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Leesburg, FL –
Now that the smoke and dust has cleared after the frenzied pitch of the last month’s 38th rendition of the Bassmaster Classic, it’s time to settle in to the epic 11-event schedule of the Elite Series. This week, the first stop is the Sunshine Showdown at Leesburg, Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes.
There are eight principal lakes that make up the Harris Chain – Harris, Little Harris, Griffin, Eustis, Dora, Beauclair, Carlton and Apopka – which together form over 76,000 acres. Each lake is accessible via canal, and all offer stable water levels and habitat. This is saying quite a lot given the decadent conditions of the lakes in the early ‘90s.
Thanks to the efforts of the State’s Legislature, and citizen’s advisory boards, the Harris Chain rebounded back into pro-form and will now be host to it first Elite Series event. While many in the field have fishing the famed Florida fishery at least four times over the last five years, The Elite Series has never made a stop in Leesburg…until now.
The weather should set up well for Florida fishing this week. With the exception of a chance of rain Friday, all in the field agree that there could be some crazy-big weights that come to the stage over the course of the next four days. Additionally, most everyone that The BASS ZONE spoke to recognized the canals as being elemental in their game plan.
As for who and how…well, you’ll have to wait until Sunday. Until then though, we were able to round up a few for a quick peek at the bite.
Reese Planning for Multiple Scenarios
For reigning Angler of the Year Skeet Reese, the Harris Chain offers fond memories. He won here back in 2003, and is looking to do the same this week. However, he points out that it’s far easier said than done. “It’s going to be a tough tournament across the board I think,” he said.
“There will be some guys who struggle to catch them; while there will be some others who just jack them. It’ll be a one-day deal though.”
Like others in this week’s field, the assumption prior to the official practice period was that the spawn was all but over. “I would have thought that the spawn was over,” he said. “I get down here and there are fry everywhere. The majority of the fish have spawned, but there’s another wave that’s coming in right now. |
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“The tough thing about it is that there are so few places here where they spawn – and everyone knows about them – that boat draw becomes part of your game-plan.
Skeet is quick to point out that bed-fish might play an important role in the tournament’s first day, but they’ll likely not pull you through to Sunday. “Boat draw in this type of tournament is just huge,” he said. “If you draw out 100, you can kiss bed fishing good-bye. The later the draw, the tougher your day will be.”
As a result of the boat-draw wildcard, Skeet isn’t focusing on spawners. Instead, he’s opting to establish lake-wide patterns – or as he calls them, “Plan A,” and “Plan B.”
“There are a couple of different patterns going, so I’m kind of looking at it from two perspectives – good draw I fish one way, and bad draw I fish another,” Skeet explained. “I’m looking at a lot of new water right now.”
While he has history on these lakes, Skeet allowed that it won’t do him much good in the season opener. “The water levels are a little be different than they were the last time I was here, so I can’t really play the history card,” he said. “My goal is to find an area where I can get 15 pounds a day – I think that will be the deal.”
Lintner’s Feeling Overwhelmed
Jared Lintner is known as the “Milk Man” on the Elite Series tour. Just like a milk man, he’s quiet and unassuming; however, he can deliver the goods when required to do so. Problem is that the “goods” he’s trying to deliver this week have hidden themselves away. “I didn’t have a bite all the day the first day I practiced,” he said.
“Yesterday, I went into a little area and managed to pick up a few bites. That gave me a little confidence that there might actually be a few fish in this lake.”
Before Monday’s official practice began, Lintner had never laid eyes on the sprawling Florida fishery, and he’s found himself a little overwhelmed as a result. “There’s just so much to take in,” he said. “You have five lakes that are just huge, and three others that are pretty formidable.
“I should have done more homework and come down here in the off-season, but it’s just too far from California.”
While he wasn’t able to visit the lake physically, thanks to the Internet, Lintner has a pretty good estimation of what it’s going to take to be a contender this week. “Looking at past results here, there are usually five or six guys that just kill them,” he said. “It’s going to be tough because unless you come across a little glory hole, you’re just going to be grinding it out for a check.”
All that said, Lintner is holding out one hope – stumble across the proverbial mother load. “I did have a couple good bites yesterday, so there’s a chance that I could do pretty well,” he said. “I would be tickled to death if you guaranteed me that I would walk out of here with a check. I wouldn’t even back my boat into the water.”
Martens Hoping the Crowds Stay Small
Like Reese, Martens has extensive history at the Harris Chain, and based on what he’s seen over the last two-and-a-half days, he likes his chances this week. “I feel pretty good,” he said. “I’ve spent most of my time looking for new banks, but nothing that I think that I might actually wind up fishing. You have to eliminate water, and the best way that I’ve found to do that is by seeking out new water.
“What I’ve found is okay, but I don’t think it’s going to prove out. It will probably wind up being like most any other Florida tournament where you have clusters of guys in different spots across the lake.”
With that in mind, the question of fishing in a crowd (ergo The Monkey Box of Okeechobee from years past) works out for the California pro. “I like how (the Harris Chain) fishes, but unfortunately, you usually get a big group of guys fishing the same area after the first day,” he said. |
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“It messes the fish up really with all the pressure. Two years ago, I had an area all to myself and did pretty well. By the second day it was covered up and I don’t think I had a bite – I really blew up.”
So what’s the plan to fish in a crowd? “You have to fish defensively – you have to have your elbows up,” he laughingly said. “I’m hoping that it won’t be like that this year, but I fear it might be.”
As for the tournament results, Martens has it dialed in. “The first day, you’ll see a handful of bags over 25 pounds,” he said. “After that first day, it will drop off considerably. If you can average 13 pounds a day, you’ll do okay. That’s what I think anyway…for what it’s worth.”
The
BZ will be WIDE OPEN on the water
beginning Thursday morning. LIVE
CHAT will begin at 9:30am EST. Be
sure to check out the WIDE OPEN preview
web video with Mark and The Legend, Harold
Allen. CLICK
HERE.
Also.....Check
out what the Florida Pros are saying about
conditions at the Harris Chain. Is
there a HOME FIELD Advantage? CLICK
HERE
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