Does Aquatic Vegetation Mean More Trophy Bass? What 121 Florida Lakes Show
In a study of 121 Florida lakes, researchers found that trophy-bass reports were associated with how much of the water column was occupied by submerged plants—not simply how many native-plant sampling locations contained vegetation. The surprising result was that more vegetation volume was associated with more approved trophy catches, while a higher measured frequency of native submerged plants was associated with fewer reports after accounting for the other variables in the model.
That does not mean native aquatic plants are bad for bass. It shows why researchers need different measurements of plant cover, and why angler-reported catches are an imperfect measure of fish populations.
Interpret carefully: This is an observational analysis of reports and vegetation measurements, not an experiment demonstrating that adding aquatic plants causes more trophy bass. Original research.
What did the Florida researchers study?
Six researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) combined two major long-term data sets: the state’s TrophyCatch citizen-science submissions and standardized whole-lake measurements of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). TrophyCatch accepts eligible, documented catches of Florida bass and largemouth bass weighing at least 8 pounds (3.63 kg).
The peer-reviewed study covered 121 Florida lakes from 2015 through 2024 and included 4,548 approved trophy-bass reports. Individual lakes had between one and 1,070 reported catches during the study period. Those reports are counts of qualifying submissions, not counts of all trophy fish living in the lakes.
The researchers measured plant abundance and species occurrence with hydroacoustic lake surveys and point-intercept sampling, then used a statistical count model to investigate how those vegetation measures related to TrophyCatch reports.
Why are vegetation volume and vegetation occurrence different?
Two of the important measurements were:
- Percent volume infested (PVI): a measure of the amount of a lake’s water volume occupied by submerged vegetation. This captures something about the three-dimensional amount of plant habitat.
- Frequency of occurrence (FO): how often a vegetation type is detected at the standardized sampling points. This captures how widespread a vegetation type is across the survey locations, not necessarily how thick or tall the growth is.
Imagine two lakes with plants found at the same number of sampling points. One might have low, sparse growth, while the other has dense vegetation extending much farther up through the water column. Those lakes could have similar occurrence measurements but different vegetation volumes.
What did the study find?
In the authors’ best-fitting statistical model, total vegetation PVI was positively associated with the number of approved trophy-bass reports. At the same time, the frequency of occurrence of native submerged plants had a negative association when included with PVI. The reported negative effect for native-plant occurrence was larger than the positive effect associated with PVI.
Both relationships are drawn from observational data. They do not establish that adding vegetation automatically produces larger bass, or that removing native species would improve a fishery. The study also does not show that every plant species works the same way in every lake. While hydrilla was among the vegetation variables assessed, the reported best-fitting model centered on overall PVI and native species occurrence—not a simple verdict for or against hydrilla.
Does more aquatic grass produce more trophy bass?
There is an association in this Florida data set, not proof of direct causation. Aquatic plants can create habitat and support food webs, but the number of angler submissions also depends on factors such as angler participation, reporting habits and fishing access. The study’s outcome was the number of approved reported catches, rather than a direct census of trophy bass.
The work is still valuable. It shows that measuring vegetation in three dimensions may reveal relationships that a simple presence-or-absence survey could miss. It also gives fisheries managers a reason to analyze plant-community composition and vegetation volume separately.
FWC’s broader TrophyCatch research explains that reaching trophy size depends on more than habitat: growth conditions, prey availability, survival, harvest, temperature and other ecological factors matter too.
What should bass anglers take from this?
Vegetation can influence where bass and their prey spend time, but it would be an overreach to translate this study into a universal fishing rule such as “more grass always means more big bass.” The stronger lesson is that lake habitat is multidimensional, and a seemingly good habitat indicator may not predict the same outcome when other measures are included.
Long-term fishery records and standardized habitat surveys can answer questions that individual fishing trips cannot. Combining them is one of the most useful parts of this research.
Established findings versus open questions
- Documented in the data: the authors analyzed 121 Florida lakes, 4,548 approved qualifying catches, and standardized vegetation survey results from 2015–2024.
- Statistical findings: greater PVI correlated with more reported trophy catches, while greater native-SAV occurrence correlated with fewer reports in the fitted model.
- Not demonstrated: that native plants reduce actual trophy-bass abundance; that changing the vegetation will cause the same change in catch reports; or that the relationships hold unchanged in Texas and elsewhere.
Primary source and further reading
Johnson, Kevin G., Summer Lindelien, Jason H. O’Connor, Paul Schueller, Kimberly I. Bonvechio, and Jennifer Moran. 2026. “Relationships between angler reported trophy bass catches and long-term submerged aquatic vegetation data in Florida lakes.” North American Journal of Fisheries Management, published October 22, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1093/najfmt/vqag087.
FWC: TrophyCatch research and trophy-bass ecology offers additional agency context about how trophy fish grow and survive.
Related Bass Facts: How reservoir water levels affect bass, how largemouth bass grow and why electrofishing samples can miss large bass.
Source review: November 4, 2026. This summary is based on the peer-reviewed abstract and agency documentation; the full research article is not openly accessible from its publisher in this review. Interpretations beyond the published abstract are labeled as such.