The Harris Chain of Lakes lies within an hour of my hometown, yet I rarely fish there. It’s not that I don’t like that waterway, I do. It’s just that there are so many other options closer to home. 

About the only time I venture to the Harris Chain is for B.A.S.S. events.

The system is comprised of seven major lakes — including Harris, Griffin, Eustis, Dora, Beauclair, Carlton, and Apopka. There are also a number of canals and connecting waterways that offer added options, so the playing field is quite large.

My preferences include Harris, Eustis, and Griffin. Those are the lakes where I’ve had the most success. This time, however, I gambled on a part of the system I had never fished — a decision that ultimately burned me.

Practice Begins

On day 1 of practice, I launched on the south end of Griffin — the closest and most familiar lake to me. My first stop was at a bay near the state park. There I traversed a large flat, casting various search baits — including a Z-man JackHammer with a Yamamoto Zako trailer, Shimano Macbeth 75F square-bill crankbait, and World Minnow jerkbait.

After more than an hour, I had only two fish to show for the effort — a 4-pounder and a bare keeper.

My next move was to a residential canal, where I caught several fish by fan-casting a Yamamoto Speed Senko. None were big enough to worry about, so I left there and moved to the northwest corner of the lake — an area lush with submerged vegetation. But after two hours of combing the grass, I had nothing to show for the effort.

From there, I moved into the Ocklawaha River — the waterway that drains the Harris Chain into Rodman Reservoir and the St. Johns River. I spent the remainder of the day there, managing only another four or five fish, all under two pounds.

On day 2, I decided to return to Griffin and try the east side of the lake. My first stop was to a large flat that was once thick with hydrilla and peppergrass. Unfortunately, most of it was eradicated by chemical spraying. Still, there were signs of new growth. And seeing that, I decided to fish it for several hours. In that time, I boated three decent fish. Nothing big, but all respectable.

Later, I moved to Emeralda Marsh to try its clear, pristine waters. There I found a friendly manatee foraging in a field of submerged hydrilla. The area looked so good, but again, I caught only a few small fish.

On the final day of practice, I launched at Lake Eustis to probe its contour edges of maidencane and eelgrass. And though it looked promising, I caught nothing.

Next, I tried several residential canals — one of which produced a few quick bites by pitching a Yamamoto Fat Baby Craw and skipping a wacky-rig Senko.

My next stop was the “Golf Course” off Beauclair Canal, where I found nothing to draw me back. My last stop was to a few beaches on Lake Dora, but those yielded only 12-inchers. 

Contemplation Time

Spread thin and without a solid game plan, I pulled the boat back to the cabin to rig my tackle for the competition ahead … unaware that the following day would ultimately be canceled due to high winds.

On that day off, I started second-guessing my strategy. Should I abandon what little I found in practice and roll the dice on Lake Apopka. Although known for heavyweight stringers, I’ve never gone there. The distance and amount of time required always discouraged me … that and the fact that the lock holds only three boats, which is a serious concern if you’re one of dozens trying to pass through.

However, this time I had an early boat number. So I knew I could make it through without any issues. But then, where would I start? Although I had never fished Apopka, previous fishing reports had revealed some of the better, more consistent areas.

And so, with not much going in any of the other lakes, I decided to take the chance.

Tourney Time

The next morning, I departed the take-off zone at Venetian Gardens and ran the length of Lake Harris into the Dead River — a long idle zone that leads to Lake Eustis. Once through Eustis, I entered the Dora Canal — another lengthy idle zone. From there I crossed Lakes Dora and Beauclair and entered the Beauclair Canal. By the time I reached the Apopka lock, nearly an hour had passed and four other competitors were there ahead of me. 

Relegated to the next lock cycle, I waited patiently.

Finally, at 8:30am, I was through the lock and on a stretch of the canal leading into Lake Apopka. And that is where I caught my first fish — a bare keeper. 

Four hours later, I still had that same fish and nothing more. Rolling the dice on Apopka was a bad decision. Unsure of what to do next, I decided to lock back out and head to Lake Eustis, to the small canal that produced several bites in practice.

When I finally arrived there, I found two other boats fishing in the same area. Having little time and no better place to go, I decided to fish behind them. And in the time remaining, I boated a limit of small keepers. Not a great start, but at least I wasn’t going to the scales empty-handed.

One Last Try

On day 2 of the competition, I decided to start by running a shoreline pattern in Lake Harris — fishing seawalls and beaches. 

When my number was called, I raced to the west bank and dropped the trolling motor. In no time, I was boating 13- to 14-inch fish by swimming a green pumpkin jig with a matching Yama Craw trailer. It was fun and, unlike the day before, I was getting plenty of bites. Unfortunately, they were all small fish. To make the cut, I knew I would need a bigger bite. 

Using my Garmin Panoptix, I moved deeper and found a grouping of brush piles with large fish relating to them. I knew they were bass, just by the way they swam, and after a series of bait changes, I finally got one to bite the big Shimano Macbeth 65F crankbait. 

Unfortunately, after several strong pulls, the fish wrapped itself in the brush and tore free. It was a sickening feeling. I finally got the big bite I needed and it was gone. Minutes later, another struck the lure and managed to shake free at the surface. It was devastating, and those were the last two quality bites of the day.

Back at the scales, I registered a weight of nine pounds, bringing my two-day total to just 14 pounds … well short of the money. It was a poor result, especially after blowing the two previous events in Texas and Louisiana.

I was hoping to make a big comeback on the Florida Swing, but after three Elite Series events, I’m buried at the bottom of the standings.

Next is the St. Johns River. Stay tuned!