Fish Understood & Good Decisions Made

Randall Tharp, 2013 Forrest Wood Cup Champion

Randall Tharp's confidence throughout the Forrest Wood Cup and his eventual victory by a 4-pound margin would suggest that he had a magical spot, perfect pattern or secret lure. But in truth it was none of the above. He actually fished a bunch of different spots and multiple patterns, and caught his three best fish today on a lure he'd had tied on throughout the tournament but hadn't picked up until today.

Instead, Tharp won by fishing his kind of waters well. He devised a strong game plan, with good areas that suited that plan, and he made good decisions during the event. Tharp thrives in shallow, stained water, with a big stick in his hand, so he has been excited about the year's Cup location ever since it was announced. He had done well on the Red River before, and everything about it suits the way he likes to fish.

Having found some good locations during pre-practice and having gotten a good feel for what the fish were doing during official practice, Tharp felt confident going into the tournament -- and all along he believed the winning weight would be a little higher than most other anglers predicted. When the first morning of the tournament brought unusually cool weather and dropped the water temperature, he made the adjustments he needed to make.

Tharp did have major patterns he was running, and one backwater area was extra important for producing his biggest bass, but catching limits from the main river and bigger fish from the backwaters were both important to his strategy, and he made good decisions about when to stay and when to go throughout the event. He also had a strong sense of when he was around fish that would bite, largely based on minnow and bluegill activity.

When asked why he picked up a frog rod halfway through today, largely abandoning what had kept him in first or second place to that point, he couldn't really give a specific answer. It just felt right. He was fishing on instinct, as pros often put it, and seemingly it was the right time for that change because he caught one of his best bass of the day on the first cast with a frog. He then stuck with the frog through much of the afternoon and fished four hours in his "big fish spot" for two bites. Those bites were from 4-pound class fish, which he landed. The three frog fish were the difference in the tournament for Tharp.

Tharp also threw a Lucky Craft square bill crankbait quite a bit, and his main lure in the backwaters for the first three days was a swim jig. He said he actually caught fish on several different lures over the course of four days.

Maybe this oversimplifies things too much, but my best analysis of what Randall Tharp did to win the Forrest Wood Cup is that he fished better than everyone else.

For complete coverage of all the top finishers, lures and patterns, visit flwfishing.com.

40th to 17th to 4th to ?

Jacob Wheeler surged to 4th place with today's best bag.

For anyone who has paid attention to the Forrest Wood Cup through the first three days, it would be tough to not have an eye on Jacob Wheeler.

Last year's FWC champion came out of the gate slowly, with a 7-pound, 4-ounce first-day catch that put him in 40th place out of 46 anglers. It was popular to say that things could flip flop on Day 2, and a lot of anglers did indeed move up or down notably. Still, I'm not sure anyone expected Wheeler to flop things quite the way he did. Wheeler's 13-7 Day 2 catch was second best brought to the scales that day and jumped him all the into 17th place, which put him within the cut and allowed him to fish again today. He struck again today, bringing in 14 pounds, 4 ounces and jumping all the way to 4th place. Wheeler's bag, which was the best catch brought to the scales on Day 3, put him 4 1/2 pounds behind leader Bryan Thrift.

Thrift has gotten all his biggest fish off a single spot, and he said he had to fish two hours in that spot to catch one fish today. He has seemed somewhat surprised by what he has caught all week. Wheeler, on the other hand, figured something out on Day 2, and it has worked very well for him for two days. He appears to be getting stronger as the tournament progresses.

That's not to say he's going to overtake Thrift (or that either will be the winner for that matter). Although Thrift has seemed surprised by each day's catch, the fact is that he keeps catching them very well.

Five of the ten anglers remaining are within five pounds of one another at the top, and three of them (including Thrift) are still ahead of Wheeler. Randall Tharp, who led for two days and slipped to second today, believes he knows what he needs to do to bring it home. Larry Nixon found muddy water in his best spot today and it didn't produce at all, leaving him scrambling. The Red is a highly dynamic river, though, and that mud could settle tonight and put Nixon right back where he wants to be. Meanwhile, Mark Rose said yesterday that he thought his best bags were still ahead. He wasn't able to prove that today, but tomorrow things might be different.

