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Tharp Leads FWC on Day 1

Category: Tournament

 Aug 15th, 2013 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Aug 15th, 2013 at 12:00 AM

Regardless of all of the talk about 13-pound bags being about as good as it will get this week at the Forrest Wood Cup on the Red River out of Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana, two anglers busted through that number by just over 5 pounds each.

In first after Day 1 is Power-Pole pro Randall Tharp out of Port Saint Joe, Florida. Tharp popped a limit weighing 18 pounds 8 ounces. Right behind Tharp with 18 pounds 7 ounces of bass is Chevy pro Bryan Thrift from Shelby, North Carolina.

	2013 Forrest Wood Cup Day 1 leader Randall Tharp holds up one of his limit fish. (FLW Outdoors)

Rounding out the Top 5 are in 3rd Chevy and Yamamoto pro Larry Nixon from Bee Branch, Arkansas with 13 pounds 4 ounces, 4th is Mercury pro Adrian Avena from Vineland, New Jersey with 13 pounds 2 ounces and in 5th is Strike King pro Mark Rose out of West Memphis, Arkansas weighing 12 pounds 15 ounces.

Tharp exceeded his goal weight.

“My goal was weighing a limit in the teens,” said Tharp. “I was surprised to catch the weight I did today. I really think if you can average 13 pounds over four days here you can win. Catching 13 pounds or more here is really good.”

Multiple presentations worked today for Tharp.

“I had 10 rods on my deck today,” said Tharp. “I used all 10 today. I used a couple of things that seemed to be special and I think I will stick with them tomorrow. They stood out for me throughout the day. I caught them earlier in the morning when the water temperatures had dropped down to 84 degrees and when the water temperatures got back into the 90’s. I feel good about tomorrow. My goal is to get weight in the teens again.”

Thrift was fishing in hot tub temps.

	Bryan Thrift shows off part of his limit including a 7-pound pig. (Joel Shangle)

“I had no idea of the quality of fish that were out there today,” said Thrift. I fished a Tour event here a couple of years ago and caught about 9 pounds per day. I have a photo of my electronics showing a 101 surface temperature today.

“I caught a 7-pound bass on a shaky head and a Damiki finesse worm. I wasn’t expecting to catch a big fish with that. My co-angler caught a large fish, too. Today was one of those good days. I just can’t explain it. I caught way more today than I ever dreamed of catching.”