By BassFan Staff
Randall Tharp knew he was bound to have a 15-pound day at the Okeechobee FLW Tour Open, and it happened today. After boating every big bite he got through the first 2 days en route to 30-pound bags, he missed two today and settled for less than half the weight he'd been averaging.
The good news, though, is his 14-13 sack only cost him 2 1/2 pounds off his 11-pound lead. With a 3-day total of 78-10, he'll still be up by nearly 9 pounds when he takes the water tomorrow in a quest to secure his first tour-level victory.
John Cox maintained his hold on 2nd place and inched a bit closer to Tharp with a 16-15 stringer that pushed his total to 69-13. Defending champion Brandon McMillan remained in 3rd with a 13-06 bag for a 61-02 aggregate, but he surrendered another pound and a half to his good pal Tharp.
The anglers who moved into the 4th and 5th slots caught the biggest bags on a blustery Florida day. Jeremy York climbed two spots from 6th place with a 17-08 sack that gave him a 60-13 total, and Bryan Thrift weighed 18-02 to move up three spots with 58-00.
Here are the totals for the rest of the anglers who'll fish tomorrow:
6. Roland Martin: 55-10
7. Scott Martin: 55-03
8. Nick Gainey: 54-05
9. Art Ferguson III: 53-01
10. Steve Kennedy: 52-09
The north wind howled at 20 mph or more throughout most of the day and made things tough on everybody. It's expected to blow at least that hard again on the final day and the air temperature is forecast to peak out in the high 50s.
The impending day-4 conditions would seem to favor Tharp more than Cox. The chilly weather is likely to send even more fish underneath the thickest mats, which Tharp has been punching all week. Meanwhile, Cox's area – which he'd had to himself the first 2 days – saw heavy pressure during the Soldier Appreciation tournament today and will likely take a further beating from the wind, so he plans to go to an area he hasn't visited yet.
Roland Martin, making his return to tour-level competition after 7 years away, retook the lead in his mini-duel with son Scott, but by less than half a pound. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, the 71-year-old legend has acquitted himself well on his home lake.
The Top 10 saw only one change today as the elder Martin moved back in and J. Todd Tucker dropped from 6th to 11th. Tucker had weighed 20-pound bags the first 2 days, but limped in with 9-14 today.
Missed Opportunity for Tharp
> Day 3: 5, 14-13 (15, 78-10)
Tharp got the bites he needed to weigh another bag that would've been well over 20 pounds, but failed to take advantage of two of them. The second misfire occurred just before quitting time, when he watched a fish that was at least 8 pounds plunge back under the hyacinths.
"It was a struggle," he said. "I knew some things were bound to happen eventually, and they did. I felt like I could've put this thing out of reach because conditions are going to be pretty tough tomorrow."
He said today's wind made his mat-punching routine considerably more difficult than it'd been the previous 2 days.
"It's hard to be efficient with it when it's blowing 20 mph. Instead of getting every pitch to go through, you get about one out of every four. I did get four good bites and I was pleased with that, but I didn't capitalize on all of them."
His bag contained a 5 1/2-pounder and a 4 1/2, along with three fish that were barely keepers. He departed from his best mats to catch the trio of rats, just to ensure that he'd bring in a limit, but in hindsight he was a bit disappointed by that move.
"I know where a bunch of 8- and 9-pounders are living, and I should've just stayed and tried to catch one of those.
John Cox thinks he's now within striking distance to make a run at the top spot on the final day.
He won't feel completely safe tomorrow unless he catches a bag similar to the ones he brought in on days 1 and 2.
"I know (Cox) and the way he's fishing, and he's perfectly capable of catching 25 pounds. There's a lot of fish under the mats, but there's a lot of fish out.
"It's going to be sunny tomorrow and super-cold, and I've seen it where that made (mat-punching) better. There was a cold front the week before (last month's) EverStart and that made it ridiculously good in the mats, but I'll also be prepared to grind out two or three good bites."
2nd: Cox Still Confident
> Day 2: 5, 16-15 (15, 69-13)
Cox still has a lot of weight to make up tomorrow, but he's seen such a swing here before. Two years ago, when this event was part of the now-defunct Eastern FLW Series, he took a double-digit lead into the final day, only to implode in the wind and watch Scott Martin snatch the trophy.
"I think I'm right where I need to be and I feel great," he said. "Tharp deserves to win, but that ($100,000 winner's check) is looking real nice. I'm about right where Scott was when he beat me, so I'm excited about tomorrow."
He's fished the first 3 days within trolling-motor distance of the launch in Clewiston, but will make a much more substantial run tomorrow.
"With it blowing 25 out of the north, I'll go to a spot that I've been planning to go to, but just haven't gotten there yet, and we'll see what happens. If it works out, that'll be great. If not, I'll have a long boat ride back."
Today's bag was topped by a 5-pounder, and getting that one into the livewell was an adventure.
"I set the hook on it and I knew it was a good one, and then it got into the reeds and it wasn't moving and I thought it might've gotten off. I stuck my rod tip in there to try and free it, and then it comes up and jumps with the rod top in its mouth.
"When something like that happens, I take it as a pretty good sign."
He doesn't know whether the area he's saved is capable of producing a 30-pound bag, but he's jazzed to find out.
"That was my goal coming in – to break 30 one day. Tomorrow's my last chance and I'd really love to do it."
3rd: Compressed Mats Hurt McMillan
> Day 3: 4, 13-06 (14, 61-02)
Like Tharp, McMillan had great difficulty getting his bait to penetrate the vegetation.
