LEESBURG, Fla.– After a bit of a layoff since the opener on Okeechobee, the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern Division is back in action this week on the Harris Chain of Lakes. One of the more diverse tournament locations in Florida, takeoff in Harris proper gives the pros and Strike King co-anglers access to 10 lakes, each with something special to offer.
Postspawn bite should be the deal
Though the spawn tends to draw on in Florida, this event should be solidly postspawn, which isn’t bad for the Harris Chain. With a lot of offshore shell bars and grass beds throughout the chain, there’s plenty for anglers to target.
“Although there will still be some fish spawning, I think most of the bigger fish have probably already spawned, so you’ll see a lot of postspawn fish being targeted and caught,” said Christian Greico. “There will probably be a couple guys who are still catching them off beds, but this time of year you can really get on all three transitions.
“I like fishing for postspawn fish,” Greico said. “If you can get on a group of them, you can come in with a big bag. That’s probably what I’ll focus on, locating groups of postspawn fish, or even groups of fish heading out from the spawn trying to feed up. I expect to see guys flipping and throwing Carolina rigs, crankbaits and ChatterBaits throughout the event.”
Kennie Steverson, a local and last year’s winner at the Harris Chain, is of the same opinion, saying the fish are at the tail end of a long spawn.
“They’ve came in little waves,” he said. “There’s been one major wave; otherwise, it’s been one little wave, another little wave. I think they’re about done spawning, there are a few spawning right now, but it’s the last wave. They’re so finicky, you see them and they’re gone. You get one shot at them.
“The shad have started spawning, but I haven’t seen fish on them yet,” he added. “They’re not [way] offshore, I know that. They’re anywhere from shallow to nearshore, I’d say.”
The shad spawn is an intriguing possibility – a lot of good finishes in late spring on the Harris Chain have come via a shad spawn bite. But, it can be a dodgy pattern to depend on, with fish coming and going as the bait does, and occasionally the presence of the shad being dependent on weather conditions.
Which lake to bank on
Lately, the word on the docks is that Lake Griffin and Lake Apopka are the best lakes going. Inconveniently, they’re also the two longest commutes. While Griffin is relatively straightforward and well-trod, the run to Apopka is a little more fraught.
“The locks are kind of messed up — they break a lot, and they’re getting worse,” said Steverson. “That’s putting a big wrench into things. The last BFL, like 30 people were late.”
The lock into Apopka doesn’t hold many boats, so it’s not unusual for it to slow things down. However, the allure of the lake is greater than ever these days.
“If you’re boat 1 through 20, you’ve gotta go,” said Steverson of the calculus. “If you’re middle of the pack, you’re pretty much just screwed. In the Fishers of Men tournament, I know a guy that had a bad boat number, went down there on Day 1 and didn’t get through the lock until 11:45. They fished an hour and 15 minutes, caught four for 18 pounds, and then luckily caught one that was a 4-pounder in Harris. So, the strategy, I’d say, is you’ve got to be able to catch them in 45 minutes to an hour. If I don’t feel like I can catch fish in 45 minutes to an hour, I won’t go.”
Once in Apopka, there are plenty of options. One well-known tournament angler did well on a brush pile there, the flipping bite is good, and there’s an increasing offshore game developing on the lake.
With none of the close lakes really pulling ahead, Steverson thinks that the winner will need to make some savvy moves. In 2022, when Greico won a Pro Circuit event there, he started and finished the event in Apopka, but relied on Harris for filler fish. Steverson thinks that could be the recipe again this week.
“I don’t think someone is gonna have a Top 10 in only one lake,” said Steverson. “It’s going to be probably three lakes. I think someone that plays it right and goes to Apopka on the right day, almost a Christian Greico thing, it’s gonna be something like that.”
Good weights expected
Always a favorite stop for anglers, we should see pretty good weights this week. Over the weekend, a three-day Fishers of Men event took 63.27 pounds to win, and that’s about what folks expect this week.
For good luck, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals pro Brett Carnright provided a winning weight prediction of 64 pounds, 2 ounces, adding, “And it will be a miracle if it’s me.”
Steverson thinks that 62 pounds is the mark.
“Someone is going to probably crack a 27- or 28-pound bag like always, and then they’re going to follow it up with smaller bags,” he said. “Maybe someone could find some offshore grass fish and be really consistent. But, locally, it’s been taking 21 to 23 pounds to win everything.”
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