The ten pros who remain take off tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. Central. The weigh-in begins at 5:00. If you can't be here to watch it in person, you can watch it live on flwoutdoors.com.

Moving Day at Forrest Wood Cup

Larry Nixon, 3rd place going into Day 3 of the Forrest Wood Cup

With only 10 pounds separating the 20 anglers who remain and two days left to fish, I still think the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup is anyone's tournament. The pros toward the bottom would have to have a lot of things work their way, including a bit of stumbling by the anglers at the top, but there are big wild card fish in the Red River, and groups of fish that have produced for someone can run out in four days. Plus, it's a river, and a change in flow, water color or temperature could change fortunes in either direction. Of course, to compete tomorrow, an angler has to finish in the Top 10 after today.

Mark Rose, who sits in 5th place, 5 pounds out, said that a conditions has been changing that should favor his best big-fish spots -- waters he hasn't fished yet during the competition. He said on stage last night that he believe his best days are yet to come. I just read on the @FLWFishing Twitter feed, by the way, that Rose's other pattern is cranking downriver and that improved clarity is the key. He is doing that this morning and got an early limit in the boat.

Meanwhile, Ray Scheide, sitting one place ahead of Rose, brought in 12-12 yesterday, but word is that he had some seriously big fish get off and that he's fishing in mega-thick cover in a backwater that holds some heavyweight fish. He says he figured out a couple of things yesterday and that if he could capitalize today, he could "blow the doors off this thing."

Then there's Larry Nixon. The General is the only angler in field to bring in 13 pounds or more both days, and he apparently has a specific big-bass spot that has been producing for him. He also brings unparalleled experience.

Randal Tharp and Bryan Thrift, in first and second, respectively, both backed giant18-pound-plus bags with solid 11-pound sacks and are separated by only 4 ounces. Both believe they would need at least one more legitimately big day to take home the Forrest Wood Cup and the $500,000 check. Tharp seems confident that he's around the right fish. Thrift still acts surprised by the big fish he's catching but continues to get it done.

Looking down through the top 20, it's roughly a three way split among anglers who had a pretty big first day and a mediocre second day, anglers who did the opposite and moved up yesterday, and anglers who had brought in two solid limits. Last year's champ, Jacob Wheeler, made the most noteworthy jump, following a weak first day that had him in in 40th place with one of yesterday's best bags (13-7), which jumped into the cut in 18th place. Another day like that today, and he'd be fishing for all the marbles tomorrow.

If you want to track how things are progressing during the day, the #FLWFishing Twitter feed is tough to top. They have guys on the water watching and posting regular reports. Of course, they can't follow everyone, with 20 pros still fishing, so who knows which angler might bring a big surprise to this afternoon's weigh-in?

Day 1 Themes - Kickers & Change

Day 1 Forrest Wood Cup Leader, Randall Tharp

"I'm catching a ton of fish. I just didn't ever find the big one that I needed."

That quote remains unattributed because it came from a bunch of different pros, with only slight variances in wording. Kicker fish, or a lack there of, was one of a couple of themes I heard repeated again and again as Forrest Wood Cup competitors crossed the stage during the Day 1 weigh-in. The leaders had a big fish or two and were very thankful for them. Virtually everyone else who commented on their catch spoke about lacking that big-fish element.

Every pro except two caught a limit, and nearly 2/3 of the field weighed between 8 and 12 pounds. Four anglers -- Randall Tharp, Bryan Thrift, Larry Nixon and Adrian Avena -- weighed in 13 pounds or more, with Tharp and Thrift catching 18-8 and 18-7, respectively, for first and second place. Tomorrow will be very telling as we see whether any of the same guys bring in the biggest bags or whether three or four different anglers come across the kickers that produce really big bags.

