Starting Friday, Oct. 23, anglers at Edward Medard Reservoir in Plant City will have a rare opportunity to keep any and all largemouth bass, bream and black crappie they catch by pole or rod and reel. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is suspending bag and size limits for those popular freshwater sport fish because the Southwest Florida Water Management District will soon partially drain the lake in order to repair an aging and failing dam.

Anglers at the popular reservoir must still adhere to all other sportfish regulations, including those regulations concerning legal methods of take. Anglers can use cast nets to take nongame fish, such as tilapia (Nile perch) and catfish species.

“The FWC’s open harvest regulation will remain in effect until the lake is closed to public access sometime in November by the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department,” said FWC fisheries biologist Bill Pouder.

The 770-acre impoundment will eventually be reduced in size to about 150 acres of water while the dam is being repaired. The FWC has decided to remove the bag and size limits on most sportfish species at the reservoir in anticipation of poor water quality from the drawdown, which will likely cause large fish kills in the impoundment.

The dam repair project will be completed by May 2010 – weather, environmental and other factors permitting. The lake will remain closed as a construction site until the project is complete and water levels return to normal. The FWC will restock the lake when it refills.

If you would like more information on freshwater fishing, visit MyFWC.com/fishing.