OCALA, Fla. — Kubota Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops is all about catching big bass. So, it’s fitting that the event will mark the first national-level tournament in recent memory on one of the best big-fish factories in the country, Florida’s Orange Lake.
Thirty-two anglers will compete in the annual, no-entry-fee tournament May 16-21. While comprised of Bass Pro Tour anglers, Heavy Hitters is different than all other BPT events. Anglers qualify based on their biggest bass from each regular-season event the year prior, and it features juiced up cash prizes for the biggest bass caught each day – $10,000 for each day of the Qualifying Round, $30,000 for the Knockout Round and $100,000 for the biggest bass caught during the Championship Round (to go along with another $100,000 paycheck for winning the event).
This year, it might take some true giants to win those prizes. According to Florida Wildlife Commission fisheries biologist Allen Martin, Orange Lake has produced more bass over 10 pounds and more 13-plus-pounders than any other Florida fishery over the past five years. He expects the fishery to live up to the Heavy Hitters name at this event.
“I’m anticipating a lot of big fish being caught,” Martin said. “I really hope to see several of our Hall of Fame fish, those fish over 13 pounds, to get caught.”
Longtime giant factory has been humming
Orange Lake has a long history of yielding lunker bass, but its productivity has ebbed and flowed through the years with the water level. That’s an issue right now. The lake is more than 2 feet low, which is significant for a fishery with an average depth of 5.5 feet and a maximum depth of 12. In fact, the lake has been so low that not many anglers have been able to access it in recent months, especially in fiberglass bass boats. A newly renovated Heagy Burry boat ramp will give Heavy Hitters competitors access to the lake.
While low-water periods pose a challenge for anglers, Martin said it’s precisely because of the water fluctuations that Orange has been so prolific. Every time the lake drops (which has happened twice previously since 2000), terrestrial vegetation grows on the soft bottom. When the lake returns to normal pool, that growth – combined with the hydrilla and other aquatic vegetation that fills the lake – makes for great baitfish and bass habitat.
“You basically get a new reservoir syndrome,” Martin explained. “You have a limited population of fish, you have all this new exposed habitat, and it leads to really fast growth rate. It’s a high-nutrient system anyway. So, it’s just all these things kind of come together.”
The state has also managed the fishery to encourage trophy bass growth. Martin said no tournaments have been allowed on Orange the past few summers, and it’s illegal to possess bass longer than 20 inches year-round. The catch-weigh-immediate release format will exempt the Heavy Hitters competitors from those regulations.
The results speak for themselves. Since 2019, anglers have submitted 21 “Hall of Fame Club” catches – bass over 13 pounds – from Orange Lake to Florida’s Trophy Catch program, the biggest weighing a whopping 15 pounds, 13 ounces. Despite the low water limiting access, there have been 10 10-pounders submitted so far in 2026.
A few anglers in the field have already gotten a taste of the caliber of bass that live in Orange Lake. The Fishing Clash Team Series spent three days on the fishery at the Team Series Championship in the fall of 2023, and two anglers caught bass over 10 pounds (with zero practice beforehand). Wesley Strader boated a 10-12, while Ryan Salzman landed an 11-6.
“Over the last couple of years – I don’t know the exact timeframe – our big fish at tournaments out there has been averaging over 9 pounds,” Martin said. “I can’t remember off the top of my head how many tournaments we’ve had with fish over 10 pounds as big fish, but it’s a lot of them.”
‘The timing is right’
Another attribute that makes Orange Lake unique from other Florida lakes is that its biggest bass tend to show up not during the prespawn and spawn but during the postspawn and early summer. In other words, the timing of Heavy Hitters should be ideal.
“For some reason, Orange Lake really turns on in April through June for big fish,” Martin said. “So, the timing is right.”
Martin expects anglers to catch those bass with a wide range of techniques. This is the time of year when topwater action can be explosive. There’s always a punching bite to be found where the lake’s vegetation has formed mats. And the usual postspawn offshore bite might be even better than usual given the low water (which has made for a lot less fishing pressure than normal of late).
“All of the above and then some,” Martin said when asked what tactics could produce. “There’s a lot of variety of habitat out there. There’s a lot of vegetation, there’s offshore stuff. I’m anticipating, especially with there being a little break in pressure, these guys are going to figure it out.”
Florida native Terry Scroggins, who lives about an hour away from Orange Lake, expects to see a blend of flipping grass and winding offshore. He thinks bait selection will be “typical grass fishing” – Texas rigs and frogs in the thick mats, ChatterBaits and spinnerbaits offshore – saying it’ll be more challenging to find groups of fish each day than to make them bite.
“I think when you find them, you’ll probably be able to catch them on multiple different kinds of baits,” Scroggins said. “But locating them is going to be the deal.”
One of the wrinkles unique to Heavy Hitters is the fact that competitors – who will be fishing out of identical, league-issued boats – are allowed to utilize forward-facing sonar all day. But Scroggins doesn’t think the technology will be a big factor on Orange Lake.
“That might be a little challenging in that lake just because of all the grass that’s in it,” he said. “I’m sure somebody might find a little deal here or there where they might be able to use it. But I don’t think it’ll be dominant like it would be on a clear-water lake.”
The most interesting aspect of this event might be the strategy, as pros will have to decide whether to target numbers of bass or chase the big-bass bonuses. Martin said there’s plenty of 2- to 3-pound fish in the lake, and while it’s always possible that a giant will mingle with them, anglers usually catch the biggest bass by targeting them specifically. Pros who can make hay early and create some separation from the Lucas Oil Cut Line each round might get the luxury of devoting some time to chasing giants. Those anglers who make it to the Championship Round will have to tweak their approach again, as the minimum weight for a scorable bass will jump from 2 pounds in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds to 3 pounds.
Ultimately, Scroggins is expecting both solid numbers of bass to hit SCORETRACKER® as well as some true heavyweights.
“You’ll see a lot of fish catches,” he predicted. “And I really think it’ll take a double-digit to win every big fish, all the way through the derby.”
Watch all the action
The 32 Heavy Hitters competitors will be split into Groups A and B, with Group A taking the water for the Qualifying Round on Days 1 and 3 and Group B doing so on Days 2 and 4. The top eight anglers from each group will then converge for the Knockout Round, where the Top 10 will earn the opportunity to compete for two $100,000 payouts in the Championship Round.
All six days of action will be streamed live on MLFNOW! from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps and the Major League Fishing channel on Rumble.