by Pros4- 1Source's Dave Landahl
Randall Tharp finished the Bassmaster Elite Series pretty darn close to the top of the Angler of the Year (AOY) points list. In his third season on the Elites, Tharp finished the season third in the AOY race and took home his first Elite Series victory in Arkansas at the Bull Shoals/Norfork Lake event. Oh yeah, he's a former Forrest Wood Cup (FLW Championship) winner as well.
A slouch in the bass tournament game he ain't.
So, what is the special juju that Tharp has to keep him at the top of the bassing-for-bucks game? Randall Tharp has a deadly duo that he brings to every contest. Read on and find out what they are.
Confidence
"You're not going to get anywhere in competitive bass fishing without having confidence," said Tharp. "Not just in your ability to use certain lures or how to read a map, but in yourself.
"I mean you have to go into each event confident that you can win it. I don't believe you have a chance win if you don't think you can.
"Of course, you don't win every time, and when you don't win, you study the guys who won and figure out what they did.
"If you don't have that confidence, you don't win. That is the truth."
Trusty Stick
"I never fish a tournament without my flippin' stick," said Tharp. "Even if we are fishing a smallie lake way up north, I have it rigged and ready. You never know when that one piece of cover that's perfect for flippin' might produce that one fish that can win an event for you.
"I believe in fishing your strengths. Flipping with my signature jig is my strength. It's a real simple approach. Braided line in the weeds, regardless of water clarity. Fluorocarbon in rocks and wood for better abrasion resistance and it also doesn't cut into the wood.
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"Of course, flippin' isn't always the winning method, but I'm sure ready when it is."
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