Wheeler Jumps Out to Early Lead after First Day at Lake Fork - Major League Fishing
Wheeler Jumps Out to Early Lead after First Day at Lake Fork
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Wheeler Jumps Out to Early Lead after First Day at Lake Fork

Image for Wheeler Jumps Out to Early Lead after First Day at Lake Fork
Jacob Wheeler threaded his way through Lake Fork timber to grab the Group A lead. Photo by Garrick Dixon. Angler: Jacob Wheeler.
February 19, 2022 • Joel Shangle • Bass Pro Tour

QUITMAN, Texas – The only thing you can really predict about a late-winter bass tournament in East Texas is that it’ll be UNpredictable. With nighttime temperatures plunging into the 20s heading into Day 1 of Toro Stage Two Presented by Grundéns on Lake Fork, the 80-angler Bass Pro Tour field knew that it would be dealing with surly Florida-strain largemouth that react famously poorly to sudden cold snaps.

To no one’s surprise, Jacob Wheeler was the angler who solved the puzzle the fastest. Wheeler caught the first 7-pounder of the event and put the most bass on SCORETRACKER®, providing confirmation that he’s on a two-year roll that shows no sign of slowing. The Tennessee pro ended the first day with a lead for the seventh time in 22 regular-season Bass Pro Tour events, and built a quick head start on Group A’s automatic qualification into the Stage Two Championship Round.

FULL RESULTS
BALLY BET AOY STANDINGS

Wheeler racked up 15 fish for 56 pounds, 7 ounces to finish the first day of qualifying with an 8-pound cushion on Ish Monroe in second (48-5) and an 11-pound lead on Kevin VanDam in third (44-14). Wheeler started his day with a 7-3 on a Rapala Shadow Rap just four minutes into the first period, and added a 5-11 and 5-6 later in the day as he chipped away at the lead that Monroe had built in the first two periods.

The defending BPT Angler of the Year spent the day patiently picking his way around the Lake Fork timber with a jerkbait, weighing seven of his 14 fish (and 24-7 of his final weight) in Period 3 and putting himself in good position to earn his third automatic qualification into a Bass Pro Tour Championship Round.

“It’s all been about decision making,” Wheeler said. “These fish aren’t easy to catch, so it really came down to being persistent. It hasn’t been easy to figure out a pattern yet this week – it seems like it’s more area-related for me. I figured I’d catch them jerking today, but long term, I don’t know if that’ll be the deal. Today was nice, but the rest of the week is a little different. I have some other patterns and areas I’m going to look at, to see if we can come up with a gameplan of how to win.”

Lake Fork Being Lake Fork

The Day 1 bite on Lake Fork was far from hot and heavy, but as is often the case in late-winter and prespawn tournaments on big-fish fisheries like Lake Fork, those bites were frequently big:

  • Stage One winner Bradley Roy connected with his personal-best largemouth early in the second period with an 11-11, a pot-bellied female that followed his jerkbait all the way back to his boat before biting. Roy weighed only five scorable bass on the day, but they added up to 28-14 (an average of 5-12).
  • Zack Birge weighed a 10-14 midway through the second period, his personal best. Birge also maximized his bites on the day: he weighed five fish for 28-3, a 5-11 average.

Don’t be surprised if similar double-digit fish show up over the next few days. With an approaching storm front expected to arrive during the Knockout Round and Championship Round, Fork will see a rapid warm-up into the mid-70s on Days 3 and 4.

“Later in the week, I think you’re going to see some special stuff start to happen,” said VanDam. “We’re going to see some fireworks this week.”

Daily Leaders

  • The Berkley Big Bass of the Day was Roy’s 11-11.
  • Wheeler had the most weight on SCORETRACKER® with 56-7 to earn the lead.
  • Wheeler caught the most scorable bass with 14.

What’s Next & How to Watch

Group B’s first Qualifying Day on Lake Fork kicks off at 8 a.m. CST on Sunday. Live coverage of the second day of Toro Stage Two Presented by Grundéns starts at 7:45 a.m. CT on the MLF NOW! live stream. Watch for free on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app, or the MyOutdoorTV app.

Bally Bet Angler of the Year

MLF has partnered with Bally Bet for the 2022 Bally Bet Angler of the Year award. Bally’s is MLF’s exclusive sports betting, daily fantasy sports, and free-to-play partner for all MLF tournament circuits. The 2022 Bally Bet Angler of the Year will take home a $100,000 prize at the end of the 2022 Bass Pro Tour season. Follow the Bally Bet AOY standings all year long as the Bass Pro Tour season continues.