Still catching up from a chaotic week where I felt like I was taken prisoner by American Airlines...😁 Did catch a few up at Champlain, VT with some famous pro peeps – more on that next week.

Hope you stick a thumb into at least 10 bass mouths this weekend! Bless you and fam, and peace! ✝️🤙

How good are you when no one is surprised when you win a pro bass tournament? It's an ultra-small club and no doubt Wheeler is the president of it right now. Here's how he got it done this time.

Believe it or not, this is shortened from the full post on the BB website. Jacob really gives great detail.

Going in and practice

> "In practice, a lot of people didn't really know what to expect. I hadn't been to KY Lake for an offshore tournament in almost a decade. So...I just didn't really know. Of course I would hope to fish offshore – that's sort of my strength.

> "So I went into it with the mindset that I'm going to go offshore...if I find 2 places, 10 places or 100 places. Because to me, TN River offshore bass fishing is one thing I feel like I have an advantage on....

> "...I figured out really quickly there was a lot of current. You hear that you need a lot of current in the TN River for the fishing to be good, and that's true. But when they run current around the clock, it changes the way the bass position.

> "...gives the fish no time to rest...so it changes the places they're gonna position on, and that's a really important piece of the puzzle.

> "Typically that means secondary places where they can get out of the main channel. Secondary places were the key....

> "The 1st day of practice I found a few places – small groups of bass.... The 2nd day...the later half of the day I found 12 more places and really got dialed into what those fish wanted to be on. So I felt good about it, but I just didn't know how the tournament was going to play out."

Tournament

Day 1

> "Day 1 of the the tournament I started on a place I never caught a fish on in practice, but I saw quite a few on my Lowrance graphs. My first cast with a [Rapala] DT16 I caught one, got them fired up, caught a few more, then picked up a Freeloader and caught a bunch – without FFS.

> "I caught 19 scoreables off my first stop that morning. That really shocked me...I did not anticipate it being as good as it was. The cool thing about ScoreTracker is you know. Michael [Neal], [Justin] Lucas, Jake Lawrence – they really started off strong. ...it's pretty good here and they're definitely biting.

> "[He caught caught 95 lbs by 11:30] and I felt pretty good about it. [So then] I was able to run around and check some places. [Some had] boats on them and were getting pressured, the places that were a little sneakier were not getting pressured. ...I stopped fishing and went practicing.

> "I never caught another bass for another 3.5 hours because I never found another place. I graphed for 3.5 hours and never found a new spot. But I was still in the top 5 and only fished for a period and a half."

Day 2

> "Michael asked me that morning, 'Hey are you going to try to win' [the auto-qualifier into the Championship Round]. I was like, 'Probably not.' I caught 1 the first period, Michael caught 1, Jake caught none. No one was trying to win the auto-qualifying round. [Because it usually is the kiss of death.]

> "At the break I Facetime my wife and kids all the time, rig a couple rods, decompress.... My wife, she was like, 'Why aren't you catching 'em? I didn't marry a loser.' I was laughing but...I had several places I hadn't made a cast on, I had a FFS period left in my pocket....

> "I had no camera in my boat and I had 1 follow [spectator] boat – I had 20 at the start of the day. So I thought I might be able to sneak in and bust 'em without giving away the juice.

> "Obviously everything I do is very strategic, not emotion-based. So in this scenario I knew the next day would be Saturday, I knew I would have boats on me – a lot more than I had [Fri]. And the TN River is just known for when you leave a spot, someone might be following you...one guy that sits there and catches your fish. It's just an unfortunate part of your job.

> "So if I can get away with not showing my hand to 20-30 boats, it probably makes sense not to do it...."

He busted 'em pretty quick in one general zone and ended up getting the free pass to the Championship Round. He also got to practice some more and found 2-3 places that ended up being key the last day.

Championship Day

> "Not being on the water, you still lose a little bit of touch on the lake with knowing exactly what went down.

> "I knew it could potentially take 140 lbs to win...obviously a ton of weight but I had a feeling that might happen. And the only way I was gonna beat Jake, who I felt like would be my toughest competitor, was to maximize my community schools closer to takeoff. Then I'd go up the lake to my sneakier stuff later in the day....

> "I ran to a community hole to start on, no one's there and a group of fish are there...my FFS period. I hoped to catch 30-40 lbs on the community holes...did not happen. I caught 11 lbs....

> "The wind was blowing really hard, I couldn't position...and I was losing ground very quickly. ...I gotta run to my sneakier stuff...if I can run down south, it's the only chance I have to win this tournament, to get away from these fish that are pressured.

