Fishing remains hot all throughout the Harris Chain of Lakes. The bass and crappie spawn is over and the post-spawn bass are feeding heavily. Bass have already started the move to the outer edges of the Kissimmee grass and to the near shore eel grass beds around deeper water close to the shell beds and spawning panfish. Faster moving baits work great try something like spinner baits and chatter baits with the most popular colors being white/ chartreuse. Swim jigs are also starting to heat up especially in Lake Dora and in Big Lake Harris and are catching big bass. These baits are a great imitation of the bluegill and bream that have now started their annual spawn.
Blue gills and shell crackers are in full force in the Harris chain of lakes. They are bedding up in the pads and grassy areas and anywhere that has a sandy bottom. They are biting on grass shrimp, crickets and red worms with grass shrimp being the bait of choice. When scouting the shorelines looking for these areas you can actually smell them. If you get to an area that smells really fishy stop and give it a try, you are probably sitting right on top of a bedding area. Some folks are still catching crappie in about 7 to 10 ft of water trolling with beetle spins and jigs tipped with minnows in bright colors, Lake Dora and Beauclaire have been producing the most fish and best sizes. Remember that these panfish are great for taking kids fishing, once in an area where they are bedding you will gets lots of bites and fun without having to move very much, so get out there and take a kid fishing with you. Also, don’t forget that Lakeside Bait and Tackle is located on Lake Eustis. You can come by car, or boat. We have a dock and a drive thru.
