LAKE PLACID, Fla. — Every bass fishery should have a friend like Jim Reed.
Fortunately for Florida’s Lake Istokpoga, that’s where the retired Air Force test pilot and Vietnam vet decided to live and focus his efforts.
“Jim is a tremendous asset, providing a direct link between FWC [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission] and anglers,” said Bill Pouder, freshwater fisheries administrator for the Southwest Region.
“His model for including volunteers in FWC activities on the lake is a great example of how anglers can take ownership and help resource management.”
Now a seasonal employee with FWC, Reed and his team of more than 20 volunteers help with angler surveys, sampling, habitat restoration and outreach events, as well as collecting data at bass tournament and documenting 8-plus-pounders for the TrophyCatch program.
“The volunteers have become very proficient, especially at bass tournaments,” said Reed, who started as a volunteer himself in the Everglades before moving to Highlands County and recruiting others to assist FWC with fisheries management.
“We now have two bass tournament teams of volunteers, which are capable of operating independently,” Reed added.
“They decided which tournaments to attend, have their individual responsibilities worked out and function as a team, getting length measurements of all the fish brought to the weigh-in, but not interrupting the pace of the tournament director.”
Pouder said Reed also sends out information to tournament directors prior to their events, detailing lake conditions, confirming times and explaining TrophyCatch procedures. Plus, he’s developed an event calendar for the FWC website, posting dates for activities such as herbicide treatments.
Why does Reed do all of this? He explained that it gives him insight into “fishing, lake management and control of invasive vegetation.
“Of course, being able to use a good boat on a regular basis, talk with fishermen on the lake and get involved in specimen collection through electroshocking and similar activities have an appeal to anyone interesting in fishing,” he said.
Both Reed and Pouder would like to see this strategy adopted by anglers at other lakes.
“The volunteers provide an important service to the state of Florida,” the Air Force veteran said. “Not only do they act as a manpower multiplier for FWC operations, but they are also becoming a cadre of individuals knowledgeable about fisheries issues with an impact that reaches out into the overall community.
“There should be a way to build those benefits into a larger scale model for Florida.”
Pictured below are just some of the people who have rallied with Reed to make a difference on Florida waters.
