Evers won an Elite Series tourney out of Palatka in 2011. Hot off his Classic win, he returns now with momentum, in general, and past knowledge of the river working in his favor.

Launching from Palatka City Docks the pros will fan out along a vast stretch of mile-wide tidal river which connects numerous lakes and features enormous eelgrass flats. Countless docks and laydown logs dot the banks. Shell bars squat, unseen, along channel markers and offshore ledges. But it is the grass that will likely hold the winning fish.

 

Chris Lane won the most recent Elite Series tourney, held here in 2014, by flipping pads south of Astor.

This week the eel grass should predominate as the favorite form of cover for top tournament finishers. Multitudes of big bass spawn in the grass flats of Lake George. They use the same cover farther north on the river as weather warms. Normally, this time of year residential canals are the best bet for those heading down river (which is north on the ‘backwards-flowing’ St Johns) but temperatures have risen so suddenly over the past week that main river grass flats may be in play, especially for those who would rather key on pre-spawn bass by blind casting instead trying to sight fish.

Anglers can head as far north as time will allow and expect to catch solid sacks of fish. This may alleviate crowding in historically popular places such as the west side of George. Were the weather still cold, we’d see many more pros packed into those areas well south of Palatka.

The canals all along the river are excellent places to find bedding bass. Shad too should be spawning in the backs of these cuts and a white/chartreuse Chatterbait is a great tool before the sun rises high enough to shut off that particular bite. When that bites does die it is time to scan for beds.

When Evers won here a few years ago the ‘nail in the coffin’ for his competitors came as he located a giant in very shallow water hidden behind a stand of reeds on Crescent Lake. Hot off his Classic win Evers should be fishing relaxed and making decisions with confidence this week.

While Lane flipped for the win during the last visit, he was also catching bedding bass in the process. He just wasn’t looking right at them because they were spawning on roots of lily pads beneath a tangle of gator vines – a major reason his fish hung around even after the area had been sprayed by authorities seeking to kill the vegetation back. Brandon Palaniuk found the same fish but bailed after seeing the spray boat. Lane then had the winning fish all to himself which is a rare occurrence in Florida but seemingly a necessity on the big river.

It will be interesting to see how things play out this time. Who will find the best overlooked spot?

For certain, the eventual winner this week will be focusing on bass that are in some stage of the spawning process. If he elects to run north, he will also have to take tidal fluctuations into account. An extra foot or two of water can hide beds that were visible at low tide. Conversely, when the water drops out aggressive fish get spooky, even downright unapproachable at times.

On the other hand, by running south anglers can minimize the effects of the twice-daily ebb and flow. Add to that the fact that Lake George will give up the greatest number of kicker fish across the entire tournament field and it is easy to understand why crowds form on the picturesque lake. Three pound buck bass have been known to attack a push pole as it touches down in their nest. While watching pros from a distance of well over 100 yards, I’ve seen numerous 6-to-10-pound females pull up on sandy spots near our own boat. At times big fish seem to be everywhere.

George will be a popular place, as will Lakes Woodruff and Crescent. All have produced wins here. The dark horse location is the north end of the river.

The dark horse technique would be winding a spinnerbait, Chatterbait or Rat-L-Trap along eel grass edges.

If playing Fantasy Fishing, go with guys who have a track record here. For all the variables involved, the big river is remarkably consistent over the years. Specific spots that produced decades ago still do so at the same time of year even now. This means that guys who’ve been before can sometimes actually do well by ‘fishing on history’ – commonly thought to be a big no-no by tournament pros. After all, how else do you pare down a 310-mile-long river that flows backward?

 

Stay Tuned for more coverage each day from the Elite Series Opener on the St. Johns River, Here at AnglersChannel.com