By MLF Communications Staff
Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee caught 11 scorable bass weighing 23 pounds, 12 ounces to earn the win Friday and advance directly to his seventh straight Championship Round at the Bass Pro Tour event on Lewis Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. It's the fourth time Wheeler has earned an automatic berth to the Championship Round.
Wheeler’s two-day Qualifying Round total of 41 bass weighing 80-13 ounces earned him the group win by a broad 24-11 margin over 2nd-place Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma, who caught a two-day total of 29 bass totaling 56-02. Randy Howell of Guntersville, Alabama, ended the day in 3rd place with a two-day total of 22 bass weighing 52-12, while pro Casey Ashley of Donalds, South Carolina, slipped down two spots to finish the round in 4th place with a two-day total of 22 bass weighing 51-04. Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, rounded out the Top 5 with a two-day total of 25 bass weighing 50-10.
Wheeler again spent the day out in open water over extremely deep timber catching spotted bass.
“Suspended fish can be (some) of the toughest to catch,” said Wheeler. “I targeted a lot of suspended fish today with the Rapala Jigging Rap and a (Storm) Largo Shad. I had a solid lead going into today, so I was just trying to figure out if there was a pattern to it. I figured out some areas and things that helped me dial in and find the bass a little quicker. Overall, it seems to be less of a pattern and more of a zone that I need to target on Monday.”
Wheeler is sitting in a great spot once again, with two days off and the entire weekend to rest and put his game plan together for the Championship Round.
“It’s been a good week so far,” said Wheeler. “We finished on top, and it feels great to advance straight to the Championship Round.
“I know a lot is going to change between now and then, so I’ll probably rig up a mixture of rods and be ready to try a variety of techniques when we get back out here on Monday. Obviously, the docks will definitely play more down the lake, but with the conditions we are expecting, I’ll just have to pay attention to what the weather is doing.
“We’ll sort of hodge-podge it up,” continued Wheeler. “I guarantee you it’s going to be a hodge-podge kind of day on Championship Monday.”
There was also additional excitement around the cut line during the final period, with John Murray of Spring City, Tennessee, beginning the third period in 32nd place before catching a flurry of 14 bass weighing 20-12 to catapult into 10th place.
Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, finished the day in 19th place, throwing Strike King crankbaits.
“Man, what a struggle today,” said VanDam. “I went the whole first period and didn’t catch a scorable bass, despite running some really good stuff. I’m just thrilled to be moving on to the Knockout Round and to have a chance to continue fishing this event.
“Obviously, some of the other guys have really got something figured out, but on this lake, anything can happen at any point. I’ve had some pretty good flurries and have seen what’s possible here, so that’s what we’re going to be shooting for in the Knockout Round.”
Bass Pro Tour newcomer Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri was sweating it out during his first time on the cut line before finishing the day in 20th place.
“I’m the last guy in, and it was a grind today – that third period just chewed me up,” said Lawyer. “I had a game plan of sticking with the docks and finesse-fishing around the docks with a couple of little swimbaits on a Freedom Lures Swimbait Head, and almost got caught. But that’s the best thing about the Bass Pro Tour – when we start on the water again on Sunday, we’re all even. Doesn’t matter if you’re 1st or 20th. I’m just thankful to be out here and to go see what we can do in the Knockout Round.”
The top 20 anglers from Group A will now enjoy an off day, while the 40 anglers in Qualifying Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Saturday. The Knockout Round, featuring 38 anglers competing to finish in the Top 8, will take place Sunday. Monday’s Championship Round will feature Wheeler, Saturday’s Group B winner, and the eight survivors from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.
Randall Tharp (18th) caught a 6-07 largemouth on a jig in the third period that catapulted him up into the Top 20 and earned him the third $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the event. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
Anglers launch each day at 7:30 a.m. from the Smith Lake State Park, located at 403 County Road 386 in Cullman. Takeouts held at the park, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events.
