May 25, 2026
Lefebre Wins Heavy Hitters on Orange Lake; Burn Bans Spread Across Central Florida
Dave Lefebre took the MLF Kubota Heavy Hitters title on Orange Lake, and burn bans tightened across Central Florida last week
Dave Lefebre, the veteran pro from Erie, Pennsylvania, won the MLF Kubota Heavy Hitters final round on Orange Lake on May 23, closing out the six-day event in Marion County with a $200,000 check.
Results
MLF Bass Pro Tour — Kubota Heavy Hitters, Orange Lake Dave Lefebre took the title in the final round on May 23. The event ran six days in Marion County and included a $30,000 big bass award.
No Central Florida club or divisional series posted results in the past two weeks.
On the Water
Shellcracker and bluegill are holding around bedding flats on Lake Kissimmee, and crappie are still coming off deeper hydrilla edges. Bass on the Kissimmee Chain are post-spawn, with fish reported on the hydrilla mats.
Winter Haven Chain levels remain low. The canal stretches connecting the southern lakes — Shipp, Eloise and Summit — are running shallow.
Coming Up
American Fishing Tour Division 21 Season Finale — Kissimmee Chain, June 6–7. Two-day finale launching from Kissimmee.
Worth Knowing
Burn bans are active across multiple Central Florida counties as of May 21, with Orange and Seminole on the list and Polk operating under the SWFWMD Modified Phase III Extreme Water Shortage order through July 1. Polk County Utilities customers remain on the once-per-week irrigation schedule with shortened watering hours. Lakefront irrigation systems pulling from private wells fall under the same one-day-per-week rule.
No new blue-green algae advisories have been posted in the coverage area since the Northwest Recreation Pond alert in Apopka earlier this month. That advisory has not been lifted, and visible bloom areas there remain under a no-contact recommendation.
Presented by
Lake levels change. Shorelines reveal things.
Low water, erosion, wake exposure, or a failing seawall — if conditions on your lake are showing up at the property line, Horizon Marine can take a look. Free waterfront assessment, no obligation.
Lakeland Starts Fining Watering Violations; Quilatan Takes Gator Division AOY
Lakeland attached $50-to-$500 fines to the Phase 3 watering restrictions on Sept. 8, and Windermere's Dylan Quilatan closed out the BFL Gator Division season with the Angler of the Year title
Read →
Quilatan Dominates Harris Chain BFL; Extreme Drought Restrictions Hit Polk County Lakes
Windermere's Dylan Quilatan posts a 34-pound bag to win the BFL on the Harris Chain while Polk County enters extreme drought restrictions through July
Read →
ICAST Cup on Big Toho This Week; Water Shortage Extended Through October
Major League Fishing runs the ICAST Cup out of Big Toho Marina this week, and SWFWMD's extreme water shortage now holds through October 1
Read →
Algae Alert in Apopka; Burn Bans and Watering Restrictions Hold
Apopka issued a blue-green algae alert for Northwest Recreation Pond, and SWFWMD's Phase III water restrictions remain in force through July 1
Read →
Planning waterfront work in Kissimmee?
Free waterfront assessment · License #SCC131154313