Let’s travel back in time for a moment to the end of October during the year 2020. The Bassmaster College Series National Championship visited the Harris Chain of Lakes for the first time ever and revealed what many in Florida already knew: the Harris Chain was on fire.
In that event, records were broken. Cole Sands, now an Elite Series pro, and Conner DiMauro from Bryan College caught a three-day total of 84 pounds, 12 ounces, which holds the record for heaviest three-day winning weight in Bassmaster history.
As we fast forward back to 2023, many people predicted when the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens schedule was released that this week at the Harris Chain of Lakes would have a similar, record breaking feel to it and potentially unveil the magic of Florida in the fall once again.
But the feeling amongst the Opens field is generally not of excitement of giant bags to come. Instead, it seems anglers will face yet another lake in the beginning of the transition from summer to fall. Many pros are thinking 10-12 pounds a day will have them in check range.
“The fishing is super tough,” Florida native Joey Bloom said. “A few weeks prior, everything was different. Everything was fishing well. Now, we’ve had a cold front come through and the weather is going to change. I think it will be a tough tournament for a lot of these guys.”
Many of the EQ anglers have voiced the same sentiments as the local Bloom, and while these can be just seen as deflective grips to avoid letdowns on tournament day, there are a lot of factors at play across the vast system.
“So far I have learned Florida is very finicky,” Illinois youngster Trey McKinney said. “It is an overwhelming place with a million decisions to make.”
The Open field arrived in Florida with so much to be decided. Nine invites to the 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series will be awarded at the end of this tournament and plenty of anglers are still in mathematical contention. Those spots will now be determined in a two-day, full field shootout and the winner will claim a spot in the 2024 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota.
For Kenta Kimura, the week of practice has made him thankful he is already locked into his Elite Series spot.
“To be honest with you, I’m glad I’m not chasing points,” Kimura said. “It is going to be a grind and the worst one of the year. I have been trying to find a way to catch 10 pounds a day. It is still Florida though, so there is potential, but every fish I have caught isn’t healthy.”
This fact remains, however: the seven lakes that make up the Harris Chain hold giant bass, and practice has proven that. Bloom reported catching a couple of 8-pounders and a 7-pounder while reports of a 10 and an 11-pounder surfaced at the pre-tournament registration.
Here is what you need to keep an eye on this week at the Harris Chain of Lakes.
What will storms do to the lakes?
The forecast is certainly not helping anglers make decisions. A storm system in the Gulf of Mexico and a warm front brought heavy thunderstorms, high winds and severe weather into the Leesburg area starting Wednesday afternoon and that nasty weather continued through the overnight into Thursday morning, prompting the postponement of Day 1.
More storms are expected Thursday afternoon. Initial forecasts predicted stormy weather all weekend, but the forecast has vastly improved for Friday and Saturday, with much smaller chances for storms.
While those storms may not be in the equation the rest of the week, wind will be a factor, particularly on the final day when it is expected to pick up to 10-15 mph.
“The weather is going to matter a whole lot for me,” Wesley Gore, who is 11th in points, said. “I’m going to make a run and hope we can get in an area and fish for a while. There are some fish ganged up offshore, but it will be a matter of if you can get on them. A lot of people have found the same stuff.”
This wind will create challenges navigating the vast system and strong winds and waves may have a negative effect on the bass located in unprotected areas. It is also unclear what the residual effects from this system will be across the lakes.
“I don’t know what Florida fish will do in these conditions,” said McKinney, who is making his first trip to the sunshine state..
“It all depends on the wind,” Bloom added. “The wind can blow out areas, it can destroy areas and move your fish across the lake. The rain, not so much. If you have areas that the wind is blowing in on, the fish will move and it will be tough on guys with specific spots.”
The Fall Funk
Even though the calendar says it should be fall, Bloom feels the bass are still in a summer pattern.
“It seems like every day in Florida is summer. We should be in the fall transition right now but we are still having heat waves and the humidity is messing it up. I would say we are still in the tailend of summer.”
While the air temperatures during practice still indicate summer is still in full swing, there are indications change is coming. At the beginning of practice, Bloom reported seeing water temperatures in the mid-80s. Now, the water temperature is in the mid-70s.
“The temperature change should be getting them to eat better, but the lakes have been so hot over the last few months that it messed the fish up with how fast it is dropping. They should be moving out for the fall transition, but they aren’t. They don’t know what they want to do.”
Tennessean Robert Gee has found the fishing to be really tough across the lakes. Currently, Gee is fourth in the EQ points standings and needs a solid finish to maintain his Elite qualification.
