High water moving bass
By Thomas Allen
By Thomas Allen
BASS PRESS RELEASE
Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., scrapped his fish catching game plan because floodwaters washed out his primary hot spot and forced him to find a place to catch bass on the upper Mississippi River.
That adjustment might earn him a second Bassmaster Elite Series title and a healthy $100,000 payday.
Tharp’s efforts produced 15 pounds, 10 ounces of bass today, giving him the lead going into Championship Sunday at the 2018 Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River presented by Go RVing.
His two-day total is 49-12 — only 1 ounce ahead of Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala.
Martens will start the final round Sunday in second place with 49-11.
The moderate flooding of the Upper Mississippi has been a hot topic in La Crosse this week. It’s affected the fishing for most of the field — some good and some bad. For Tharp, it’s kept him on his toes.
“I knew my pattern was falling apart. The more the water levels increased, the more concerned I’ve been that my bass would move,” he said. “And they did. I started out in the same area I have been over the past couple of days, and after an hour or so I knew the fish weren’t there any more. I decided to call an audible, and it paid off.”
The 49-year-old pro said that he was catching bass right along a section of the bank that is now under water, and the bass are no longer positioned on the same structure.
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| Tharp's adjustments nets him narrow lead. (Photo: BASS) |
Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., scrapped his fish catching game plan because floodwaters washed out his primary hot spot and forced him to find a place to catch bass on the upper Mississippi River.
That adjustment might earn him a second Bassmaster Elite Series title and a healthy $100,000 payday.
Tharp’s efforts produced 15 pounds, 10 ounces of bass today, giving him the lead going into Championship Sunday at the 2018 Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River presented by Go RVing.
His two-day total is 49-12 — only 1 ounce ahead of Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala.
Martens will start the final round Sunday in second place with 49-11.
The moderate flooding of the Upper Mississippi has been a hot topic in La Crosse this week. It’s affected the fishing for most of the field — some good and some bad. For Tharp, it’s kept him on his toes.
“I knew my pattern was falling apart. The more the water levels increased, the more concerned I’ve been that my bass would move,” he said. “And they did. I started out in the same area I have been over the past couple of days, and after an hour or so I knew the fish weren’t there any more. I decided to call an audible, and it paid off.”
The 49-year-old pro said that he was catching bass right along a section of the bank that is now under water, and the bass are no longer positioned on the same structure.
