2022 Harris Chain B.A.S.S. Elite

It had been 10 years since the Bassmaster Elite Series visited the Harris Chain of Lakes, and my hopes were high.

Among the eight major lakes that comprise the chain are Big and Little Harris, Eustis, Griffin, Dora, Beauclair, Carlton and Apopka. Together they provide some of Florida’s best habitat for catching quality bass, and my record is strong there.

A month before the event, I spent a day on lakes Harris and Eustis, looking for submerged grassbeds away from the bank. Lush beds of hydrilla, eelgrass and peppergrass grow in most of the lakes on the chain, and they serve as magnets for bass.

As it turned out, that scouting trip was well worth the effort. Here’s how.

Practice Begins

On day 1 of official practice, I launched at the south end of Lake Griffin — the most northerly lake in the chain. From there, I drove straight to Yale Canal, which provides access to Emeralda Marsh.

Once inside the canal, I dropped the trolling motor and started my scanning the bank for spawners.

Almost immediately, I noticed a massive fish sitting on a bed. She was bigger than 10 pounds, and her male companion was easily four. I saw several other quality fish on that same stretch — some bedding, others cruising. I recorded their locations with my Garmin GPS and kept moving.

By late afternoon — in one particular residential canal — I got several bites by pitching a Texas-rig, black and blue Senko to isolated clusters of lily pads. I didn’t stick any of the fish, but every one of them felt solid.

On days 2 and 3, I spent my time reviewing the places I scouted on lakes Harris and Griffin a month earlier. There, too, I found quality fish, especially in an area known as Banana Cove. Most fell for a white Chatterbait with Zako trailer or a Shimano Macbeth 50F square-bill crankbait in a chartreuse pattern.

By the end of practice, I knew where I wanted to fish. My only concern was the hassle of locking through to Lake Griffin, and how much competitor traffic I would encounter.

Competition Time

As luck would have it, I drew out in the last flight. Normally in early spring with cooler temperatures, that would be a good thing. Bass tend to be more active as water temperatures rise throughout the day. But this time was different. I wanted to be among the first group of boats to lock through into Lake Griffin, to secure one of the better areas.

When I arrived, I was the tenth boat in line. The lock holds only nine. Frustrated, I dropped the trolling motor and began casting the Chatterbait to a nearby weedbed. Minutes later, I put my first keeper in the boat — a 2½-pounder. Thirty minutes later, the lock reopened and I entered with two other boats.

While waiting for the water levels to balance, I contemplated my chances of getting on the better spots in Emeralda Marsh. Knowing they were likely already taken, I exited the lock and raced to a canal on the opposite shore instead … hoping no one was there ahead of me.

Upon arrival, I realized I was the only boat. That gave me an instant boost of confidence. Soon, I put my second fish in the boat. Then a third. Both fell for a wacky-rig Senko on the first cast.

Finding no big fish up shallow, I tried fan casting a lipless crankbait to open areas around lily pads. But that yielded nothing. So I opted to run to the canal where I shook off several fish in practice.

There, the bite was slow, but I managed to fill out a limit weighing about 10 pounds. And just as I was about to leave, I got a quality bite on the Texas-rig, black and blue Senko — a 5¾ pounder. That gave me the confidence to stay a bit longer.

As I continued to probe the pad field with the Senko, I noticed a large fish chasing bream on an adjacent seawall. I could see by its wake that it was big, too. When I got within range, I fired the wacky rig to the bulkhead and watched as my line moved toward deeper water. Immediately, I tightened the line and an ensuing battle began.

The fish jumped three times, thrashing and diving while pulling drag on my Stradic 3000 reel. The fight was epic. And after what seemed an eternity, I finally managed to get the fish boatside and into my hands.

It weighed well over seven pounds. I told my marshal to batten down the hatches, that we were leaving. I knew I had a big stringer and I wanted to get back through the locks and closer to weigh-in.

At the scales, I recorded a weight of nearly 20 pounds. Satisfied, I trailered the boat and headed to the nearest gas station, then on to dinner.

On day 2, the flights flipped and I was now in the first group with a 3:30pm check-in time. Having such a short day, I decided to stay in Lake Harris and take my chances in Banana Cove. I knew there would be other boats fishing that area, but I also knew the numbers of quality fish holding there. My thought was to stay close and maximize my fishing time, rather than lose two hours by locking in and out of Lake Griffin.

It proved to be a good decision.

Shortly after arriving and dropping the trolling motor, I boated my first fish of the day — a fat 2-pounder. Shortly after, another came aboard. Then the action slowed … at least for me. Others nearby were still catching them, one after the other. But most of the action was in one tight grouping of boats. And since I wasn’t there on day 1, I stayed clear and fished away from them.

Sometime after noon, I crossed paths with Rick Clunn. He told me he had about 15 pounds and asked how I was doing. When he learned I was struggling, he suggested I upsize the profile of my crankbait. So I did, and that’s when things changed dramatically.

In the remaining two hours, I finished my limit and added two fish over five pounds — one of which was a big six — all by switching to a larger profile Macbeth 63F.

I knew I would be high in the standings. And when I reached the scales, I vaulted to 8^th place on the leader board.

Fishing on the Weekend

Being in the Top 10 after the cut meant an earlier flight with a 3:30pm check-in. I told my cameraman that I was staying in Lake Harris, to maximize my fishing time … and that I wanted another shot at the big fish in Banana Cove.

When my boat number was called, I raced directly to the area where I caught my two largest fish the day before.

Retracing my steps, I threw the upsized Macbeth crankbait — ripping it through the tops of stranding hydrilla and eelgrass. Eventually, I boated my first fish. Then another. But like the day before, the bite soon died.

Perhaps it was due to a lack of wind, or maybe excessive angling pressure. Whatever the reason, the fish just shut down. That’s when I decided to move to the shoreline and flip lily pads — a decision that, over the next two hours, yielded two more keeper bass. When the wind picked up, I moved back offshore to try cranking again.

As I worked my way across the flat, I noticed Yamamoto teammate Brandon Card sitting on a spot that had produced two keepers for me the day before. And just as I got within range, he bowed up on a fish — a solid 3-pounder.

On his very next cast, he stuck another. Then another. It was almost unbearable to watch. Desperately needing a fish, I asked if I could get closer. And to his credit, he waved me in … and I immediately caught a 2½-pounder.

Brandon continued to slay the school. He was completely dialed in.

Thinking those fish might be signaling a major feed, I pulled the trolling motor and raced back to my starting area. And with very little time remaining, I stuck a 5½-pounder on the crankbait. I told my marshal that it was fixing to go down. But as the minutes waned, that one big bite proved to be my last.

Back at the scales, I posted a weight of 12 pounds — which dropped me out of the top ten, back to 22^nd place. Although it was a solid finish, I desperately wanted to fish on day 4. But that wasn’t to be. And so, it’s on to the next stop at Santee Cooper in South Carolina.

Stay tuned!