> "...my FFS period, I ran 45 minutes, shut down and caught them cranking the first place, Then I catch them on a football jig and ended up being within 15 lbs of Jake after that period. So I saved that period....

> "...I didn't know Jake had used FFS the same period. I think he had 45 lbs that period. So I was assuming that was the pace...I had have to have 50 lbs [each of] the next 2 periods to have a chance to win.

> "...starting that 2nd period I caught some fish on a football jig – I started snapping that football jig with a [CrushCity] Cleanup Craw and started catching fish. [He hadn't used the jig much til then but] with the wind blowing and the fish getting pressure, I had to show them something different.

> "I start dialing it in a little more and a little more, and was able to make up ground...and I passed Jake by 5-10 lbs. Not a lot, but it's a completely different deal than being behind...."

What "dialing it in" meant:

> "When you have FFS and 360 and all that stuff, you have a way better understanding to where to position better relative to the fish. I was old-school bass fishing...where the fish are, how I'm setting up, where the current flow is. It took me a bit...just old school triangulating on the bank.

> "It's a skill set I haven't used for a long time so it took a little while to get back in the groove...dial in the fish and angles. Angles are everything on a school. Several times I changed the angle on a group of fish and was able to catch 2-3 more.... Understanding those key, subtle details is everything, especially when you're talking about every single fish counting.

> "The last period...I'm sitting there catching them pretty consistently...20 lbs [over] Jake and he's battling back.

> "...the last tournament, fishing head to head against Jake and losing on the last cast of the day, was a heartbreaker. All I could think was, I cannot miss a single opportunity in this last period. I have to put every bit of effort I have into this final period and close this thing out. I have to keep pushing...do not let off.

> "So I kept pushing, pushing, pushing. To be honest, I was fighting off tears – I could tell my dad was looking down on me...just had this calming peace at the same point in time...finish this, be done with it.

> "When I was up 30 lbs in the last 5 minutes, I could sit back and a lot of that emotion started to come through. It was special."

Baits

> "The first couple days I fished a DT16 in 'citrus shad' ("if smallmouth were in the group or the water was dirtier or if it was a little cloudier or early in the morning") and 'big shad' ("when the fish were a little bit pressured"). If you could fire up a school up on a crankbait, it's the fastest way to catch them and you catch the biggest one too. ...jump up that leaderboard fast...."

> Crankbait gear: 12-lb Sufix Advantage Fluoro, Duckett Paradigm Reel (6.2), 7' 6" MH Duckett JW Signature Cranking Rod (from the discontinued OG series).

> Bigger jig 'n minnow: 5.25" Rapala CrushCity Freeloader (gizzard shad – new bigger size not out yet) on a 5/16-oz VMC Hybrid Swimbait Jighead ("I felt like a little heavier head was key in generating more bites – keeping it in the strike zone more").

> 8-lb Sufix Revolve Braid to a 6' 12-lb Sufix Advance Fluoro leader, Shimano Stradic c3000 XG, 7' 1" M Duckett JW Select Spin Rod. ("It has a little more power, and with those bigger minnows and larger head you want a little more backbone. It still has a fast action but more backbone to it."

> Smaller jig 'n minnow: "The 4.25 Freeloader (electric shad) was for places where I felt like smallmouth were there heavy. I felt like they ate it better." He fished that on a 1/4-oz VMC Hybrid Swimbait Jighead, 8-lb Sufix Revolve Braid to 10-lb Sufix Advance Fluoro leader, Shimano Vanford Spin Reel (2500), 7' M Duckett JW 2.0 Series Spin Rod.

> Neko rig: Rapala CrushCity Janitor (mostly gp magic and also plum), 4mm VMC Crossover Ring, #2 VMC RedLine Neko Hook, 3/16-oz VMC Half Moon Wacky Weight, same rod, reel and line as for the smaller jig 'n minnow.

> "If I could not get them to bite anything, I could drag it around and get a couple bites even from the most pressured schools."

> Football jig: 3/4-oz Jewel Football Jig (gp purple) with a Rapala CrushCity Cleanup Craw (gp colors, gp magic later in the day). "I trimmed the skirt up a little bit, a little tighter for a little faster fall when I was snapping it. I took off about 1/4 of the Craw to make it more compact. One jig I trimmed the weedguard completely out, and I had one jig with the weedguard in it" [depend on what was on the bottom].

> "...higher frequency Cleanup Craw, that quick tail and kick action."

> 14 lb Sufix Advance Fluoro, Shimano Curado XG 150 Reel, 7' 3" H Duckett JW 2.0 Series Rod.

