Citrus Slam • St. Johns River, Palatka, Fla.
March 17-20, 2011
The lazy St. Johns is the longest river in Florida. Regarded by locals as the bass fishing capital of the world, it's certainly one of the first places bass were ever targeted by anglers. It also has a storied history with BASS, which has held 17 professional tournaments here. The last was the 2008 Southern Open won by Elite pro Peter Thliveros. Over three days in January, Peter T weighed in 55-3 to take the title.
He'll be back in 2011 for the Elite Series' first stop on the river. Though most of the bass on the river will have spawned, there could be some big bass still on the beds for the sight fishermen in the field. The St. Johns has been a training ground for some of the best bass anglers in the world, including Thliveros, Terry Scroggins and Shaw Grigsby and they'll all be pre-tournament favorites.