Boating & Fishing Insider

Anglers probe typical aquatic vegetation beneath towering Cypress on the Harris Chain. Credit: James Overstreet

Everybody loves a winner and a comeback story.

Congratulations to professional bass tournament angler, Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., who dominated the kick-off event of the 2012 Bass Pro Shops Southern Open series, held on the Harris Chain of Lakes earlier this week. Lane caught 20 or more pounds of bass in a five-fish daily tournament limit with a three-day total of 72 pounds, 11 ounces. The fish averaged more than four pounds each. That's a huge total anywhere.

Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., finished second with 58 pounds, 1 ounce. It was Lane's third B.A.S.S. win. Click here for the full story.

If you aren't familiar with professional bass fishing, B.A.S.S. is the major league tour. They work hard to plan high-dollar tournaments on the nation's most productive lakes. Decades ago, the Harris Chain was one of the tour's favorite stops, but pollution and over-fishing virtually killed the lake and its fisheries. Intensive restoration and management efforts proved wise investments that succeeded in reviving a stellar bass fishery, which prompted the tour to return. It's one of the biggest and most important comeback stories in bass fishing.

Trip Weldon, B.A.S.S. Tournament Director, had this to say about his long experience with the Harris Chain:

"I was with B.A.S.S. in 1992 when 14 pounds won a three-day Bassmaster tournament on the Harris Chain. That was an all-time low winning weight in our history. But since that time the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has instituted stringent daily limits that seem to have had a very positive impact on the fisheries B.A.S.S. has visited, including the Harris Chain of Lakes. We have had some great events on the Harris Chain the past several years and look forward to returning soon."

If you're itching for big bass, the fishing will only get better as spring weather sets in. The Harris Chain is a short ride from the Orlando or Jacksonville airports. A number of smaller airports are located in the surrounding area. Accommodations can be found lakeside in towns including Mount Dora and Leesburg.