TW_Staff
11-14-2008, 12:36 PM
Randall Tharp of Gardendale, Ala. is by far the hottest stick this year in the Strens and Bassmaster Opens. He won the Eufaula Southeastern Stren this spring, then the Santee Cooper Bassmaster Southern Open a short while later.
"I caught all of them on the frog in a slough," he noted. "It wasn't the area that I thought had the biggest fish – it was an area where I was sure I could catch a limit. The fish were actually bigger than I thought they were going to be."
Because the big-fish bite was on, he wasn't ready to quit fishing, so he headed out to Pine Island in a quest to upgrade. "On the third flip I caught one that was probably 6 1/2," he said. "And I was really surprised there was only one other boat there."
"I caught all of them on the frog," he noted. "It wasn't the area that I thought had the biggest fish – it was an area where I was sure I could catch a limit. The fish were actually bigger than I thought they were going to be."
"The mat just had the right kind of top," he added. "And it was completely hollow underneath. The water was really clear, and those big fish at Guntersville really like that. It was a bluegill bite, and that's what I key on most of the year. That's what I was trying to imitate with the frog and flipping. It's an amazing thing to see. In practice, I watched a big school of 5- and 6-pounders annihilating bluegills in the slough."
About Pine Island, he noted: "It's a huge area of grass. There are just two or three little patches of hydrilla left – it all dies off – so the fish get concentrated in those places."
Winning Gear Notes:
Frog gear: 7'6" heavy-action G. Loomis IMX flipping stick (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GLFSCR), Shimano Calcutta 200 (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SHCB) casting reel, 65-pound Power Pro braid (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PPSL), Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog65 (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SPBF), (midnight walker).
He cut about an inch off the frog's legs, and in the thicker mats, he added a few brass balls to the body so it would press more into the mat. About using a frog to imitate a bluegill, he said: "Those bluegill are right up there feeding under the mat. A bunch of times, I've seen bluegill jump out and lay on top of the mat, flipping around. And I've never seen a frog crossing a mat, ever. I'm just assuming that's what they think it is."
Flipping gear: G. Loomis IMX flipping stick (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GLFSCR), Shimano Core (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SCOCR) casting reel, same line, 1-ounce Penetrator Weight (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PTW) (pegged), 4/0 Owner wide-gap hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=O5139), Zoom Super Hog (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ZSH) (watermelon candy).
TW Staff
"I caught all of them on the frog in a slough," he noted. "It wasn't the area that I thought had the biggest fish – it was an area where I was sure I could catch a limit. The fish were actually bigger than I thought they were going to be."
Because the big-fish bite was on, he wasn't ready to quit fishing, so he headed out to Pine Island in a quest to upgrade. "On the third flip I caught one that was probably 6 1/2," he said. "And I was really surprised there was only one other boat there."
"I caught all of them on the frog," he noted. "It wasn't the area that I thought had the biggest fish – it was an area where I was sure I could catch a limit. The fish were actually bigger than I thought they were going to be."
"The mat just had the right kind of top," he added. "And it was completely hollow underneath. The water was really clear, and those big fish at Guntersville really like that. It was a bluegill bite, and that's what I key on most of the year. That's what I was trying to imitate with the frog and flipping. It's an amazing thing to see. In practice, I watched a big school of 5- and 6-pounders annihilating bluegills in the slough."
About Pine Island, he noted: "It's a huge area of grass. There are just two or three little patches of hydrilla left – it all dies off – so the fish get concentrated in those places."
Winning Gear Notes:
Frog gear: 7'6" heavy-action G. Loomis IMX flipping stick (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GLFSCR), Shimano Calcutta 200 (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SHCB) casting reel, 65-pound Power Pro braid (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PPSL), Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog65 (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SPBF), (midnight walker).
He cut about an inch off the frog's legs, and in the thicker mats, he added a few brass balls to the body so it would press more into the mat. About using a frog to imitate a bluegill, he said: "Those bluegill are right up there feeding under the mat. A bunch of times, I've seen bluegill jump out and lay on top of the mat, flipping around. And I've never seen a frog crossing a mat, ever. I'm just assuming that's what they think it is."
Flipping gear: G. Loomis IMX flipping stick (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GLFSCR), Shimano Core (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SCOCR) casting reel, same line, 1-ounce Penetrator Weight (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PTW) (pegged), 4/0 Owner wide-gap hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=O5139), Zoom Super Hog (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ZSH) (watermelon candy).
TW Staff