“It hasn’t been great at all. I can really only catch them on one lake and it is going to be really crowded,” Gee said. “Who knows what I am going to get on. I am going out there to catch 14 pounds per day.”
The answers are as clear as the water
When anglers come to Florida, finding clear water is key to success. Unfortunately, clear water is almost nonexistent on the chain this week.
“The water clarity has been pretty poor across the lakes,” Gee said. “There’s not many lakes that have the real clear water you want to find in Florida. But when I found it, I have gotten bit,” Gee said.
In his couple of trips to the Harris Chain, this is the dirtiest water Kimura has seen by far.
“They don’t like muddy water, I’m sure of that,” the Japanese pro said. “You have to cover water, or you have to find a special spot.”
While it doesn’t happen often, Bloom said lake managers will move water from lake to lake and that is what is happening this week.
“They move water from one lake to another,” Bloom said. “The more water movement, the dirtier it gets. A few months ago, Beauclair was crystal clear. Now it is chocolate milk because they started dumping water from Apopka into Beauclair and it dirtied up the whole system.”
Blooms suggests anglers should have a little bit of optimism under these conditions. The bass in these lakes follow the bait, no matter the water clarity. So if someone finds a good area with a strong baitfish population, they should be in for a good day. Kimura agrees.
The Grass Saga
With the bass still in a summer mode, Bloom believes the submergent grasses in the lakes, primarily hydrilla and eelgrass, will play a big role.
“Griffin is actually going to be a big player because of how much grass is actually in it,” Bloom said. “I think grass will be a big player as well as the shallows. A lot of the fish are shallow and the guys who are really strong flipping will get a couple big bites each day.”
It’s not everywhere, however, and what grass there is has been picked through. Griffin and Beauclair have the most, Gore said, while big Lake Harris doesn’t have as much hydrilla throughout the lake as in years past. Dora, meanwhile, has very little in the way of submergent grass.
“I have found grass and there seems to be fish in both hydrilla and eelgrass,” Gee said. “I haven’t found much shell. I will be fishing the grass for sure. I have one lake I will try my best to get to.”
McKinney will be all in on fishing grass.
“It will be old fashioned grass fishing with maybe a little bit of Active Target involved. Hopefully I will catch a big one,” he said. “Apopka and Griffin are very lively and Beauclair has a lot of grass. Dora doesn’t have a whole lot. In Harris, there are a few main areas that everyone knows about. But grass is my main pattern.”
While anglers have been combing through the grass that is available, other anglers have searched offshore for bass relating to shellbeds, brushpiles and hard spots, with only certain areas holding schools of bass.
Which lake will it be won out of?
Any lake has the potential to produce a big bag, but which one will shine in this event? There is a general consensus Apopka has a strong population of bigger than average bass, but it takes the longest to get to by far and anglers can only access it through a lock that only allows three boats at a time.
Beauclair and Dora have been strong lakes in recent history. Griffin and Big Lake Harris, meanwhile, are very consistent producers and both lakes have topped out hydrilla in some areas.
These are the picks for the winning lakes from the anglers featured in this story:
Gee: Dora, Beauclair or Apopka
Bloom: Eustis or Big Harris
McKinney: Big Harris, Griffin or Apopka
Anglers to Watch
Bobby Lane: Most of the season, Lane has been lurking just outside of the Elite qualification range and now, with the season coming to an end, he is coming back to his home state just 15 points outside the qualification cut. Lane will carry plenty of local knowledge with him as well as the experience to get through a tough, tumultuous event.
John Garrett: Barring something catastrophic happening, Garrett is locked into an Elite Series berth and will be looking to close out the season with a win. Although the 2021 event was in the spring, Garrett finished 14th and this go-round will likely cater to his strengths.
Sam George: George has finished one spot away from the Elite Series several times now. He currently sits in 12th, just a few points outside of the cut again this year. Luckily, George has a good track record at the Harris Chain and in Florida, finishing 12th at the Harris Chain in 2021 and then 34th at the Kissimmee Chain in 2022.
Blake Smith: Smith is coming off a 19th place finish at Lake of the Ozarks. A Lakeland, Fla. native, Smith will be in his comfort zone and will look to match or improve upon his seventh place finish from the 2021 event.
Ben Milliken: Milliken’s summer has been a roller coaster and he finds himself 30 points out of the Elite cut as it stands. Finding giant bass is what Milliken lives for, and there are plenty in the Harris Chain. He has never been to Florida, but the Nebraska native turned Texan could potentially Carolina rig his way to an Elite Series berth.
