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Gallery: Logan Parks takes on final day of practice at Harris Chain

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Photography by
Christopher Decker
Captions by
Christopher Decker
Wednesday marked the final day of practice for the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at the Harris Chain of Lakes. Elite Qualifier pro Logan Parks put his boat in the water just before daybreak to search for the big bass the central Florida fishery is known for.
The Auburn, Ala. native enters this tournament in seventh place in the EQ points standings. While inside the cut for an Elite Series berth, he is far from safe. Only 32 points separate Parks and 11th place Wesley Gore.
“Last year, I was 17 points inside the cut going into the last event and missed qualifying. This year, I’m in very similar shoes. It is worse this year because there are so many guys on the bubble. It is Florida, so there is a lot of shaking up that is going to happen. It isn’t often you can say you are in this position. It is a great opportunity and I hope I can capitalize on it this year,” Parks said.
The morning begins offshore, where Parks is looking for shellbeds, grass, brush or hard spots that may hold bass. He visited the Harris Chain several times throughout his college career at Auburn University and has never seen the lakes quite like they are this week.
“It has been interesting for sure,” Parks said. “I have never seen the Harris Chain this dirty before and I don’t know if that is hindering the fishing. It has been pretty brutal really. I have fished every lake except Apopka.”
Cloudy skies prevailed on Wednesday, a sign of things to come most likely. The forecast indicates that a strong tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico will bring showers and storms into the area overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. Severe storms are expected in the overnight hours and winds are expected to be very gusty for the start of the event. Unsettled conditions are forecasted to continue into the weekend.
Time for the first move of the morning.
While temperatures aren’t scorching hot, its important to always stay hydrated when out on the water.
In need of a fresh plastic, Parks opened his locker and pulled out a Berkley MaxScent The General.
Almost instantly, Parks gets a bite and attempts to shake it off. The bass, however, had other plans. With little choice, Parks began to bring the largemouth to the boat.
While not one he wanted to catch on this particular day, the 3-pounder gives Parks confidence that he is on the right track despite the dirty water conditions.
A solid keeper like this will go a long way in this tournament.
Parks makes sure he won’t accidently hook another bass on this rig by replacing his hook with a screwlock. This will help Parks detect bites without the risk of hooking them.
With just a couple hours left in practice, the Mercury outboard will be an essential tool for Parks on this day.
Parks keeps a close eye on his depth finders, looking for key pieces of cover that may hold a bass.
Midway through the morning, Parks decides it is time to adjust his tackle slightly. With changing weather conditions impacting an already tough fishery, finding the best bait for the situation has been more difficult than usual.
His adjustment generates a bite, albeit a small one.
His next bite, however, is another quality bass.
This, so far, is the best day of practice Parks has had this week and he is starting to put together the pieces of the puzzle. While missing the Elite cut last year stung, he feels he has become a much better angler throughout the course of the 2023 season.
After a quick check of his scales, Parks releases the largemouth and immediately exits the area to look for more targets. Confidence is building inside the Nitro boat.
“I have never been in love with this place in general, but normally it isn’t that hard to catch a keeper,” Parks said. “In my position, I think if I can catch 12 to 13 pounds a day, I will probably make the Elites and cash a check.”
Bouncing from spot to spot, Parks shook off several bass before deciding to set the hook on this nonkeeper. While the size has varied, Parks has gotten plenty of bites on this final morning.
With time running out in his day, Parks takes one last look at his graph before heading to the dock. The wind picked up considerably around noon, creating choppy conditions that will only increase if the forecast is correct.
As he waits for a spot at the dock, he checks in with his housemates to see how their last practice day of the season unfolded.
Several other competitors launched from this dock on Wednesday morning. They will all exit the water and head to registration. With more questions than answers, the anglers will begin competition at 7:15 a.m. ET .
The 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at the Harris Chain of Lakes is hours away from takeoff. Follow along on Bassmaster.com!

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