Randall Tharp has said it before in interviews: If he could only win one big tournament, he’d want it to be at Florida’s Lake Okeechobee.
He can cross that off his list now.
Tharp started out with a lead of just two ounces after the first day, but by the time all was said and done on Sunday, the Gardendale pro angler had blown that margin up to 23 pounds, as he ran away from the field in the Walmart FLW Tour season opening tournament.
Tharp finished with four limits over four days, one of only four contestants to do so. His bags totaled 1013/4 pounds, well clear of runner-up John Cox and his 78 lbs. 3 oz.
It was the second time in his career that Tharp had caught more than 100 pounds on Okeechobee — he did it last year, but finished second.
He attributed his big catch on the final day — a limit of just over 23 pounds, while many in the top 10 caught just one or two small fish — to fortunate timing.
“I won the tournament fishing in matted vegetation, but you can fish the best mat on the lake and be there at the wrong time, and you wouldn’t get a bite,” Tharp said. “It’s all about timing, and I think that’s the reason I was able to separate myself from everybody else.”
Tharp spent his days on the water “punching holes” — casting into plants such as water hyacinths, hydrilla and lily pads the are all over the tropical lake system. He wasn’t using any fancy lures or rigs, just a Bitter Best Value soft plastic lure, available in packs of 10 for five dollars. He coupled that with a 11/2- or 2-ounce tungsten weight and heavy braided line, and flipping through the mats to where the lunkers were hiding.
It’s no wonder that Okeechobee is one of Tharp’s favorite fishing spots — almost his second home, professionally speaking. He’s had seven straight top-10 finishes there, at all levels with FLW or the Bassmaster tours.
“It’s the way I like to fish. There’s a lot of ways you can fish here, almost all of them shallow where you can use a big line and big rods. All of that is stuff I’m really good at,” he said.
“I wanted a win at Okeechobee on my résumé. It’s the bass capital of the world. As I kid, I remember it being called the biggest, baddest lake there is, and it’s still that way.”
The victory is worth $125,000 to Tharp. He had pushed his career FLW Outdoors winnings over the half-million mark in January with a second-place finish in an FLW Everstart Series event, also at Okeechobee, missing out on the trophy by a scant two ounces.
“That gives me a little bit longer to fish, in case I don’t catch one again,” Tharp joked.
The likelihood of that happening are pretty remote, considering the hot streak Tharp is on. Since he gave up being a contractor and went on the tour full time, he’s put together a string of top placements, including a runner-up spot in last year’s Forrest Wood Cup, the richest fishing tournament of them all.
“Every season I’ve gained more knowledge, and I’m constantly trying to get better,” Tharp said. “Nobody’s going to win every tournament, but I’m going to work hard and continue to get better.”
Tharp heads to Lake Hartwell, Ga. this weekend to practice for an FLW Tour event there in March.
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Related Photos
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Randall Tharp holds up his two best fish from Sunday’s catch at the final-day weigh-in for the Walmart FLW Tour event on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. Tharp won the tournament going away; it’s his first ever top-tier tournament win. Shaye Baker-FLW Outdoors
Discussion
Bass fishing: Tharp takes Okeechobee
Gardendale pro gets first FLW Tour major win
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