Harris Dodges High Wind To Win Hartwell Eliminator

Mike Harris won his Round 4 Eliminator tournament at Lake Hartwell with 14.40 pounds. His best two fish weighed 3.90 and 3.64 pounds; the 3.90-pounder currently leads the $500 Elite 8 big-fish pot.

Mike Harris of Watkinsville dodged high wind on Hartwell May 12 to win his Round 4 Skeeter Eliminator Series match-up with Daryl Adams of Senoia.

“You had to be on points that didn’t have real strong wind. The waves were so big on some that the fish couldn’t zero in very good,” said Mike.

On his fourth cast of the day, Mike picked up a 3.9-lb. largemouth on a main-lake point at daylight before the wind kicked up. He then moved to bridge rip-rap out of the wind back in a creek and threw a white spinnerbait around spawning blueback herring to fill out his limit early.

Mike Harris had a limit in the livewell by 7:45 by fishing a white spinnerbait on the corner rip rap of a bridge back in a creek and out of the wind.

Mike boated 12 bass during his seven-hour, heads-up tournament and was able to cull three fish. His best five weighed 14.4 pounds, including a 3.9-lb. bass caught on a herring-colored Gunfish 115. The largemouth takes over the Elite 8 big-bass lead, a position held since April 9 when David Lowery weighed in a 3.15-lb. Russell spot.

The biggest bass caught in Rounds 4-6 of the Eliminator is worth $500.

Daryl Adams had a pair of limits during his two days of practice for the Eliminator, but he was unable to produce on game day. His one keeper, a nice 2.2-lb. largemouth, was caught in 2 feet of water under a dock. Daryl’s focus was on docks in pockets, and he mainly fished a Senko and a shaky head.

Mike moves on to a June match-up on Lake Lanier with David Lowery. At a time when the spotted-bass fishing could be dynamite, it’ll likely take a big sack to advance to the championship.

Mike just finished ninth as a co-angler in the BASS Elite Series event at Clarks Hill, and David has fished his way through enough clear-water lakes to qualify for two All Americans.

“I’m looking foward to Lanier; it’s going to be a topwater shoot-out. I think it’ll take those big spotted bass to fill out a good limit,” said Mike.

The winner of the Harris vs. Lowery tournament qualifies for the Skeeter Eliminator Series Championship on Oconee in November and will face either Aaron Batson or Shawn Malcom.

Daryl Adams fishes a topwater bait around docks in the first hour of his Eliminator tournament against Mike Harris.

Daryl Adams had one keeper in his Round 4 Hartwell tournament against Mike Harris. This bass hit a Senko in 2 feet of water under a dock.