The tournament features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney breaks down the extended action on each day of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Group A Qualifying Round – Day 2
(Figure at far right indicates weight of angler's heaviest fish for the day)
1. Jacob Wheeler -- 57-01 (30) -- 23-12 (11) -- 80-13 (41) -- 3-05
2. Zack Birge -- 30-05 (16) -- 25-13 (13) -- 56-02 (29) -- 3-03
3. Randy Howell -- 21-15 (8) -- 30-13 (14) -- 52-12 (22) -- 3-05
4. Casey Ashley -- 31-01 (13) -- 20-03 (9) -- 51-04 (22) -- 4-05
5. Andy Morgan -- 28-14 (14) -- 21-12 (11) -- 50-10 (25) -- 3-05
6. Justin Lucas -- 10-04 (5) -- 36-04 (15) -- 46-08 (20) -- 6-04
7. Wesley Strader -- 13-10 (7) -- 29-00 (12) -- 42-10 (19) -- 5-02
8. Josh Bertrand -- 28-04 (12) -- 13-13 (7) -- 42-01 (19) -- 2-10
9. Edwin Evers -- 23-11 (12) -- 17-00 (9) -- 40-11 (21) -- 2-12
10. John Murray -- 2-07 (1) -- 37-15 (19) -- 40-06 (20) -- 3-12
11. Andy Montgomery -- 20-13 (12) -- 18-06 (7) -- 39-03 (19) -- 4-06
12. Mark Daniels Jr. -- 24-01 (10) -- 14-03 (7) -- 38-04 (17) -- 2-14
13. Adrian Avena -- 13-03 (7) -- 24-02 (12) -- 37-05 (19) -- 3-12
14. Terry Scroggins -- 10-12 (5) -- 24-13 (14) -- 35-09 (19) -- 3-03
15. Mark Rose -- 16-11 (9) -- 18-05 (8) -- 35-00 (17) -- 3-06
16. Russ Lane -- 16-03 (7) -- 14-14 (8) -- 31-01 (15) -- 2-07
17. Luke Clausen -- 18-00 (7) -- 11-11 (7) -- 29-11 (14) -- 2-00
18. Randall Tharp -- 18-04 (9) -- 10-15 (3) -- 29-03 (12) -- 6-07
19. Kevin VanDam -- 16-15 (8) -- 11-11 (6) -- 28-10 (14) -- 2-14
20. Jeremy Lawyer -- 16-06 (8) -- 11-00 (6) -- 27-06 (14) -- 2-01
The following anglers did not make the cut and will not advance to the Knockout Round
21. Cody Meyer -- 5-01 (3) -- 20-10 (11) -- 25-11 (14) -- 2-10
22. Stephen Browning -- 12-05 (6) -- 13-00 (5) -- 25-05 (11) -- 4-03
23. Ish Monroe -- 10-10 (5) -- 13-01 (6) -- 23-11 (11) -- 2-13
24. Brett Hite -- 11-01 (6) -- 8-14 (4) -- 19-15 (10) -- 2-11
25. Brandon Coulter -- 2-15 (1) -- 16-14 (7) -- 19-13 (8) -- 3-04
26. Gary Klein -- 6-10 (2) -- 13-00 (6) -- 19-10 (8) -- 3-04
27. Bradley Roy -- 4-04 (2) -- 15-02 (8) -- 19-06 (10) -- 2-10
28. Mike McClelland -- 9-08 (5) -- 9-08 (5) -- 19-00 (10) -- 2-08
29. Brent Chapman -- 11-05 (5) -- 6-10 (3) -- 17-15 (8) -- 2-12
30. Paul Elias -- 3-07 (2) -- 13-13 (8) -- 17-04 (10) -- 2-01
31. Jason Lambert -- 12-07 (5) -- 4-13 (3) -- 17-04 (8) -- 1-10
32. Dean Rojas -- 8-14 (5) -- 7-13 (5) -- 16-11 (10) -- 1-12
33. Keith Poche -- 5-05 (3) -- 9-14 (5) -- 15-03 (8) -- 3-02
34. Dave Lefebre -- 10-05 (5) -- 4-08 (2) -- 14-13 (7) -- 3-00
35. Jared Lintner -- 3-02 (1) -- 10-06 (6) -- 13-08 (7) -- 1-15
36. Scott Suggs -- 0-00 (0) -- 13-06 (7) -- 13-06 (7) -- 2-13
37. Kelly Jordon -- 8-00 (3) -- 3-10 (2) -- 11-10 (5) -- 1-15
38. Jeff Sprague -- 0-00 (0) -- 9-15 (6) -- 9-15 (6) -- 2-00
39. James Watson -- 3-02 (2) -- 3-04 (2) -- 6-06 (4) -- 1-11
40. Cliff Crochet -- 1-08 (1) -- 2-06 (1) -- 3-14 (2) -- 2-06