> "In the morning I caught some fish dragging the jig but they kept missing it. They would thump it and I would miss them – I could tell I had to make them react. The current was running at such a fast pace, the fish were really stuck to the bottom....

> "My cadence on that was snap, let it fall, snap, let it fall – not stroking a jig, snapping a jig. A lot of people stroke jigs because the fish will suspend.

> "That small snap made those fish react. It seemed like I could go to places where the schools were busted up and catch fish that I might not be able to do on other techniques – especially not having FFS to be able to dial in small little groups.

> "I had no FFS so I had to imagine where my cast was and where the fish were. You had to make a very precise cast but were basically covering water."

Electronics

> [Lowrance] C-Maps are a really big deal on the TN river.

> "Humminbird side imaging was big, deal having that Apex 13 in the back. The fish were super tight to the bottom.

> "We're only allowed to have 2 forward-looking transducers.... I had 2 ActiveTarget 2s on my boat and [before KY Lake] swapped out one to a [Humminbird] 360 and that was a huge deal. To be able to Spot Lock on a spot and see fish on the bottom, and not having to move my forward around...being more efficient....

> "...using a Precision 9 [Lowrance compass] for my heading...a higher-end heading sensor. It's pretty expensive but it's such a fine-tuned deal. I was using it in non-FFS periods where I had to figure out the precise cast.... Rather than me thinking I'm 10-15' away from my target, I'm within a foot...."

Shoutouts

> "...my wife. People don't realize it's a team. It's really important to have somebody at home that is pushing you to perform at a higher level.

> "It's funny – my wife has a screen grab on her computer: 'What would Sherry VanDam do?' It's hilarious but she looks up to Sherry and I look up to Kevin. And the same things Sherry did for Kevin, Alicia's doing for me...pushes me to be better every day...on the water, being a dad, being a husband."

FYI Jacob has now won on KY Lake, Chickamauga, Guntersville and Pickwick, and has had at least a top 10 on every single TVA lake from Douglas and Cherokee down to KY Lake. Dang son! Let's get into it:

1. You were mad at Jake for shoplifting your win at Nickajack weren't you?

> "Hell yeah I was! [Laughs]

> "I wasn't mad. I appreciate competition, but I was definitely wanting revenge for sure. I wanted to get back on the water and get a chance."

Follow-up: Is it true that after the last one you bought a toy dog, named it Jake and started kicking it around the house? 😁

> "I'm not gonna comment on that – I didn't know that one got out. [Laughs] Inside information."

2. Other than having a great day on the last day, how do you win an MLF event?

> "It is chess to a T. Your whole week comes down to 1 day. So everything before that is just qualifying. It's pole position. You're slow-playing everything you can and you're getting an understanding...developing your gameplan for that final day. That final showdown.

> "You're moving this pawn here, that pawn there. You're seeing how the field is reacting via Scoretracker, you're understanding things....

> "...practice is one thing, but fishing in the tournament is true information – the most up to date information of what's going on.

> "It's chess, and you have to make the right decisions that final day. It's gone my way sometimes and it's not gone my way. That's what makes it fun....

> "Very few times are you winning the tournament just because of luck. It's a lot of strategy – every single decision that's made out there on that water."

3. Do you think the other MLF guys see you as a superhero or super villain?

> "[Laughs] I guess it would just depend on who you ask."

Bonus Q: Is it legal for you to win without using a new CrushCity bait?

> "No it's in my contract. [Laughs] Dan [Quinn at Rapala] says I have to.

> "It definitely helps...."

2nd: Jake "saint" Lawrence

> Jig 'n minnow: "I threw my new minnow [various colors] from Yamamoto until I ran out in the Knockout Round. That will be released at ICAST." When he ran out, he fished another minnow. 1/4-oz tungsten jighead, 18-lb Seaguar PEX8 Braid to 15-lb Seaguar Red Label fluoro, 7' 6" ML rod.

> "For my [non-FFS] periods I found that if [he cranked] through the schools horizontally, half the school would start to follow the bait before one would eat, and the remainder would follow all the way to the boat. Then they would reposition in a new place somewhere within a 100' radius of the original waypoint, making it difficult to catch numbers out of the school.

> "This led me to throwing a 1-oz Ryugi Bean Weight – to keep my line from being in contact with the bottom – Carolina rig with roughly a 2' leader: 17-lb Seaguar Red Label for the main line and a 2' 15-lb Red Label fluoro leader."

> Rest of the C-rig: 4/0 Owner Haymaker Hook, mostly a 3" Yamamoto Yamacraw (also a 4" Big Bite Baits Creature Bait, Bates GOAT 150 Reel ("for a larger line capacity"), Dobyns Champion XP 733 Rod.

