good one and he asked how much it weighed to which I replied "2 lbs." He replied "No way that is 10 or 11 lbs." I said "It is at least 2 lbs. plus I don't have a scale" He said "I'll be right over" I hand him the fish and it read "9.11" then "9.12" then "9.11" Then I said "See, I was right... Lets get it back in the water..."

What do You think happened next? Remember, he already horned his way over giving the 'bent pole pattern' energy. He then over estimated. What do You think happened after the fish was weighed?

The guy sat and snapped "selfies" of him holding the fish that he saw me catch. For months after, I would search for "9.11" Bass but thinking back I should've searched "9.12" or 9.13 or even 10...

[Casslaw]

So he snapped pics with your fish? Wow...that leaves me pretty speechless. The weird thing was that I was the one taking the video for him to send it to the FWC. You can clearly hear me begging him not to name the lake, and how the FWC will be there to spray and how this lake can’t take much pressure because it’s small.

No good deed goes unpunished! The certificate and gift card was more important to him than the fishery.

Mine go right back in the water after a picture.