TOp baits: Harris Chain
The South Region season opener on the Harris Chain kicked off with tough, changing conditions that demanded precision and quick adjustments from the entire field. Below are the top baits that powered the anglers to their top finishes.
1st Place - Eric Samuels (91.25”)
Eric caught all his fish on a Speedworm, rotating between Junebug and Junebug Red. He relied on a 13 Fishing Muse medium-heavy paired with a Shimano SLX spooled with 16 lb fluorocarbon, giving him the power to drive hooks home and pull fish out of the grass when needed. He started the morning swimming the worm across a grass flat to put together an early limit, then shifted to targeting the outside edges of grass mats along a channel, which produced his better-quality fish as the day progressed.
2nd Place - Brian Nelli (89.25”)
Nelli focused on ripping a dark-colored bladed jig through the edges and openings of matted hydrilla in 5–6 feet of stained water to trigger reaction bites. The area also featured a stretch of cleaner water, allowing him to slow-roll a larger swimbait over the tops of the same grasslines for additional quality bites. His Hobie Eyewear sunglasses helped him pinpoint casting targets by clearly identifying the holes and lanes in the vegetation where fish were positioned.
3rd Place - Mauricio Marciales (89.00”)
Mauricio’s day started slow at Lake Emerald, where the overnight temperature drop shut down the pattern he had planned. Recognizing the shift, he made the key decision to relocate to Lake Griffin and target fish holding in the middle of the lake. There, he worked a 3/8 oz spinnerbait on his Scenko Stick, which he states is “the best rod on the market”, crawling it slowly through isolated patches of hydrilla. Each time the bait broke free from the stems, the fish reacted. After landing the first one, he knew the pattern was coming together and that it was only a matter of time before he filled his limit and built a solid bag.
Seth Taylor
Written by:
11/01/2025