> "My followup was a 5/8-oz Buckeye Mini Mop Jig – I trimmed the skirt down – with a Yamamoto Flappin Hog trailer." 15-lb Seaguar Red Label, Bates Salty Hundo Reel, same Dobyns rod.

> "Fishing schools on secondary bars in 10-15'. The drop in current generation each day made keeping up with the schools somewhat tricky as they seemed to have a new ambush point for every 10,000 cfs, causing me to re-find most schools almost daily."

3rd: Brent "para-s" Ehrler

> Dropshot: 6" Roboworm (morning dawn), 1/0 Roboworm Rebarb Hook, 1/4-oz weight, 12-lb Sunline Braid to 8-lb Sunline Sniper, Daiwa Tatula Elite Spin Reel, 7' 1" M Daiwa Tatula Elite Rod. 12-15' of water.

> Crankbait: Lucky Craft 3.5 XD and Lucky Craft 2.5 DD (both pearl threadfin shad) with 1/0 Gamakatsu EWG trebles, 12-lb Sunline Sniper, Daiwa Tatula Elite Reel, Daiwa Tatula Elite Deep Cranking Rod.

> "The 3.5 was for anything deeper than 12'. The 2.5 was for 1 spot that was 10'."

> Hair jig (white), 14-lb Sunline Sniper, Daiwa Tatula Elite Reel, 7' 3" MH Daiwa Tatula Elite Multi-Purpose Rod. All depths.

> "I did catch a few on a 3/4-oz Buckeye Football Jig (gp) with a 3-inch Yamamoto Yamacraw (gp)." 16-lb Sunline Sniper, Daiwa Tatula Elite Reel, 7' 4" H Daiwa Tatula Elite Ish Frog Rod.

4th: Jacob "another brick in the" Wall

> "One of my primary baits without FFS was the Carolina rig with a 20-lb Cortland Fluoro mainline to a 18-lb off the swivel. I was using a 2-2.5' line length between the swivel and the 3/0 Owner Round Bend Hook. The bait was a Rapala CrushCity Hedgehog in gp magic. 7' 4" H Duckett Pro Series Rod.

> "One of the keys for me this week was applying Thump Gel Trailer Gel to my Hedgehog which I believe got me a few more bites.

> "I also implemented a swimbait throughout the event in the non-FFS periods. The one that did most of the damage was a 6-inch Daingerous Loaded Swimbait in the deep 1.9-oz weight." 20-lb Cortland fluoro, 7' 6" Duckett JW 2.0 Rod.

> "During my FFS period each day I had to figure out the exact minnow setup that was the best. Each day it was a bit different. 1st day it was a 1/4-oz Dirty Jigs Guppy Head with a minnow, 2nd day it was a 3/32-oz hover rig with a minnow, and the 3rd day it was a mix of both. On the final day it was a 3/16-oz Dirty Jigs Guppy Head with a minnow. I opted for the 3/0 hook in my Guppy Head to fit the minnow properly.

> "5-inch minnow in a couple baitfish patterns depending on light penetration. I applied Thump Gel Crank'n Gel to both my swimbaits and my minnows to produce more bites from pressured schools."

> 8-lb Cortland Master Braid to 10-lb Cortland XTR Fluoro Leader, 7' M Duckett JW 2.0 Spin Rod.

5th: John "bounty" Hunter

> Carolina rig: Googan Dart, 3/0 round bend worm hook, 3/4-oz Googan tungsten weight, 17-lb P-Line Tactical Fluoro to 15-lb P-Line Tactical fluoro, 7' 3" MH Swate Black Label Rod.

> Rapala DT16 (citrus shad) with #2 Mustad Alpha Point Trebles, 12-lb P-Line Tactical Fluoro, 7' 4" Swate Mad Crankinest Rod.

> 6" Deps Sakamata Shad on a 1/4-oz head, 4' 12-lb fluoro leader, 6' 11" Swate Inked Series Rod.

> 7" Bass Mafia Big Larry Spoon (stock hooks), 50-lb braid to 20-lb flouro, 7' 7" H Swate Inked Series Rod.

> "Fished ledges in 12-20'. Ran a bunch of places day 1, but tightened rotation to about 4-5 different schools as the weekend progressed. Had 1 very big school where I caught probably 40-50% of my weight."

1. Mike Iaconelli is not fishing Tenkiller

Sounds like he's got a beat up wing. Get better soon man and take 'er ez!

2. Bill Lowen went to 10' Raptors and won't go back

2-min YT vid. Shallow-water guy, said he's done with 8-footers because sometimes he's poling down deeper when he's trying to pick apart cover.

