Randall Tharp Wins 2016 Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork!

Tharp thumps ‘em

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

The tournament format was complicated.

It was one event on two lakes over the course of four days.

But through all of the shifting and changing, Florida pro Randall Tharp decided to keep things simple — and that stay-the-course approach ultimately led to a victory in the Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork event.

Tharp used a 4x4 Jig — the Randall Tharp Signature series that he designed for the company — in the golden craw color pattern with a green pumpkin Zoom Big Salty Chunk to catch his fish all four days.

Nothing like your first Elite win. (Photo: BASS)

His final total of 61 pounds, 10 ounces was more than 2 pounds better than that of second-place finisher Skeet Reese (59-8).

Chris Zaldain (58-12), Matt Herren (58-10) and Bill Lowen (58- 5) made up the rest of the top five.

2016 Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork Day 3: Tharp Leads Going into Final Day!

Top 12 head to Norfork for Final Day.
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE
Randall Tharp suffered through one of the toughest seasons of his professional career in 2015, but it seems to have given him some extra motivation for this year's campaign.

Tharp opened the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series season with back-to-back Top 20 finishes — and now, he has caught enough fish at this week's Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork to move himself into position to claim his first Elite Series win.

Big rods and jigs jumps Tharp to lead. (Photo: BASS)

He brought in five bass Saturday from Bull Shoals Lake that weighed 16 pounds, 4 ounces and moved from fifth place to the top of the standings with a three-day total of 45-8. The tournament, which began Thursday on Norfork Lake and moved to Bull Shoals Friday and Saturday, will shift back to Norfork for Sunday's championship round with Tharp leading the remaining Top 12 anglers.

"I started in the same place today where I lost a big one (Friday), and I never had a bite," said Tharp, who has three Bassmaster Open victories but none on the Elite Series. "Where I pulled my trolling motor up (Friday), I just decided to keep on going. I kept the trolling motor down until 11 o'clock, and that's how I caught most of what I had.

"It was new water — a lot shallower than what I had been fishing — and I just fished everything in front of me."
Tharp said he was struggling early, but a slight change in technique helped.

2016 Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork Day 1: Matt Herren Grabs Lead with 17lbs!

Anglers head to Bull Shoals for Friday.

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Matt Herren came into this week’s Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork, with a free-wheeling attitude.



“My motto for the week is just to fly by the seat of my pants,” Herren said. “Since we’re fishing two different lakes, I figure that’s all you can really do.”



Big bass lands Matt lead.
(Photo: BASS)

So far, the strategy has worked very well.

Herren caught five bass Thursday on Norfork Lake that weighed 17 pounds and took the lead in the first-of-its-kind, two-lake Elite Series event. His catch was bolstered by a 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth that bit during the final minutes.

In an unusual format, the 108 Bassmaster Elite Series anglers will divide their time between two nearby Ozarks lakes near Mountain Home.

After competing today on Norfork, the full field moves to Bull Shoals for Friday’s round, after which the field is cut to 50 anglers, who will again compete on Bull Shoals. The Top 12 anglers after Saturday will return to Norfork for the final round.



Herren feels confident now as the tournament shifts to Bull Shoals Lake for the next two rounds before coming back for Championship Sunday on Norfork.

“I just had a really fortunate day,” Herren said. “I got on something early and had a good limit of fish. But with about 15 minutes left in my day, I caught a 6-1.