Harris chain 2022

[TnRiver46]

27 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

The Harris Chain is in my back yard.  I've never seen so many out of town visitors as we have now.  Every restaurant is packed and the boat ramps are street parking only.  I won't even put my boat in the water until two weeks after this thing is over.  

 

The Banana Cove area is getting hammered.  By tomorrow, that cove behind Long Island will be a dead zone.  I believe this tournament will be won by someone flipping the Kissimmee Grass.  Five bites a day is all you need.  There are giants in that grass if you have the patience it takes to wait them out.

 

Running all the way to Apopka is crazy.   It takes up so much time and when you get to the spring you will find three locals fishing on top of it.  Haven't heard much from Griffin which seems a little strange.  I would stay in Big Harris and fish for big fish.  Someone will hang a double digit bass before it's over.

I think Martin is in apopka again today, they are acting like he’s one of the only competitors there. He’s currently in 5th 

[Captain Phil]

The Harris Chain flipping bite is better midday.   I normally don't get to the ramp until 9 AM.   If the sun comes out and the skies clear, the big fish bite will be better.  Apopka is a very long run with two idle zones and a lock.  Back in the day, no one fished there so it was worth the run.  Today, it's risky.  

[EWREX]

super tight weight's outside of the top 10 - tomorrow is going to be a rollercoaster i can't wait to see how it plays out!

[T-Bone]

6 hours ago, EWREX said:

super tight weight's outside of the top 10 - tomorrow is going to be a rollercoaster i can't wait to see how it plays out!

I doubt anyone in the top 10 is feeling particularly comfortable at the moment. Anyone fishing tomorrow has a realistic chance of fishing Sunday. I look forward to the slugfest. 

[scaleface]

Rick Clunn stated that its going to be tough to physically fish today . I dont know if he was serious or joking . They fished a lot of hours the past two weeks . I would be exhausted .

[Captain Phil]

  

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

Rick Clunn stated that its going to be tough to physically fish today . I dont know if he was serious or joking . They fished a lot of hours the past two weeks . I would be exhausted .

 

In my twenties, I fished a big money tournament in Okeechobee.  I was near my physical prime. Counting practice and the tournament I fished solid for a full week.  I ended up in the top ten and got a nice check.  On the way home, I was so exhausted I could hardly drive.  I had a flat tire on my boat trailer and was too tired to change it.  I left my entire rig on the side of Highway 27 and drove home. My buddy and I drove up the next day and found the boat unharmed.  Fishing tournaments like that is mentally and physically draining. It's hard on equipment and hard on your family.   

[12poundbass]

68-70 degrees there and they’re all dressed like it’s 50. At this point in time I’d probably be in a Speedo if I had 68-70 degree temps! ?

[FishinBuck07]

3 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

68-70 degrees there and they’re all dressed like it’s 50. At this point in time I’d probably be in a Speedo if I had 68-70 degree temps! ?

I hear ya on that one!  But the world is not ready for me like that, I am not even sure I want to see that!??

[12poundbass]

20 minutes ago, FishinBuck07 said:

I hear ya on that one!  But the world is not ready for me like that, I am not even sure I want to see that!??

They’d lock me up and throw away the key! 

[Aaron_H]

4 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

68-70 degrees there and they’re all dressed like it’s 50. At this point in time I’d probably be in a Speedo if I had 68-70 degree temps! ?

 

Gotta do what you gotta do for that Speedo sponsorship.

[FishinBuck07]

44 minutes ago, Aaron_H said:

 

Gotta do what you gotta do for that Speedo sponsorship.

They would pay me to put clothes back on!??

[jbsoonerfan]

2 hours ago, Aaron_H said:

 

Gotta do what you gotta do for that Speedo sponsorship.

Speedo would sue me.

[TnRiver46]

8 bags over 20 today out of 47 anglers. Florida showing out 

[Aaron_H]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

8 bags over 20 today out of 47 anglers. Florida showing out 

 

Not to mention that giant Pirch got. Happy to see Martin make it to the top 10 to fish tomorrow. Not everyone's cup of tea but I like the guy.

[Captain Phil]

As predicted, Banana Cove has slowed.  This cove was totally topped out with hydrilla until recently.  When they sprayed it, all the fish that had been concentrated in the grass found themselves in the open.   Most of them went on a boat ride.  The officials left some grass in this cove and it will be wall to wall with locals today.   

 

The big fish haven't moved in yet. This has been a very cool winter for Florida.  If the weather warms for a few days, the big fish will make their move.  I am amazed how few anglers are fishing Griffin.  There are enough big fish in Griffin to win a hundred tournaments.  These guys seemed to be fixated on open water fishing.  Most of the offshore grass has been sprayed.   If you want to catch a 30 pound sack, it's not going to be offshore this February.  Still, nothing would surprise me. It's anyone's game at this point.

[TnRiver46]

I saw the weigh in video of the 11 lb bass that Cox caught and the almost 10 lb bass that pirch  got. Those were beasts 

[Captain Phil]

9 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I saw the weigh in video of the 11 lb Cox caught and the almost 10 that pitch got. Those were beasts 

 

Normally this time of year it takes at least 25 pounds a day to win a local tournament on the Chain. 

[TnRiver46]

17 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

 

Normally this time of year it takes at least 25 pounds a day to win a local tournament on the Chain. 

It’s similar here, local tournaments take more weight than pro tournaments. I think the fish get a little tricky with hundreds of boats and spectators and cameras 

[TnRiver46]

David mullins already has 4 nice ones in the boat at banana cove in his first 10 minutes of fishing 

 

check that now has a limit

[TnRiver46]

Buddy gross with a pretty nice one from the same area with Carolina rig 

 

and another

 

go buddy go! 

[TnRiver46]

Holy moly pirch with another beast , looks 8 easy 

[TnRiver46]

Pirch is now fishing with a push pole in one hand and a fishing pole in the other 

[Mike L]

5 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Pirch is now fishing with a push pole in one hand and a fishing pole in the other 

That my friend is not an easy thing to do!

At a BFL Regional on Seminole one time, my boater tried to do it and lost his rod. 
If I wasn’t watching him at the time it would have been lost. 
 

After that we turned around. 

 

 

Mike

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, Mike L said:

That my friend is not an easy thing to do!

At a BFL Regional on Seminole one time, my boater tried to do it and lost his rod. 
If I wasn’t watching him at the time it would have been lost. 
 

After that we turned around. 

 

 

Mike

It sure doesn’t look easy . I would end up as a kabob 

[12poundbass]

John Cox just loves to fish. He always seems to be happy go lucky. Then he offers to take Mercer shiner fishing tonight after the tournament? After fishing as much as they have the past two weeks I’d crash and burn for a few days and this guy wants to go shiner fishing! The guy is a fishing machine.