Raptors on TW.

3. Matt Arey's throwing the Lunkerhunt Compact Frog

Comes in standard and the new popping version. His favorite color is 'green tea' ^ because of how well it imitates a bream.

4. Here's the Top 10 in the MPF BPT points

1. Jacob Wheeler -- 389

2. Jake Lawrence -- 351

3. Drew Gill -- 348

4. Alton Jones Jr -- 326

5. Brent Ehrler -- 322

6. Justin Cooper -- 318

7. Ron Nelson -- 317

8. Matt Becker -- 316

9. Justin Lucas -- 316

10. Cole Floyd -- 312

5. Here's the MLF Team Series teams for this year

Some good'ns.

6. OH: 2 guys cracked 11 lbs at the OH River BFL

They tied with 11-01 – in muddy water! Is that a record BFL weight on that river?? Did someone once weigh 11-02? 😁

7. New Z-Man Ultimate ElaZtech Shakey Headz

> Purpose-built for Z-Man's FattyZ and other ElaZtech worms...available exclusively at Tackle Warehouse...premium shakey head...a hybrid football head shape, a razor-sharp Owner hook....

8. New Skeeter ZXE20 and ZXE21

Sounds like they're the top line? No $$$ info yet:

9. NY: Walleye tourney winning team used 3 FFS trannies

> ...used 3 FFS units that did not interfere with each other. Why? Because they were each looking in separate directions. Andy Travis used a Lowrance ActiveTarget unit on the bow, and Laird and Papalia used Garmin LiveScope units on each side.

10. CA is having a 2-day salmon season

After 3 years. So that's good?

11. DC: Trump Admin backs out of PNW salmon agreement

> ...out of an agreement with WA, OR and 4 American Indian tribes to work together to restore salmon populations and boost tribal clean energy...deriding the plan as "radical environmentalism" that could have resulted in the breaching of 4...dams on the Snake River.

> The deal, known as the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, was reached in late 2023...planned to spend more than $1 bil over a decade to help recover depleted salmon runs.

> ...the White House said...Biden's decision to sign the agreement "placed concerns about climate change above the nation's interests in reliable energy sources."

12. Bassin' Hall of Fame funds 8 projects

Sadly none have to do with post-tournament launch ramp grillin'...😁

13. MN Adult & Teen Challenge tourney raises $702K

#stout! If you're not familiar, the Adult & Teen Challenge is in many (all?) states and is an amazing faith-based addiction recovery program.

14. MN: Now you need an "operator's permit" to run a boat

> Initially, the law applies to people who were born after June 30, 2004, and are aged 12 or older.

If it's like NJ, eventually everyone will have to have one. My 2c: $$$ grab for the state, aka another tax.

15. WI: BRP is cutting workers at Sturtevant

Former Evinrude facility. Looks like they will not be in the boat biz at all?

16. John Taranto new editorial director of GAME & FEESH

Headlines of the Day

$50K Winning Lotto Ticket Claimed In Joppa By Player Who Plans To Buy A Fishing Pole

He must have a bass boat already...😁

Is the atomic outboard an idea whose time has come?

I'm going with...no.

Mike Schoonveld: De-extinct carp predators to curb the problems caused by these invasives?

I'm going with...bad idea.

PSA

Didja know you can by USED stuff on Tackle Warehouse??

Gitcha jig 'n Senko on roundup

1. Pete Ponds posted this jig 'n Speed Senko

2. Similar deal but with a different jig and regular Senko

Believe a guy named Spencer Hall posted it on Pinterest?

3. Jig 'n wacky-rigged Senko (Strike King Ocho)

Seen on thebassfishinglife.com:

I might actually try that one!

4. Finesse-jig version with a longer than normal Senko trailer

Posted by @supremejigs on Insta:

"I thought to myself, I can either be a grumpy old guy or I can just have fun and be thankful for being out here."

- Justin Lucas talkin' 'bout having what is really another good season. More:

> "...that's been my mindset this year. Every day of practice, every day of the tournaments I am just enjoying being on the water."

This is the only truly "black bass" I've seen that isn't an inch long. Does it have sunburn?? Is it AI??? Posted by @wildgamefreaks on IG:

Here's your dad's day gift idea! 😆 Not sure where the pic is from but of course they're on amazon – here's a link:

Fishers of Men Tournament Trail

Bass Chaplain podcasts

Contact Chris Wells the Bass Chaplain

CullGear.com - Versaweb

Advanced Angler

StrayCasts crazy web show!

BassEdge Radio

Champion Jigs

Trophy Bass Co.

National Professional Anglers Assoc.