20-year-old pro earns berth in 2011 Forrest Wood Cup
Indiana pro Jacob Wheeler earned a wire-to-wire victory on Caddo Lake Saturday (May 21) during the BFL All-American held there. Wheeler, the youngest BFL winner, pocketed $100,000 and qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup to be held in July on Arkansas’ Lake Ouachita.
The 20-year-old Wheeler’s sealed the win in his very first BFL All-American with a final-day limit tipping the scales to 7 pounds, 9 ounces. That brought his three-day total to 36-3.
“This is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life,” he said. “It is life changing.
“I have been fishing since I was 2 and dreaming about becoming a pro fisherman since I was 4. I have been draining my bank account every tournament to fish. This was a great day and has been a great week.”
Wheeler said he just couldn’t do anything wrong during the event.
“Everything just seemed to go my way this week,” he said. “I spent a lot of time practicing down here and learning the lake. On the first day, I went to an area where a pond was being drained into the lake, which caused a current. It was loaded with fish. That was really why I had the success I did to start the tournament.
“I went back on day two, but the pump had been turned off and I had to adjust a little bit. This lake is full of fish and you just have to find those key areas.”
After hitting a number of spots on the first day to take the early lead, Wheeler settled down and fished slower the second day. And then he just focused on winning.
“Days two and three I really slowed down,” he said “My strategy was to maintain my lead and try to bring home the win. I mostly sat on one spot and worked through it.”
Most of his fish were caught on tubes, Wheeler said.
Jake Morris of Kentucky came in second place with a total of 27-1, while Charles Cummings of Alabama took third with 24-10. Tennessee’s Lloyd Pickett ended in fourth with 23-6, and Mike Hicks earned the fifth-place finish with 22-14.
Complete standings can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Kentucky’s Shane Winchester won the co-angler division and $50,000 with a total of 22-2, followed by Kyle Radake of Missouri with 17 pounds.
Winchester will also competein the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.