Bassmaster Elite Sunshine Showdown Day 3: Seeing is Believing or Is It?

Sunshine Showdown
Harris Chain, Tavares, FL, March 10-13, 2011

By Luigi De Rose

Shaw hopes Sunday has no more dinks.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Spring time in Florida can anglers envisioning dreams of sighfishing for behemoth bedding bass. This dream is a reality this week on the Bassmaster Tour stop in Florida's Harris Chain of Lakes. Sight fishing, meaning fisherman are casting to bedding or cruising bass in shallow water, is a  fragile styles of fishing especially in crowds. If  you want to latch onto a lunker, then this pattern can be the way to go - sometimes. The last two tournaments in Florida, FLW's event at Lake Ockeecheobee and here at Harris has been a sight fishing battle. Again, the top anglers are crammed into a few honey holes and hoping to out duel each other along with the finchy fish.

How Big is Big?
Grant Goldbeck was hovering over the largest bass he is ever seen in his life on Day 3 of the Bassmaster Elite Sunshine Showdown. "I've never seen a fish that big in my life. Its on a bed there. (beside his boat) I feel that it is 13 or 14 pounds and there is a 6 pounder with it." explains Grant to Bassmaster.com while on the water.
Shaw Grigsby, who caught the tournament's largest 5 fish sack of bass on Day 2 weighting 29-08, is also under the lunker spell. Catching a super sized 10 pounder yesterday, he has been seeing even larger monsters in the little pond he and other top 5 anglers are sharing. "I left two giants and when I say giants, they were bigger than my 10 pounder (weighted in on Day 2) and they're worth a whole stringer." illuminates Grigsby on how large the fish are his magic fishing area.  He says, 

Shaw hunting for another lunker.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)


"It is all timing sometimes you are zigging when you need to zag." 

Harris Chain vs. Okeechobee
Harris Chain is a maze of canals, residential ponds, bays, and protected pockets along with the six main lakes: Lake Harris, Little Lake Harris, Lake Griffen, Lake Dora, Lake Eustis and Lake Yale. Each has their own uniqueness. Each have great fishing. The key factor here is that the fish really cannot leave like they can on Okeecheobee. On Day 2, a harsh, windy cold front blew in. Anglers were anticipating the worse yet many bass move into position to spawn. These bass live in within these micro areas and they have to contend with their own habitat. It is easy to consider the entire chain of lakes as a whole but each canal, pond and weedy cut has it's own micro environment that will dictate how the fish react to the weather and lures.
The main problem is that these area are small. A threshold of fish can live within each area and when they are fished out or spooked the game is over. Shaw, declared that he is trying to hold onto the lead. Surprised about the amount of fish that have been brought to scales from his area, he nervously laughs at the possible dilemma that his hot spot is burned out. 
Only time can tell.

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