Another thing I heard about quite a bit was that some condition had changed enough since Tuesday's final practice day to alter the way a specific group of fish behaved. In a couple of cases, pros who really caught them in practice failed to get the same bites from the same fish and believed it was attributable to a 10-degree drop in the water temperature. Others talked about changes in positioning of floating weeds. David Fritts spoke of some "little stuff" floating on top in one of his best areas, which altered the way he was able to fish. Change, of course, goes with river fishing, so it's not impossible that we'll here about much more stuff that has changed tomorrow.

Tomorrow the full field fishes again. After tomorrow, only the top 20 remain, and only the top 10 get to fish for the championship on Sunday.




Not About the Spot. Well, Sort of

Adrian Avena finishing out an early limit.

Popular pre-tourney word from the field of the Forrest Wood Cup was that this tournament won't be about a spot. And after spending a few hours watching from the water today, to a degree I think that's true. I don't think anyone will find that amazing replenishing sort of single location that he can ride for four days, and from what I gathered from my boat driver, Eddie, there aren't necessarily spots where you go after big fish in the Red River this time of year.

That said, this year's Cup is very much about spots in another sense. I saw virtually no one just fishing their way down a shore loaded with similar-looking cover, keeping the trolling motor down and searching for fish. Instead virtually everyone fished a fairly specific spot, whether for 10 minutes or for hours. And when they finished they picked up the trolling motor and moved to another specific spot. A spot could be a 50-yard long rockpile or section of bank, but in many cases the boat wasn't moving at all.

The Red River fishery is vast, and with it's abundance of timber and vegetation, it looks like bass could be anywhere. They aren't just everywhere, though. They instead congregate in mouths of cuts, around sunken jetties, in ditches, over grass points and in other places where some a little something makes a spot distinctive from what is around it. Current controls some of that, and when there is less flow, as is the case right now, those places that have even a little current become especially important.

I saw at least half a dozen different anglers putting fish in the box in the few hours I was out, and their spots had little in common. They were spread among the main river and backwaters, and included rock, wood and vegetation as the primary cover. All boats were basically stationary when the angers' set hooks, though, and in each case, Eddie could tell me something specific about that spot that caused it to hold fish.

The real key might be having enough spots to catch fish well today, tomorrow, the next day and the day after that. How many spots that will that take? Only time will tell.

In Shreveport & Ready for the Cup

Twelve hours or so after leaving home dark and early this morning, I arrived in Shreveport, got checked into my hotel and looked around just a bit to see where thing are. All that's left to do now is to find a bite to eat and get some good rest. Forrest Wood Cup starts tomorrow morning, and I get to go out in a photo boat, so I need to be at the marina well before first light.

I'm looking forward to the morning. I've never been on the Red River, but I've read (and written, based on others' reports) quite a bit about it and it's an important bass destinations, so I'm excited to see it for myself. My plan is to look for multiple competitors' on the water in order to get photos and see first-hand how they are fishing and what the fish are doing. Assuming there's at least some cell signal on the water, I'll be blogging during the day and posting on my facebook fishing page and twitter.

The word I've heard the most from competitors to describe their expectations about this year's Cup has been "grind." Everyone seems to contend that it will be a grind, although I suspect the word grind means different things to different anglers. Some of it, I'm sure, relates to the simple fact that it is going to be hot (albeit not quite as hot as it has been). More so, though, I think it has to do with the fact that bites from quality fish have been hard to find. Pros expect to have to really grind it out and catch as many fish as possible with hopes that their plan brings some quality fish. It may also mean they'll have to work a lot of water to get the fish and that there's not likely to be a magic spot that someone rides. Because the Red is challenging to navigate, getting rom one place you want to fish to the next can be a grind, especially when you are fishing against the clock.

We won't really know much for sure until to tomorrow when they bring fish to the scales, though.  Quite understandably, the pros don't tend to reveal their full hand when talking about expectations, so if someone is on a big-fish pattern, we probably wouldn't hear much about it quite yet!

Redder Red for Cup?

The good news about the 5-day outlook for the Shreveport area is that it's not supposed to be quite as hot as it has been virtually every day in recent weeks. Highs beginning tomorrow will be in the 80s, which is quite mild for the Red River basin during August. Triple-digits are common during mid-summer, and it has been hot enough this summer that pros who have spent the past couple of days practicing for the Forrest Wood Cup have found water temperatures in the 90s virtually everywhere they have looked.

