LEESBURG, Fla. — Most of the bass have spawned already, and there’s not a shad spawn or bluegill spawn, which would tend to congregate bass in specific areas.
“There’s not a lot of bass doing the same thing,” said Brandon Lester, who finished 6th the last time the Bassmaster Elite Series was at Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes.
“It’s a funky time to be here,” said Drew Benton, who finished 2nd, 2 pounds, 10 ounces, behind Buddy Gross’s winning weight of 77-11 in February of 2022.
But Benton did see one positive on the horizon for the Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at the Harris Chain. The four-day event begins Thursday.
“These types of tournaments are the easiest to win,” Benton said. “With 12 or 13 pounds a day you can stay in it and not fall too far back.”
But you’re going to have to have at least one big day, maybe two, to set yourself apart from the 103-angler field. Gross had two 22-pound bags sandwiched around totals of 17-11 and 14-14 in his win two years ago. That’s typical Florida bass fishing, highs and lows, inconsistency.
However, after practice days on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday this week, most predictions for a winning weight here were in the 60s, not the 70s. In other words, lower highs and lower lows from day-to-day.
Brandon Palaniuk isn’t typically one of the pre-tournament sand-baggers. He’s been watching what it takes to win at the Harris Chain in recent months.
“The weights coming out of here have been bad – 12 pounds a day to make the top 10,” he said.
There are some bass still on spawning beds, but most are small. Palaniuk said he might be satisfied with a few 2 ¼- to 2 ½-pounders off spawning beds just to get some weight, any weight.
“I think I can get a bite on a lot of different things,” he said, emphasizing “a bite,” as in one. “I’m going to fish all the lakes that you don’t have to lock to get into – Big Harris, Little Harris, Eustis, Dora, Beauclair and Carlton. If I catch one bass in each, I’ll be able to cull one time.”
Yes, he was joking – a little.
Brandon Lester drew boat No. 1 in Thursday’s takeoff order. He believes it’s the only time in his career that he’s drawn the top spot in a Bassmaster Elite Series or Open tournament.
“The first time in my career I get boat No. 1 and I don’t really have a place to start in my back pocket,” Lester laughed. “But the area I’m going to start will probably get some pressure, so I can at least get first shot.
“I feel like the leaderboard is going to be pretty volatile. That’s typical Florida fishing, but maybe more so than usual this week.”
