Both Jacob Wheeler and Justin Lucas caught more than 100 pounds of scorable St. Lawrence River bass during the first day of the General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkely. Then again, so did seven other MLF pros in Group A. What made their Qualifying Day 1 stand out is the fact that they both managed to boat a 6-pound smallmouth. Wheeler caught a 6-6 during Period 1 and then Lucas topped that when he landed a 6-13 during Period 2.
Wheeler is leading Group A’s Qualifying Round with 165 pounds, 1 ounce. If he can hold onto that lead when Group A returns to the river on Sunday, he’ll skip the Knockout Round and automatically qualify for the Stage Five Championship Round. Wheeler also broke the record for the most weight caught during a single Bass Pro Tour competition day.
Lucas will start his second Qualifying Day in sixth place, with 125-8. His 6-13 is currently the biggest bass caught during Stage Five, but that’s expected to change as the event progresses.