Wheeler cruises to another Qualifying Round win
RICHMOND, Va. — Followers of the Bass Pro Tour know Jacob Wheeler’s MO by now. The two-time winner this season wants to catch as much weight as he can during the first day of qualifying, then use the second day to explore new water and dial in his pattern in preparation for the Knockout and Championship Rounds.
Wheeler has used that strategy to rack up more victories, Angler of the Year titles and earnings in BPT competition than any of his peers, and so far at General Tire Stage Six Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts on the James River, he’s following the same blueprint. Wheeler, who amassed a big lead over the rest of Group A when he stacked nearly 80 pounds on SCORETRACKER® on Day 1, added 15 scorable bass for 29-1 Thursday. That brought his total to 107-9, 23-4 ahead of Zack Birge.
Behind Wheeler, the weights remained tightly bunched throughout the day, allowing three anglers who started below 10thplace to climb above the cut line and secure spots in Saturday’s Knockout Round. The battle to stave off elimination was so close that it took a tiebreaker to determine the final spot in the Top 10, with Andy Montgomery prevailing over Jared Lintner after both totaled 70-10.
Full results can be found here.
Wheeler works to develop high-tide pattern
No surprise, Wheeler’s focus Thursday was less on adding to his weight total and more about learning the nuances of the fishery. However, there was one difference from his typical script. Instead of running new water once he felt he’d amassed enough weight to make the Knockout Round, the tidal nature of the James led Wheeler to revisit several of the same spots he fished during practice and Day 1 on a different tide.
“Some places that I really thought looked good and I never got a bite in practice, I had to re-check them during a different tide and make sure, and I caught some fish,” Wheeler said. “It was a really good learning day just to understand it truly does make such an impact what tide you have and where the fish are at. It was definitely a learning experience for the future of understanding tidal fisheries.”
Like many in the field, Wheeler feels like he has a solid grasp of how to generate bites around low tide. The challenge has come when the water is high. Avoiding a high-tide lull will be increasingly important as the event progresses, with high tide scheduled to arrive right around lines in during the Knockout Round and shortly thereafter during the Championship Round.
Thus, Wheeler focused his efforts Thursday on finding spots that could hold groups of fish during high tide. He said he’s had more success with winding baits amid high water, whereas he’s slowing down and targeting “pinpoint locations” when it drops.
“The higher water is definitely a little bit tougher,” he explained. “It’s harder to generate a bite. There’s just so much more cover available, and you just spread so many more fish out. So, that’s why it gets a little bit more difficult with the higher water, and that’s something that I’ll have to figure out a way to catch them during high water — at least shoot par, if you will, on the higher water come Saturday.”
The other unknown that Wheeler and the rest of the Knockout Round field will have to contend with is fishing pressure. With much of the field congregated in and around the Chickahominy River, Wheeler found himself sharing water with more competitors Thursday. It remains to be seen how his spots will hold up to the pressure — and whether there are even more boats in the mix come Saturday.
“I feel good about it; I feel like I can catch some bass,” Wheeler said. “But I just don’t know until you put 10 more boats on that body of water what is going to be available to fish. Plus local anglers, Saturdays, it gets a little bit more difficult.”
Despite those unknowns, Wheeler is optimistic about his chances of advancing to a sixth Championship Round in eight events this season. Having another day to learn the fishery couldn’t have hurt.
Starting strong typically bodes well for Wheeler’s end result. The Qualifying Round win marks the 10th time he’s won his group during his Bass Pro Tour career, easily the most of any angler. During five of his eight BPT victories, Wheeler led his group after at least one of the two qualifying days.
“I’m hopeful,” he said. “With the conditions and the tides changing, it’s hard to say for sure, but I’m hoping that I added a few more things to my rotation.”
Montgomery moving on thanks to tiebreaker
Thanks to its live scoring, the Bass Pro Tour is no stranger to drama around the cut line, but it doesn’t get any closer than Thursday’s scramble to finish among the Top 10. For most of the third period, seven or so anglers grappled for the final two spots. Then, after Skeet Reese went on a tear that saw him add 22-2 to his total in less than an hour, the bubble shrunk to one spot.
Lintner looked like he would claim the final Knockout Round berth when he caught a 1-12 with 11 minutes before lines out, then followed it up with a 1-8 shortly thereafter. However, Montgomery came through in the clutch, boat-flipping a 1-11 with less than 2 minutes remaining. That fish tied him with Lintner in total weight, and Montgomery won the tiebreaker, which was determined by each angler’s biggest bass of the round. A 4-9 caught by Montgomery during the first period Thursday bested Lintner’s 3-3.
Montgomery, who began the day in 15th place, rocketed up SCORETRACKER® with 19-7 in the opening period then did just enough to hold on. Most of his 17 scorable bass, including the buzzer beater, ate a Strike King Thunder Cricket.
“They bit the Thunder Cricket today,” Montgomery said. “That was the difference. I was able to lay it in my hand and roll with it.
“I may take the Thunder Cricket for ice cream tonight. I’m getting ice cream; I may take the Thunder Cricket with me.”
What’s next for Stage Six
Group B will return to the water Friday for its second day of qualifying, which promises to deliver another intense battle to finish above the cut line. Then, weights will zero, and the Top 10 anglers from each group will meet in Saturday’s Knockout Round, with 10 spots in the Championship Sunday field up for grabs.
Keep up with all the coverage on MajorLeagueFishing.com and watch the MLFNOW! live stream Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day.
Fishing Clash Angler of the Year
Wheeler isn’t making things easy for his pursuers in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race. The two-time AOY winner arrived at the James River with a 14-point cushion over Alton Jones Jr., meaning as long as he finishes in the top 14 of the Knockout Round, he’s guaranteed to hold the lead entering the final event of the season on the St. Lawrence River. Oh by the way, the last time the Bass Pro Tour visited the St. Lawrence, Wheeler won.
Jones and Dustin Connell, who sits third in the points, will try to join Wheeler in the Knockout Round when Group B returns to the water Friday.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game played by over 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.