REDCREST 2019: Wheeler Ready to Top Off an Epic Season
LA CROSSE, Wi. – The titles of 2019 Challenge Cup Champion, 2019 General Tire World Champion and 2019 Bass Pro Tour Stage Seven Champion all belong to one MLF pro: Jacob Wheeler.
He also holds several Bass Pro Tour records: highest overall weight, most fish caught and highest single-day weight, just to name a few. Wheeler’s season has been nothing short of historic, and in a few days, he’ll have a shot at becoming the first-ever REDCREST champion.
“It’s been an unbelievable year,” he said, “You can’t ask for anything more. To have the year I’ve had, you can’t take those for granted. You take every single win and you cherish it because you just never know when your next one’s going to come.”
Riding the Wave of Success
Wheeler believes good (and bad) things happen in waves, and he admits he has no idea how long he’ll be able to ride this “wave” of success. But come August 21, he’ll be eager to compete for a REDCREST trophy and $300,000 paycheck.
“I want to do well for my family, for my sponsors, for my fans,” he said, “It’s a combination of it all.”
Through social media, Wheeler has created one of the largest fan bases in professional bass fishing. He has racked up nearly 55,000 subscribers on his YouTube Channel, where he documents his life as a pro. He says that helps motivate him to perform well.
“You know, you don’t want to be recording you sucking,” Wheeler laughed, “Let’s just be honest, none of us want to do that. But you’ve got to show the good, bad and the ugly. You’ve got to show the tough times, you’ve got to show the fish loses. And that’s part of it. Because it’s relatable to a lot of people.”
Next week, Wheeler’s fans will be able to watch him and the other 29 REDCREST competitors compete in La Crosse, Wisconsin on the Upper Mississippi River. Wheeler says there will be something for every angler on that playing field.
“It always is really, really good fishing,” he said. “No matter what time of year you go. You got smallmouth, you got largemouth. You’ve got main river stuff, you’ve got shallow water, you got froggin’ stuff back in the backwater. It’s truly just a unique fishery that all of us are excited about.”
Although the field will be much smaller than a typical Bass Pro Tour event, Wheeler says it’s going to be a challenge to make the Top 10, and especially tough to win.
“Those are the 30 anglers that rose to the occasion this year and fished the best, day in and day out,” said Wheeler, “They’re there for a reason.”
He believes that any of REDCREST’s qualifiers could win the event, but Wheeler is convinced that the key is going to be finding good schools of fish.
“You’re going to have to find new fish,” said Wheeler. “You’re going to have to find new areas, you’re going to have to adapt to what’s going on.”