Captain Phil

When I was actively fishing tournaments, we bought these craws 1,000 at a time.

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.

In my view, spinnerbaits and blade baits are different enough to be classified as separate presentations. Both are reaction baits. Much of a spinnerbait's attraction comes from the flash of the blades. A blade bait's attraction comes from it's vibration. Spinnerbaits are generally more effective when fished slowly and blade baits are at their best when fished faster. Here in Florida you only need two colors, chartreuse with gold metal and white with silver. There are times, like on rainy or overcast days, when black and chartreuse work better. Everything else is just another reason to buy.

Gambler Craw in Christmas color. Big bass magnet...

Color is an interesting topic and it seems to change year to year. There was a time when fishing a 1/2 oz. chrome Trap with a green scaled back was the big thing here on the Chain. Later, I seemed to do better with the chrome blue back orange belly version. On dark days, the Trap below was a secret weapon around here for many years. In Kissimmee, gold was the best.

I have used the Yo-Zuri lipless crankbait with some success. It looks somewhat more realistic. Also, the Strike King Red Eye Shad. Most of my lipless crankbait fishing is done in less than 5 feet of water around cover. I use 20 pound braid or mono and fish them relatively fast with frequent jerks. I always change the hooks on Rattle Traps. Some of the new baits look interesting.

Over the years, lipless crankbaits have played a big part in my personal bass fishing success. I believe the first of these lures was the Heddon Sonic. I didn't start using these lures until I heard about the Cordell Spot. When the Rattle Trap was introduced, I became a convert. I still remember the first day I caught a dozen consecutive bass while fishing this lure anchored in the Miami Canal. When I moved to Central Florida, I joined the local B.A.S.S. Federation club. At the time, that club had some of the best bass fishermen in Florida if not the country. A good friend I met in that club was a great Rattle Trap fisherman and I learned a lot from him. When nothing else works, a Rattle Trap always comes through for me. That brings me to today when there are dozens of these baits. Some look better than the plain Rattle Traps I am using. I wonder if I am behind the times or am missing something? Let's talk about what works for you and why you believe it's better. Have you learned anything about these baits that may be helpful to others?

Bitters is one of the best in Central Florida. Here in Eustis we have a small tackle shop that looks like it came out of a time warp. It's called Owens Bait and Tackle and it's on the north side of town. This is the way tackle shops were when I was young. Minnows and shiners are swimming in the tanks. Crickets are chirping. Lures are hanging off every wall and they have a room full of rods. The place is so stacked with stuff you can hardly move around. Prices are OK. If you need something right now or you want to browse. it's a great place to go.

I do not know of any boat rentals on Lake Toho. Your best bet would be to hire a local guide of which there are many to choose from. There is a good bass lake in Orlando where rental boats are available. If fact, it's the only way you can fish it. It's at Bill Frederick Park. Here's a link to their website https://www.orlando.gov/Parks-the-Environment/Directory/Bill-Frederick-Park-At-Turkey-Lake

Drag racing is a lot more entertaining than NASCAR even though it's not anything like it was when Jim (Jungle Jim) Liberman was traveling around the country match racing for a living. Big corporate sponsors and TV revenue aside, at least you don't have to wait three hours to watch one lap of action.

NASCAR lost me when the cars raced weren't the cars you drive. Back in the day, the words "stock car" meant what it said. Who wants to watch a 500 mile race where virtually identical cars follow each other around bumper to bumper and the only excitement is a cash? To me, this is boring to the extreme. I guess it's OK if you go to a race to party? I want to see racing not chasing.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

You can catch a mud fish most anywhere a bass would be. When I was in my early twenties, I fished mostly in the Everglades canals and Okeechobee. My biggest bass at the time was 6 1/4 pounds. I wanted to catch a big bass in the worst way. To be honest, I was obsessed with it. When the 13-inch Hawg Hunter worm came out, I thought I had found the answer. Funny thing was, my first bass on that worm was about 1 3/4 pounds. Later I was riding down L67 canal when I saw something on my flasher. It was directly on the bottom in 18 feet of water. I cast the 13" worm out and worked it over the area. Immediately, I caught a 8 pound mud fish. I then caught another just like it. The third mud fish turned out to be a 8 1/2 pound bass! When I was guiding, lots of people thought if they saw a gar or mud fish in the water there weren't any bass in the area and wanted to move. I showed them they were wrong and another fishing myth was proven wrong.