The not-so-good news is that the forecast also speaks of a fair chance at heavy rain this afternoon and an even better chance tomorrow. Rain between now and the tournament, which runs Thursday through Sunday, isn't all bad, necessarily. Most pros would welcome added current in the river. The problem is that heavy rains can bring more mud, and the river is already running redder than normal for August.

While it's true that the Red is called the Red for a reason and that its bass are accustomed to feeding in dirty water, more mud clearly would mean less viable patterns, and it would take some types of fishing of the equation. That would shrink the playing field and cause more pros to want to fish the same kinds of cover and therefore some of the same waters. And while it's true that official waters are extensive, navigation can be slow, and competitors are fishing against the clock, so the best waters in stretches that are at least somewhat near the launch area still could get crowded.

The other downside about added mud, if it comes, is simply that it alter things. If it arrives, it will begin doing so near the end of practice, so even if it makes some bites better, it could eliminate some of what the competitors have spent three days finding and force them to begin the competition in search mode. If heavy rain does come, it's effects probably will not be equitable. Someone's favorite backwater will get silted in or too muddy to produce, while someone else's river spot will pick up just enough current to ignite a better bite. That's just the nature of a big, complex river system.

Of course, given the sporadic nature of summer storms, it might not rain at all, or it might come on a tournament day instead, creating yet another set of circumstances.

Each Big Bite Might be Huge in Cup

Word I've heard from the Forrest Wood Cup practice field is that fishing on the Red River has been pretty good, in terms of overall bites and action, but that quality fish are at a premium. Anglers seem to think it's going to be somewhat of a grind, with quite a few similar-looking limits being brought to the scales, and that the angler who can find those few key bites is going to separate himself. It might not even be a true big fish pattern or location, but an isolated school of larger fish that shows up or a couple of hogs that bite at different times, grabbing the same baits that are producing mostly  2-pounders. However they appear, 5-pound fish could be absolute difference-makers in this event.

A few significant challenges I've heard about relate to the weather. The first is that it's hot (air and water alike), which is demanding on the anglers and tends to slow the fish. The second is that current is minimal, which makes fish less active and harder to pattern. The third is that the water is dirty -- much dirtier than normal for this time of year -- which will eliminate some patterns and cause the river to "fish smaller" than it would if the water was clearer. The heat and water color are unlikely to get change substantially between now and Thursday. More current could arrive, depending rainfall.

For what it's worth, I have seen a couple of pictures of very  nice fish (the sort that could make a difference) posted by Cup competitors, so some of those fish are out there and willing to bite. At least they have been willing to bite. We'll see if they still will -- come Thursday.

Unraveling the Red

Practice began this morning. Not long ago, in fact. Lots of questions and only a few days to find the best answers. The Forrest Wood Cup begins Thursday, four days from now. That's when 46 pros will begin the four-day battle on Louisiana's Red River for the title of world champion and the top prize of 1/2 million dollars.

Tournament waters include 150 miles of river, divided into three pools, plus extensive backwaters. Vast and complex, the Red River system is also ever-changing, and widely varying water levels and water colors dictate a great deal about how the fish will behave and where they will position themselves. Water levels also dictate which backwaters can even be reached in a bass boat, and that could change as the week progresses. Because some areas can only be reached by long runs and four trips through locks (round-trip), a lot of strategizing will have to come into play.

The general word I've gathered from anglers who know the Red and from what pros determined pre-practice is that this tournament is unlikely to be won on a single pot-of-gold spot. The fish groups just won't be big enough for one spot to do it for four days. Winner will need multiple areas or a highly repeatable pattern, and he'll probably need a back up pattern or at least be able to adjust his pattern as the tournament progresses -- because some condition almost certainly will change.

Today most pros probably will cover a lot of water, riding and looking at spots, seeing what cover is flooded and accessible in different areas, looking at water color and current strength, possibly in different pools, and making a few casts in a lot of areas, possibly with reaction lures. Other pros have already chosen major areas where they want to focus attention, and they'll spend today trying different techniques and hitting specific types of bank or weedlines in an attempt to narrow things.

