TW_Staff
02-09-2011, 10:38 AM
The record-setting Okeechobee FLW Tour Open delivered scale-busting weights and plenty of drama, but in the end, flipping won out over bed-fishing. In fact, flipping took the No. 1 and 2 spots in the event.
Randall Tharp:
Randall Tharp and McMillan ran identical patterns and shared water all 4 days. Tharp watched McMillan hit a hot stretch the final day that won the tournament. Otherwise, it might have been Tharp.
"I just flipped a big weight in matted vegetation," Tharp said. "There weren't a whole lot of mats in the lake. The stuff we had, there was a huge eel-grass flat where they were bedding, and the boats in there chopped up the grass and it blew over. It wasn't that easy to get a bite, but in a day's time if you got five bites doing it, you'd have good weight. Nobody else except Brandon and I figured that out.
"I felt the big fish were wanting to get up on that spawning flat, but they're real spooky and real smart and wanted something over their head," he added.
Flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action Falcon flipping stick (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=FCC), Shimano Core (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SCOCR) casting reel (flipping version), 70-pound Daiwa Samurai braid (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=DSB), 4/0 Paycheck hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PBPH), 1 1/4- and 1 1/2-ounce Tru-Tungsten weights (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=TTFW), Attraxx Mystic Bug (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AMYB) (black/blue).
Main factor: "Just a lot of hard work and an understanding of the lake."
Performance edge: "I'd have to say my EverStart batteries. I'm real hard on my equipment and I kept the trolling motor on high most of the time. My batteries worked flawlessly for 4 days. Other guys were talking about how their batteries wore down every day."
Chad Prough:
Chad Prough fished a well-trafficked spawning area along the north end that produced several other Top 10s in the event. He led the first 3 days, but the weekend fishing pressure, an unfriendly northeast wind and clouds, plus a maturing spawn hurt the bite on day 4.
"I mostly targeted bedding fish," Prough said. "I was on the north shore where Peter T. and (Terry) Scroggins fished, and (Fred) Roumbanis and I shared water. I didn't necessarily do all sight-fishing – I was just fishing the bedding flat.
"It had a good, hard bottom with lots of grass and a little bit thicker grass. The bigger fish were bedding in holes in the thicker grass."
Flipping gear: 7'1" 4-power G. Loomis GLX (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GLJWC) rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRSTX) casting reel, 25-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SIF), 5/0 Owner hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=OSHWG) (straight-shank, extra-heavy), 1/4- and 3/8-ounce weights, Bruiser Baits Intruder (watermelon-seed, white) and Bruiser Baits creature (watermelon-seed).
Main factor: "Probably being quiet and moving slowly through the beds. The more you mashed on that trolling motor, the fewer bites you were going to get."
Performance edge: "I'd have to say it was my G. Loomis rod and Revo reel, along with the line and hook. That's the only combo I ever use and that's what hauled in the fish for me."
Terry Scroggins:
Although Scroggins caught a lot of sight-fish – including a 12-pound monster on day 4 – he also threw topwater.
"I was sight-fishing and throwing a Smithwick Devil's Horse (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SMWDH) propbait," he said. "I was throwing the Devil's Horse when trying to find sight-fish and caught about half of everything on that. Then when I was bed-fishing I was using a Yum Money Craw (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YMC).
"The whole lake's basically a spawning bay," he added. "You can catch fish around the whole thing – it all looks great. I just found an area that had a lot of clean water and a lot of beds. It was just where they were at. I've finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th here and every time I come down, I catch them in a different area. My main deal is to find cleaner water and go with that."
Topwater gear: 6'6" medium-action Duckett Fishing Micro Magic (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=DMCA) rod, Lew's Speed Spool (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=TLSS) casting reel, 15-pound Hi-Seas mono line, Smithwick Devil's Horse (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SMWDH) (wood, black-back/chrome-side/orange-belly).
Bed-fishing gear: 7' extra-heavy Duckett Fishing Micro Magic (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=DMCA) rod, same reel, 20-pound Hi-Seas fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=HSFC), 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GOSWG) hook, 1/4-ounce Xcalibur tungsten (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=XTBW) weight, Yum Money craw (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SMWDH) (nest robber).
Main factor: "Just being persistent in the area. I knew new fish were coming in every day. I was also staying back where they (the fish) can't see you as well."
Performance edge: "This week it was the Power-Pole (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PPPS) because I could sit there in all the wind we had to deal with."
Jacob Powroznik:
Powroznik's fished beds, but also tossed a swimbait while he looked for spawners.
"The first few days of the tournament, I fished the thickest reeds I could find," Powroznik noted. "Just one little hole and there'd be two or three of those big ones spawning there. I did that because I didn't see any (boat) trails going into the really thick reeds. Those were virgin fish that hadn't seen a bait. Half the fish I caught were on the first flip, so I know they were virgin fish. The last 2 days I fished hydrilla."
Spawning gear: 7'6" heavy-action Abu Garcia Verdict (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGVDC) rod, Abu Garcia Revo Premier (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRPR) casting reel (7:1), 20-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), 4/0 Owner hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=OSHWG), 5/16-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=TTCBW), Attraxx Jacobug (watermelon/red and misty white).
Swimbait gear: Same rod, same reel, 65-pound Spiderwire Stealth Camo (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SWSC)braid, 7/0 Mihatchii hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YPS), Attraxx prototype swimbait (One'Up-style).
Main factor: "It was probably just that I sight-fished the whole time and that new Attraxx Jacobug was on fire. They'd eat it on the first flip. They were just biting."
Performance edge: "It would probably have to be the Jacobug. I don't know what it is, but it has an action they obviously didn't like. A lot of the pros were talking about how they'd take 20 or 30 minutes to catch a fish. Ninety-five percent of the time it didn't take me more than 10 casts."