This summer, go to the shallowest muddiest back water flat you can find. The hotter the water, the better. Throw a weightless worm or a spinnerbait in less than three feet of water. Hang on....

Here in Florida we call them mud fish. They are a very underrated sport fish and lots of fun to catch. They grow huge in Florida. The State record is 19 pounds. I've caught a few myself in the teens. They can live in hot shallow water where a bass can't. You catch them often in the heat of summer back in the shallows. They destroy any lure they get a hold of. Spinnerbaits don't have a chance. They eat balsa crank baits for breakfast. Back when I was a kid, used to give them to bank fishermen. I have heard there is a way to cook them to make them edible. I never tried them myself. Anything that ugly is not going in my kitchen.

This worm first came into prominence in the 1973 B.A.S.S. Florida Invitational on the St. Johns River. After a 10-2 was weighed, seven more bass weighing better than 10 pounds were weighed in on Day 2. Leading the way was Bob Tyndall of Greenfield, Missouri, with a 12-pound 13-ounce Florida giant. The 13-inch "Hawg Hunter" that Tyndall was throwing was made by J.W. Lures of Jacksonville, Florida, and featured two built-in 5/0 weedless hooks. Those that tried it, liked it. They either caught or hung the largest bass of their lives. Before that tournament, my largest bass from the Everglades was 6 1/2 pounds. When news of the St. John's Tournament was printed in Bassmaster Magazine, I bought a dozen of those worms. Within a month, I caught an 8 1/2 pound large mouth in L67 canal. Shortly thereafter, I gave one to a customer and he caught a 9 pound bass in Okeechobee on that worm. I took it back to the St. John's River and won my next tournament with a five fish limit over 30 pounds fishing the same worm. This was before flipping became mainstream. I haven't seen one in years. I can't even find a photo of one. I would love to have one for my collection. If anyone knows where I can buy one, please let me know.

Your post reminded me of an incident that happened about 40 years ago back when graphite fishing rods were just starting to come on the market. They were very expensive at the time. Being somewhat crazy, I ordered one from a local tackle shop. As I recall, it was a Fenwick and cost $350. This was a small fortune in 1980's dollars for a fishing rod. On the first trip out with my new graphite rod, my fishing buddy stepped on the rod and broke it in half. We both stood there looking at each other without saying a word. I think we were in shock. As it turned out, early graphite rods came with an unconditional warranty and they replaced it. Since then, I have snapped more than a few in the truck door. The biggest bass I ever caught broke my favorite flipping stick in half on the side of the boat. I kept the pieces just for the memory... ?

13-inch Hawg Hunter worm by J.W. Lures of Jacksonville, Florida,

I have caught more bass on Zoom Trick worms than any other soft plastic bass bait. Wacky rig, Texas rig, weightless, Carolina rig, Mojo rig, flipping, pitching and anything else you can describe. If there's anything in my boat that catches more fish, I don't know what it would be. Bang bait (dynamite) maybe? When something works that well, I don't fix it.

I have been fishing Okeechobee for over 50 years. As other have stated, Okeechobee in February can be tough. The lake is large and shallow. You will be dodging cold fronts. Wind will be an issue. Forty years ago, I destroyed a brand new bass boat in a tournament running from Taylor Creek to Moore Haven each day. The trick to finding Okeechobee bass is to find clean water. To do this you need to fish as far back in the grass as possible. If you are coming from the north part of the country, this could be much shallower than you are used to. Don't let that concern you. Okeechobee bass are used to shallow water. If the weather is bad, don't ignore the canals, rivers or the rim ditch. I have won way more tournaments in those places than in the main lake. By all means hire a guide. Make sure to tell him what you expect so you both will be on the same page. Don't let anyone tell you Okeechobee is dead or not as good as it used to me. It's a great fishery, but you have to know it's quirks.