Day 1 practice usually is about getting a general sense of things and possibly eliminating some ideas. If a pro finds something he really likes today and can spend the rest of practice looking for back-up stuff, that's a big bonus. I'll be watching for reports of what the pros find in practice and will pass them along here, on Twitter and on my facebook fishing page.

Christie's Conundum

Jason Christie - B.A.S.S. Photo by James Overstreet

It's hard to not wonder what Jason Christie is thinking today as he works the smallmouth-rich waters of New York's St. Lawrence River.

On one hand he must be glad to have made the cut and earned a check for at least $10,000, and by theory at least to still be in contention to win the tournament. On the other hand, practice begins tomorrow morning for the Forrest Wood Cup, the FLW Tour championship that carries a top prize of 1/2 million dollars, and he's more than 20 hours drive away from the venue. And when it comes down to it, he's 20 places and more than 7 pounds back in a tournament where the guys in front of him have been absolutely whacking them, so he's chances of winning this weekend are pretty slim.

As of this morning, Christie was only a pound and a half out of the Top 12 cut. Were he to get a good bag today, he could easily move up just enough to be fishing again tomorrow. That would mean missing all of the first day of practice for the Cup and much of the second day, I would have to think. He's using the same boat for both events, so even if he could get an evening flight out, his boat wouldn't arrive in Louisiana for close to a fully day after it leaves New York. He has a friend helping with the driving, and last I knew he didn't know if he would fly or go with the truck and boat. I also don't know whether practicing in a different boat part of the time is a legal and legitimate option.

If today he were to catch them well enough to maybe make the 12 but didn't see himself legitimately in contention to win, I wonder if he'd even be tempted to cull a larger fish for a small one so he could get on the road. As a winner of another Elite Series event this year, he already had his Bassmaster Classic ticket punched. Meanwhile, the Red River, where the Cup will be held, is the sort of fishery where Christie seems to do the very best. Shallow, stained and thick with cover, it lends itself wonderfully to pitching a Wooly Bug, or bouncing a shallow Bomber or a spinnerbait off lots of cover. And again, it's the championship -- a career-changing event that's far bigger than the big check that comes with winning it.

I've not talked to Christie at all about any of this and honestly don't know him well, and I haven't read stories written since he made the cut that quoted him regarding his thought processes. It could be that he's far too competive to even think about the next event -- no matter what it is -- until he's done everything in his power to try to win the one he is fishing. I'm just curious what he's thinking about as he fishes today. Can he focus on catching smallmouths and trying to place as high as possible on the St. Lawrence, or is he strategizing Red River largemouths or mentally playing out every possible travel scenario even as he fishes for New York smallmouths?

Oldest & Youngest in Forrest Wood Cup

Jimmy Houston

While looking over details about the Forrest Wood Cup, I couldn't help but notice that two of the anglers I'd most like to see enjoy success in this year's championship stand out as the oldest and youngest in the professional field. Jimmy Houston, 69, is the oldest. Jacob Wheeler, 23, is the youngest.

I can't deny that I'm pulling for Jimmy Houston above anyone else in the field. I started watching him catch bass and hearing that giggle when I was 12 years old, and his show undoubtedly played a part in my career choice, along with providing valuable early fishing lessons. I appreciate his work ethic, his smile, his love for his wife and most of all his eagerness to share God's love. Working with Jimmy on photos or a story is always a delight.

I'm also very impressed by Jimmy's place in the FLW Angler of the Year standings that earned him qualification, given the frantic schedule he runs, and I'd love to see him excel in the Cup -- which he might. Jimmy may be the most accurate and efficient caster I've ever been in the boat with, and he brings an extraordinary knowledge of bass behavior. He's also a spinnerbait specialist, and the Red River lends itself mighty nicely to tying on a BOOYAH spinnerbait and working it through a lot of thick stuff.