TW Staff
Randall Tharp:
Randall Tharp and McMillan ran identical patterns and shared water all 4 days. Tharp watched McMillan hit a hot stretch the final day that won the tournament. Otherwise, it might have been Tharp.
"I just flipped a big weight in matted vegetation," Tharp said. "There weren't a whole lot of mats in the lake. The stuff we had, there was a huge eel-grass flat where they were bedding, and the boats in there chopped up the grass and it blew over. It wasn't that easy to get a bite, but in a day's time if you got five bites doing it, you'd have good weight. Nobody else except Brandon and I figured that out.
"I felt the big fish were wanting to get up on that spawning flat, but they're real spooky and real smart and wanted something over their head," he added.
Flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action Falcon flipping stick (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=FCC), Shimano Core (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SCOCR) casting reel (flipping version), 70-pound Daiwa Samurai braid (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=DSB), 4/0 Paycheck hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PBPH), 1 1/4- and 1 1/2-ounce Tru-Tungsten weights (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=TTFW), Attraxx Mystic Bug (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AMYB) (black/blue).
Main factor: "Just a lot of hard work and an understanding of the lake."
Performance edge: "I'd have to say my EverStart batteries. I'm real hard on my equipment and I kept the trolling motor on high most of the time. My batteries worked flawlessly for 4 days. Other guys were talking about how their batteries wore down every day."
Chad Prough:
Chad Prough fished a well-trafficked spawning area along the north end that produced several other Top 10s in the event. He led the first 3 days, but the weekend fishing pressure, an unfriendly northeast wind and clouds, plus a maturing spawn hurt the bite on day 4.
"I mostly targeted bedding fish," Prough said. "I was on the north shore where Peter T. and (Terry) Scroggins fished, and (Fred) Roumbanis and I shared water. I didn't necessarily do all sight-fishing – I was just fishing the bedding flat.
"It had a good, hard bottom with lots of grass and a little bit thicker grass. The bigger fish were bedding in holes in the thicker grass."
Flipping gear: 7'1" 4-power G. Loomis GLX (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GLJWC) rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRSTX) casting reel, 25-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SIF), 5/0 Owner hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=OSHWG) (straight-shank, extra-heavy), 1/4- and 3/8-ounce weights, Bruiser Baits Intruder (watermelon-seed, white) and Bruiser Baits creature (watermelon-seed).
Main factor: "Probably being quiet and moving slowly through the beds. The more you mashed on that trolling motor, the fewer bites you were going to get."
Performance edge: "I'd have to say it was my G. Loomis rod and Revo reel, along with the line and hook. That's the only combo I ever use and that's what hauled in the fish for me."
Terry Scroggins:
Although Scroggins caught a lot of sight-fish – including a 12-pound monster on day 4 – he also threw topwater.
"I was sight-fishing and throwing a Smithwick Devil's Horse (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SMWDH) propbait," he said. "I was throwing the Devil's Horse when trying to find sight-fish and caught about half of everything on that. Then when I was bed-fishing I was using a Yum Money Craw (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YMC).
"The whole lake's basically a spawning bay," he added. "You can catch fish around the whole thing – it all looks great. I just found an area that had a lot of clean water and a lot of beds. It was just where they were at. I've finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th here and every time I come down, I catch them in a different area. My main deal is to find cleaner water and go with that."
Topwater gear: 6'6" medium-action Duckett Fishing Micro Magic (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=DMCA) rod, Lew's Speed Spool (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=TLSS) casting reel, 15-pound Hi-Seas mono line, Smithwick Devil's Horse (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SMWDH) (wood, black-back/chrome-side/orange-belly).
Bed-fishing gear: 7' extra-heavy Duckett Fishing Micro Magic (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=DMCA) rod, same reel, 20-pound Hi-Seas fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=HSFC), 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GOSWG) hook, 1/4-ounce Xcalibur tungsten (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=XTBW) weight, Yum Money craw (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SMWDH) (nest robber).
Main factor: "Just being persistent in the area. I knew new fish were coming in every day. I was also staying back where they (the fish) can't see you as well."
Performance edge: "This week it was the Power-Pole (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PPPS) because I could sit there in all the wind we had to deal with."
Jacob Powroznik:
Powroznik's fished beds, but also tossed a swimbait while he looked for spawners.
"The first few days of the tournament, I fished the thickest reeds I could find," Powroznik noted. "Just one little hole and there'd be two or three of those big ones spawning there. I did that because I didn't see any (boat) trails going into the really thick reeds. Those were virgin fish that hadn't seen a bait. Half the fish I caught were on the first flip, so I know they were virgin fish. The last 2 days I fished hydrilla."
Spawning gear: 7'6" heavy-action Abu Garcia Verdict (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGVDC) rod, Abu Garcia Revo Premier (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRPR) casting reel (7:1), 20-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), 4/0 Owner hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=OSHWG), 5/16-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=TTCBW), Attraxx Jacobug (watermelon/red and misty white).
Swimbait gear: Same rod, same reel, 65-pound Spiderwire Stealth Camo (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SWSC)braid, 7/0 Mihatchii hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YPS), Attraxx prototype swimbait (One'Up-style).
Main factor: "It was probably just that I sight-fished the whole time and that new Attraxx Jacobug was on fire. They'd eat it on the first flip. They were just biting."
Performance edge: "It would probably have to be the Jacobug. I don't know what it is, but it has an action they obviously didn't like. A lot of the pros were talking about how they'd take 20 or 30 minutes to catch a fish. Ninety-five percent of the time it didn't take me more than 10 casts."
TW Staff