"The wind blew so hard that all the mats were compressed together," he said. "If you were getting through 500 times a day before, it was half that many today."
Brandon McMillan said today's wind compressed the vegetation mats so tightly that it was difficult to get a bait through to the fish.
His stringer was one fish short of a limit. It contained a 6-pounder and one that was almost 5, but the other two were squeakers.
He enticed a 3-pounder on what he described as a "Hail Mary cast" with a swimbait at the end of the day, but couldn't connect.
"The fish opened its mouth, but it just didn't get it. It fumbled it up and there really wasn't anything I could've done."
He'll have a new weapon to try tomorrow – a 2-ounce punching weight that he got from 14th-place finisher Jason Christie.
"I know the wind's going to make it tough to get through again, and if you can't get down to them you're not going to catch them
5th: Thrift Mixed it Up
> Day 3: 5, 18-02 (15, 58-00)
Thrift caught quality fish three different ways en route to compiling the best bag of the day.
"I was doing a little bit of everything," he said. "I got a 4-pounder on a spinnerbait, a 4-pounder on a Rat-L-Trap and a 5-pounder flipping reeds. I lost one 5-pounder – it was the first bite I had and it was on an Alabama Rig."
He doesn't think he's on enough big fish to put together a giant bag on the final day.
"I guess I could if I got a limit early and then flipped all day, but I don't really see it happening. I'll just go fishing and see what happens.
"It's just nice that I'll be getting paid to start off the year. I hadn't made a check since October."
11th: Tucker's Bite Died
> Day 3: 4, 9-14 (14, 50-06)
Tucker had put together 20-pound sacks the first 2 days by fishing the eelgrass in front of the reed lines in the morning, then flipping from about 11:30 on. His early bite went away today, though, and he came in one fish short of a full bag.
"I fished an area that got quite a bit of pressure," he said. "I was actually fishing underneath boats with a swimjig when they were flipping the heavier reeds. Some of the fish were on beds and yesterday I went to a topwater – sometimes you can get bedding fish that way if you just let the bait sit."
He'll return to the Big "O" in late March for a Bassmaster Elite Series event.
"This was a really good finish and I look forward to coming back, for sure."
Notable
> Day 3 stats – 20 anglers, 10 limits, 7 fours, 1 three, 2 twos.
> Jay Yelas (13th) had his best season-opening finish in quite a few years while fellow BassFan Big Stick Luke Clausen (70th) ended up in the final money position. To read their competition reports, click here.
Weather Forecast
> Sun., Feb. 12 - Partly Cloudy - 59°/38°
- Wind: From the N at 16 mph
Day 3 Standings
1. Randall Tharp -- Gardendale, Al -- 33-09 (5) -- 30-04 (5) -- 63-13 (10) -- 14-13 (5) -- 78-10 (15)
2. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 27-10 (5) -- 25-04 (5) -- 52-14 (10) -- 16-15 (5) -- 69-13 (15)
3. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 33-07 (5) -- 14-05 (5) -- 47-12 (10) -- 13-06 (4) -- 61-02 (14)
4. Jeremy York -- Monroe, Ga -- 20-06 (5) -- 22-15 (5) -- 43-05 (10) -- 17-08 (5) -- 60-13 (15)
5. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 15-13 (5) -- 24-01 (5) -- 39-14 (10) -- 18-02 (5) -- 58-00 (15)
6. Roland Martin -- Naples, Fl -- 26-04 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 37-14 (10) -- 17-12 (4) -- 55-10 (14)
7. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 19-04 (5) -- 20-05 (5) -- 39-09 (10) -- 15-10 (4) -- 55-03 (14)
8. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 14-06 (5) -- 24-06 (5) -- 38-12 (10) -- 15-09 (5) -- 54-05 (15)
9. Art Ferguson III -- St. Clair Shores, Mi -- 26-12 (5) -- 20-04 (5) -- 47-00 (10) -- 6-01 (5) -- 53-01 (15)
10. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Al -- 26-01 (5) -- 18-03 (5) -- 44-04 (10) -- 8-05 (4) -- 52-09 (14)
The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 4.
11. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, Ga -- 20-01 (5) -- 20-07 (5) -- 40-08 (10) -- 9-14 (4) -- 50-06 -- $12,500
12. Chad Prough -- Chipley, Fl -- 20-06 (5) -- 15-00 (5) -- 35-06 (10) -- 11-10 (4) -- 47-00 -- $12,500
13. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 19-09 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 35-07 (10) -- 10-06 (5) -- 45-13 -- $12,500
14. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, Ok -- 17-14 (5) -- 17-08 (5) -- 35-06 (10) -- 9-13 (5) -- 45-03 -- $12,500
15. Brandon Medlock -- Lake Placid, Fl -- 18-13 (5) -- 15-00 (5) -- 33-13 (10) -- 10-10 (5) -- 44-07 -- $12,500
16. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 24-04 (5) -- 13-08 (5) -- 37-12 (10) -- 4-07 (4) -- 42-03 -- $12,000
17. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 21-11 (5) -- 12-11 (5) -- 34-06 (10) -- 7-11 (2) -- 42-01 -- $12,000
18. Bob Izumi -- Milton, On -- 12-08 (5) -- 20-15 (5) -- 33-07 (10) -- 6-02 (5) -- 39-09 -- $12,000
19. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 18-06 (5) -- 16-01 (5) -- 34-07 (10) -- 4-12 (3) -- 39-03 -- $12,000
20. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 15-02 (5) -- 19-02 (5) -- 34-04 (10) -- 3-01 (2) -- 37-05 -- $12,000
