By MLF Communications Staff

The reigning Angler of the Year (AOY) is doing it again. Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, caught 15 scorable bass, five more than any other competitor, to jump out to the early lead in the Group B Qualifying Round in the Bass Pro Tour event on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri.

His haul of 47 pounds, 9 ounces gives him a 16-05 lead over second-place angler James Watson of Lampe, Missouri, who caught 10 scorable bass weighing 31-04 to end the day in second place.

The 40 anglers in Group B will now have an off day on Monday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will conclude its Qualifying Round on Tuesday.

Wheeler struggled early, catching only two scorable bass in the first period. However, once the sun came out it helped Wheeler, and the other anglers sight-fishing, turn it on.

''Today was a really fun day; definitely no complaints here in the Academy boat,'' Wheeler said in his postgame interview. ''The first period was a struggle. But then the sun came out, and the sun is your friend when you’re using your eyes. My Wiley X signature series glasses were definitely a major key today. I truly believe I can see a little bit better than most anglers with these glasses.''

In addition to his sunglasses, Wheeler credited a Texas rig as being his key bait while sight-fishing.

''I was throwing white to more translucent, more green-pumpkin colors,'' Wheeler said. ''I was throwing them on my 7-foot, 3-inch (Duckett) Heavy Action Signature Series rod with 20-pound Sufix fluorocarbon line and a 4/0 VMC straight-shank hook. That sucker absolutely TKOs them.

''I didn’t catch any great big ones today, but I got a ton of really nice ones,'' Wheeler went on to say. ''I wanted to catch as much as I possibly could, and I’m very happy with how the day ended up. It was a great day, but now we’re going to see what the conditions are for Day 2 and go from there.''

Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Arkansas, earned Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award after catching a 5-13 largemouth in Period 1. 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.

After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers who finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers compete to finish in the Top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are again zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Anglers launch each day at 7:30 a.m. from the Grand Glaize Marina Recreation Area, located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach. Takeouts are held at the marina beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW! livestream and ScoreTracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The event features anglers competing with a 2-pound 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 break down the extended action on all six days 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 B Qualifying Round – Day 1

(Figure at far right indicates weight of angler's heaviest fish for the day)

1. Jacob Wheeler -- 47-09 (15) -- 4-03

2. James Watson -- 31-04 (10) -- 5-00

3. Brandon Coulter -- 30-11 (9) -- 4-10

4. Jeremy Lawyer -- 27-14 (10) -- 4-07

5. Stephen Browning -- 25-06 (8) -- 5-13

6. Mark Daniels Jr. -- 24-07 (8) -- 4-05

7. Adrian Avena -- 24-06 (8) -- 4-04

8. Dean Rojas -- 24-01 (7) -- 5-05

9. Zack Birge -- 22-00 (9) -- 3-07

10. Mark Rose -- 21-06 (7) -- 4-08

11. Jared Lintner -- 19-09 (5) -- 4-04

12. David Dudley -- 19-05 (7) -- 4-11

13. Wesley Strader -- 18-06 (7) -- 3-03

14. Luke Clausen -- 16-15 (5) -- 4-03

15. Keith Poche -- 16-01 (5) -- 3-08

16. Cliff Crochet -- 15-10 (6) -- 3-12

17. Randy Howell -- 15-02 (4) -- 4-11

18. Justin Lucas -- 14-13 (4) -- 5-05

19. Kelly Jordon -- 14-08 (5) -- 3-10

20. Randall Tharp -- 13-06 (5) -- 4-00

21. Andy Morgan -- 13-01 (5) -- 4-08

22. Brett Hite -- 12-15 (6) -- 2-07

23. Josh Bertrand -- 12-04 (3) -- 5-04

24. Kevin VanDam -- 11-04 (5) -- 2-08

25. John Murray -- 11-02 (4) -- 3-10

26. Edwin Evers -- 10-04 (3) -- 4-04

27. Bradley Roy -- 10-01 (4) -- 3-04

28. Cody Meyer -- 9-12 (3) -- 4-12

29. Jeff Sprague -- 9-09 (3) -- 5-01

30. Dave Lefebre -- 9-08 (3) -- 4-00

31. Ish Monroe -- 9-01 (3) -- 4-09

32. Brent Chapman -- 8-05 (3) -- 3-13

33. Scott Suggs -- 8-01 (3) -- 3-00

34. Casey Ashley -- 7-10 (3) -- 3-03

35. Andy Montgomery -- 5-09 (2) -- 3-02

36. Jason Lambert -- 5-03 (2) -- 2-13

37. Mike McClelland -- 4-06 (2) -- 2-04

38. Russ Lane -- 4-05 (2) -- 2-03

39. Paul Elias -- 2-04 (1) -- 2-04

40. Gary Klein -- 2-01 (1) -- 2-01