Harris Chain of Lakes

Largemouth Bass:

Throughout this quarter, we will have bass in pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawn conditions, and the timing of each will depend on weather and location. In the early parts of the new year, most bass will be in their pre-spawn stage, staging up adjacent to known spawning habitats and in or around vegetation and other cover. With plenty of submersed vegetation offshore in lakes Beauclair and Griffin, you can also try hitting the deeper weed lines with a heavier Texas-rigged worm. The key in other lakes may be finding offshore shell beds and hard bottom. As usual, in colder weather try slowing the retrieve. The first spots to warm up for the spawn will be shallower areas such as canals which are scattered throughout the entire chain of lakes. Once temperatures begin to rise look for the spawn to heat up everywhere. Bass will spawn on hard bottom areas near vegetation and could be in high densities leading to a great day of fishing. Emergent plants such as Bulrush and Pickerel Weed usually will be a good indicator of hard bottom. If you find bass on the bed, you can entice a bite with soft plastics or even running a topwater overhead. Bass will continue spawning throughout the early spring but the length and intensity will depend on how early the spawn began. The bite will slow down and patterning will be more difficult, but targeting the transitions in shoreline vegetation will always be a good option in the Harris Chain.

Black Crappie:

Black Crappie season will be in full swing this time of year on the Harris Chain. Trolling throughout open water with minnows or jigs will be the best way to find the fish, but make sure to set your lines to varying depths to find the pattern. Heavily vegetated lakes may hold fish but they will be tough to target unless they’re actively spawning. While spawning, crappie can be caught in shallow vegetated areas (pads, grass) with a jig or live bait. If you find the fish you can have a limit in no time, just pay attention to baits and colors so you know what combinations work best. Expect for lakes like Carlton, Harris and Griffin to be good lakes this year, with some large fish finding their way on to people’s hooks. Options for shoreline fishing would be the Eustis boardwalk and the pier at Hickory Point.