QUITMAN, Texas – As has been the case in almost every tournament he’s competed in over the past three seasons, Jacob Wheeler demonstrated on Monday that he’s undeniably the hottest tournament angler on the planet right now.
The big bass parade continued on the third day of fishing at the Toro Stage Two Presented by Grundéns on Lake Fork, and while yet another 10-pound largemouth found its way onto SCORETRACKER®, Wheeler’s dominance was the story. The Tennessee pro built a lead of more than 40 pounds late in the first period and maintained that cushion the rest of the day, adding 16 bass for 64 pounds, 9 ounces on the day to bring his two-day total to 121-0.
FULL RESULTS
BALLY BET AOY STANDINGS
Wheeler’s success in the first two hours of the day – when he caught eight fish for 35-4 – made it clear to everyone behind him that they should focus on advancing to the Knockout Round.
Another Automatic Qualification for Wheeler
Wheeler’s biggest bass came during his morning flurry when he connected with an 8-1. Shortly after 10 o’clock, Wheeler caught his ninth bass of the day, a 5-4, to bring his daily total to 40-8. Wheeler then turned to the camera and declared he was done fishing his primary area and would start scouting more areas.
The scary part for the other anglers is that Wheeler continued to pile up pounds, tacking on seven more bass for more than 24 pounds while “scouting.”
Wheeler is leaning heavily on his expertise with a jerkbait and forward-facing sonar. That pattern should hold up well, even if the forecasted cold temperatures occur when he returns for the Championship Round.
“Momentum is everything in our sport, and I’m happy to advance to the Championship Round,” Wheeler said. “I’ll spend the next two days regrouping and getting ready for what should be a freezing final day. The weather will be cold, but the big ones should still be biting and there will be some giants that get caught.”
Wheeler’s winning margin was 46-7 over Kevin VanDam in second place.
The last two times that Wheeler skipped the Knockout Round after winning his group’s Qualifying Round – at Lake Eufaula and the St. Lawrence River – he went on to win the tournament.
Late-Day Drama
There was plenty of drama late in the day as some anglers had clutch catches in the final period. Jordan Lee began the day in 20th place and stuck around the Toro Cut Line for most of the day. With less than 20 minutes left in Period 3, Lee landed a 3-5 to distance himself from the Cut Line, ending the day in 16th.
“What a relief to get off of that Cut Line,” Lee said after his last cast. “I’ve never been so happy to catch a 3-pounder. I was reeling it in like a psychopath trying to get it into the boat.”
On the other side of the Toro Cut Line, Bass Pro Tour rookie Dylan Hays was hooked up as his official ticked down the final seconds of the day. Hays rushed it, lost the fish at the boat, and settled for 23rd in Group A, less than 2 pounds behind Britt Myers in 20th place.
Moving Day
Four anglers fell from the Top 20 after tough days: Fletcher Shryock (8th to 22nd), Marty Robinson (10th to 21st), Matt Lee (15th to 26th), and Brent Chapman (16th to 32nd). Three of them had only one fish and Shryock had two.
They were replaced inside the Toro Cut Line by Myers (23rd to 20th), Randy Howell (25th to 15th), Randall Tharp (27th to 17th), and Tommy Biffle (28th to 18th). Myers and Howell made the cut with crucial big catches at the end of the day, each weighing 6-11; Myers with an hour on the clock and Howell with 30 minutes left to go.
Daily Leaders
- The Berkley Big Bass of the Day was Brandon Coulter’s Texas-sized 10-2 largemouth.
- Wheeler had the most weight on SCORETRACKER® with 64-9.
- Wheeler also had the most scorable bass with 16.
What’s Next & How to Watch
Group B will launch into a rainy, windy morning on Tuesday to try to make it to the Knockout Round. The action of the final Qualifying Day kicks off at 8 a.m. CST. Live coverage of the 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.