Harris chain 2022

[TnRiver46]

16 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

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. 

No graph on his front deck either 

[12poundbass]

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

No graph on his front deck either 

It’s on there this morning but I’m willing to bet it hasn’t been turned on. No spot lock tm either. 

[TnRiver46]

Gross is culling 3.75 pounders in banana cove , he might be running away with it 

[N Florida Mike]

How are you watching @TnRiver46? 

[TnRiver46]

13 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

How are you watching @TnRiver46? 

FS1 at first, now on my phone 

[TnRiver46]

Buddy with 77 lbs!!!! 22 + today ! 

[TnRiver46]

Well my first ever fantasy team I picked the winner. I now retire 

[Captain Phil]

Buddy Gross was not fishing in Banana Cove.  The bay behind long Island is what TV people were describing as Banana Cove.  Banana Cove is the name of a small marina in that bay.  This area is actually called Lane Park.  This bay has always held fish.  Years ago, it was covered with pads. When the chemical purge went down in the late eighties, most of the pads died off and the fish left.  The pads started to grow back about twenty years ago. Long Island blocks the wind making it a good place to fish out of the weather.  Recently the cove topped out with hydrilla.  It was sprayed about a month ago.   Some was left mixed with eel grass and spots with pads and the fish were there for the taking.

 

Buddy was fishing a shell bed across from Hickory Point Park that he had all to himself.  To his credit, he stayed there the entire tournament.   This winter in Florida has been cold and weird. The water has stayed colder than normal and the big fish have been slow to move in.  I expected many more big fish than were caught. All in all, I think the best angler won.  

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Captain Phil said:

Buddy Gross was not fishing in Banana Cove.  The bay behind long Island is what TV people were describing as Banana Cove.  Banana Cove is the name of a small marina in that bay.  This area is actually called Lane Park.  This bay has always held fish.  Years ago, it was covered with pads. When the chemical purge went down in the late eighties, most of the pads died off and the fish left.  The pads started to grow back about twenty years ago. Long Island blocks the wind making it a good place to fish out of the weather.  Recently the cove topped out with hydrilla.  It was sprayed about a month ago.   Some was left mixed with eel grass and spots with pads and the fish were there for the taking.

 

Buddy was fishing a shell bed across from Hickory Point Park that he had all to himself.  To his credit, he stayed there the entire tournament.   This winter in Florida has been cold and weird. The water has stayed colder than normal and the big fish have been slow to move in.  I expected many more big fish than were caught. All in all, I think the best angler won.  

I think the competitors also expected more weight. They talked like the college trail was there recently and caught more. 
 

I’ve never been to Harris chain  , just going by what the commentators were saying. Thanks for the clarification 

[Captain Phil]

The Harris Chain has always been a challenging fishery.  It is decidedly different than lake Okeechobee or the Kissimmee Chain.   These lakes are somewhat deeper with more open water.   Offshore grass was limited until about ten years ago when the hydrilla started to come back. In the late eighties, outright war was declared on hydrilla.  The people who were charged with managing it declared hydrilla to be a non native species that needed to be eliminated at all cost.  Their chemical "purge" caused long term ecological damage that was severe and substantial. It took nearly twenty years for bass fishing to recover.  Thankfully, the right people were put in charge and things began to improve.  Florida's warm climate and shallow lakes are especially vulnerable.  Hydrilla must be managed or no one will be able to navigate the lakes much less fish them.  Unlike previous managers who attempted to totally eliminate hydrilla whenever and where ever found, they are now using input from fisherman and biologists.  I have been part of these meetings and have been pleased with the results.  Bass fishing on the Chain is now as good as it ever was. This does not mean it is easy.  

 

One of the problems anglers have when fishing these lakes is they fish only what they can see with their eyes. Everyone wants to run out to their favorite grass patch and load the boat.  This works for a while, but it creates community fishing holes that quickly turn off.  If you are going to consistently win big tournaments on these lakes, you must find fish that others miss.   Some people believe this means making long runs to Apopka or the Ocklawaha River.  As this tournament showed, there are undiscovered honey holes right under your nose if you will take the time to find them.