Big bass are what every angler wants to catch, and MLF pro Randall Tharp is no exception. In fact, Tharp has made a lucrative career out of fishing for oversized bass.
Fortunately for Tharp and the rest of Bass Pro Tour field, the 2020 schedule is loaded with lakes that have the potential to produce bass of a lifetime. Unfortunately for the other anglers, the first stop on tour this season is Lake Eufaula in Alabama, and the “Honey Badger” knows where the big fish reside in this legendary bass fishery.
“Early in my career, I fished Lake Eufaula a lot,” Tharp said. “I had my first national-level win there (in 2008), in the old Stren Series. I beat some seriously high caliber anglers winning that. I’ll never forget Eufaula. I can’t wait to fish the first tournament of the year.”
Like many reservoirs, Eufaula has had its ups and downs, but right now the reservoir is on an upswing, and Tharp can confirm that the size of bass being caught there regularly is impressive.
“I recently fished on Eufaula, and I can tell you that the fishery is extremely healthy right now,” Tharp said. “It’s back to its old roots and kicking out monsters again. The sheer numbers of 5- to 10-pounders is amazing. On the last day I fished it, my first bite of the day was a 7 1/2-pounder. About 30 minutes before dark, I caught a 9-pounder. I wasn’t even fishing hard, more graphing and exploring.
“The fish are beautiful. A 3-pounder looks like it’s on steroids. There are a lot of big fish over 7 pounds in there right now. I believe the fish of a lifetime is in that lake. It’s shocking that in the dead of summer, it takes 30 pounds for a five-fish limit to take a local tournament, and we’re fishing there (Feb. 7-12) during what should be the prime time for catching big fish.”
Tharp believes that the once world-famous bass fishery could regain its title of “Bass Capital of the World” once again.
“I think Eufaula is going to show out for us,” he predicted. “With MLF coming there and showing everyone how to find and catch those big fish, it may become the ‘Bass Capital of the World’ again, like the sign in town states it is. It’s that good right now.”
No specific technique or location will necessarily be dominant in Tharp’s opinion. Eufaula offers the field of 80 anglers 45,000 acres of water with around 700 miles of shoreline, so the big bass can be anywhere.
“With a maximum of 40 guys fishing on one day, you might not see another MLF pro while you’re fishing,” Tharp said. “There are just so many places to fish. Deeper or shallow and from River Bend down to the Eufaula Dam. Pick your strength and fish it. You should find what you need there to be successful.”
The 2-pound weight minimum for a scorable bass on Eufaula won’t be a stretch, according to Tharp.
“When you catch a bass on Eufaula, it’s going to be pretty big, especially that time of the year,” he said. “Not many small fish will be caught. To win, you’ll need to get a lot of bites and score a lot of quality bass. To me, a big bass is over 7 pounds, and this lake has a lot of them. I believe there’s a good chance to see some double-digit size fish caught out of Eufaula at the first Bass Pro Tour event of 2020.”