Jacob Wheeler - FLW Photo

I won't claim to know Rapala pro Jacob Wheeler, last year's FWC champion, very well. In fact, I met him in person for the first time last month at the ICAST show in Las Vegas. I've interviewed him for stories a few times, however, and can say that he's among the best in the business at helping with stories. He's quick to return calls and thorough with answers and seems to have a knack  for explaining why he does what he does. His helpfulness as a story source, similar to his fishing success, defies his young age and limited years as a pro. Jacob also has been a grand champion and would serve FLW well were he to bring it up another notch and become the first FWC champ to successfully defend the title and bring home another Cup.

Starting to Steer Toward Red River

Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre doing a little final packing for the Forrest Wood Cup, adding some Terminator spinnerbaits he thinks he might need for the Red River. Photo courtesy of Dave Lefebre.

Practice begins Sunday.

In only four days, 46 of the nation's top pros will begin trying to find the right fish and the proper pattern to win the Forrest Wood Cup. A week later, one of those pros will hoist the world champion's trophy and a check for $500,000.

The competition begins a week from tomorrow (August 15) and lasts four days. The venue is Louisiana's Red River, at Shreveport, Louisiana. Competition waters include three pools, 150 miles of water and an extensive network of backwaters. The weather is supposed to be sizzling hot, with high humidity.  Fishing will be good, most pros agree. The challenge will be finding enough quality fish that are willing to cooperate. Decision making and execution when opportunities do arise are apt to be critical to the outcome.

For now, most competitors are most likely doing final packing or home preparation -- studying maps one more time, double checking essentials like their insurance evidence, and tossing in a few more baits they don't want to be without. A few, no doubt, are already en route, either because of the long distance they live from the Red River or because of other stops they need to make along the way.

Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Oregon lives the farthest from the Cup venue at 1787 miles. Christopher Brasher of Hallsville, Texas lives the closest and is only 47 miles away when he is at home.

Dave Lefebre of Erie, PA said he's starting south tomorrow morning. Lefebre, who will be making his 11th consecutive Forrest Wood Cup appearance, said the only real difference in his packing for the Cup from other tournaments is that he carries far more autograph cards and such than normal because of the huge amount of interaction with bass fishing fans.

Three of the competitors -- Jason Christie, Ish Monroe and Zell Rowland -- had to do all their Cup planning well ahead of times and actually must have their minds on a totally different fishery right now. All three also fish the B.A.S.S. Elite Series, which begins a tournament tomorrow on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. Depending on how they fare and whether they make Saturday and Sunday cuts, they'll be traveling from New York to Louisiana some time over the weekend. For now, they need to be thinking about St. Lawrence smallmouths. Next week, they'll think about Red River largemouths.

Red Hot at Red River

Looking at my local 10-day forecast this morning, I realized the dates at the tail end were the days of the start of the Forrest Wood Cup. That made the championship event and my travel seem extra real and caused me to hop over to the 10-day for Shreveport, which is hosting the Cup on the Red River. Appears it'll be good and hot, which I suppose is not a huge surprise. Today's high will hit triple digits (a notable contrast from the low to mid-80s we've mostly had for highs in North Georgia this summer). All the highs throughout the Shreveport 10-day are at least in the 90s, without a lot of rain

Of course, the 46 pros who will be battling for title of champion and the $1/2 million top prize are more concerned about finding the Red's hottest big-bass bite than they are about the actual temperatures. That said, the weather, both now and during the tournament, will most likely play an important part in those answers. The color, level and temperature of the water all impact how the bass behave, and all of those are determined mostly by the weather.

When the competitors show up for official practice early next week, it will have been a few weeks since any of them have been allowed on the river, so I'm sure that even now most are thinking about how a period of true summer conditions will likely impact any patterns or fish locations they might have found during pre-practice. Depending when they visited last and how they like to operate, some will begin with what they found and try to see how fish have adjusted. Others likely used early visits only to learn navigation and to look at the river and its extensive backwaters and will begin their search for fish on the first day of practice.

As of now, the forecast for Thursday, August 15, the day the competition actually begins, is for a high of 93 and scattered thunderstorms. That'll shift, I suspect, but I'm pretty confident that it'll be good and hot on the Red River that day.