LEESBURG, Fla. — The start of a new year means it’s time for a new season in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Gator Division. The season will get underway Jan. 11 on the Harris Chain of Lakes.

New for 2025, the BFLs will feature an expanded slate of Regional events, which will give anglers more chances to qualify for the All-American and further minimize travel costs. This expansion ensures that grassroots anglers can fish closer to home on lakes they know and love for a chance to win a $50,000 Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard as a boater and a new $20,000 cash award as a co-angler, plus qualification into the BFL All-American.

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What to expect

Eric Panzironi is forecasting a prespawn slugfest on the Harris Chain. Photo by Rob Newell

With 10 lakes and the canals that connect them all in play, the Harris Chain offers seemingly endless habitat for big Florida bass to dwell. This time of year, the primary question anglers will have to answer is whether they can expect to find fish on spawning beds.

Florida native Eric Panzironi, who has a win and five other Top-10 finishes on the Harris Chain to his credit, is expecting the season-opener to be a predominately prespawn affair. Panzironi said the bass seem to be getting close to spawning, and there could be a few on beds already. But with a cold front in the forecast prior to the start of the event, he thinks prespawners will represent most of the fish weighed in.

“I know there’s a couple groups of fish out there that have been staging up,” Panzironi said. “They’re in the mood to spawn; they just haven’t quite made it up there. So, if you can find one of those groups of offshore fish, you’ll have a good shot at it.”

If you’re familiar with Florida, where to find those staging fish won’t come as a shock — Panzironi expects shell beds and submerged grass lines to be major players. Nor will the techniques used to catch them. Panzironi predicted bladed jigs and lipless crankbaits will be popular, with anglers perhaps turning to Carolina rigs or big, Texas-rigged worms to clean up a spot.

The toughest task will likely be finding the small sweet spots that can hold sizable schools. Panzironi believes every lake in the chain has the potential to produce the winning bag, although he thinks it’s most likely to come from Lake Beauclair, Dora or Griffin, as they’ve been the most consistent lately.

“You’re probably going to have to put your time in and do a lot of scanning to find those groups of fish,” he said.

As for weight, Panzironi expects to see the top finisher sack up at least 25 pounds with the potential for more, which should make for an exciting way to start the season.