Ahead Of The Rest

Jacob Wheeler owns the sport. Nowhere is his dominance currently rivaled. With a third BPT Angler of the Year title in four years, and a narrow miss in 2023, Wheeler maintains a place few, if any, have ever occupied.

MLF provides a phenomenal breakdown in their recent release, again rehashing the best-ever debate. One thing is for sure, while VanDam still holds the top spot on most lists, Wheeler is closing.

I keep Wheeler’s phone number handy and wanted to learn more. I’ve interviewed him repeatedly for years now, and recognize a difference in his manner, strategy and goals. One thing that remains consistent, however, is an unwavering commitment to winning.

The greatest takeaway from my recent chat with Wheeler revolved around his overall system. While he attained superstar status through 5-fish limit campaigns, the every-fish-counts format has propelled Wheeler even further.

He’s famous for his fast starts. “I’m always looking for groups of fish in practice.” Wheeler said, an approach I’d heard so often it’s become cliché. But he explained better: “Practice is filled with lots of wasted time catching nothing.” However, once a productive group of bass is located, it’s on to find another, often in a different area through a different pattern.

Wheeler admits to concentrating on known areas with large concentrations of fish, an aspect of modern tournament fishing that can’t be denied. But he then expands to establish a back-up plan, or check a few details that might come into play several days later.

The first day of competition often finds Wheeler charging out of the gate. And herein lies a variable I doubt fans and competitors consider. Regarding his biggest groups of fish, “I burn them early on in the tournament,” Wheeler said. While most competitors often save their best spots for last, Wheeler hits them first. The reason is obvious, yet overlooked: Those spots are best now, not tomorrow, not 6 days from now. So use them now, and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. “That fits the style of how I process information” Wheeler concluded.

Such a game plan is risky, but always puts Wheeler on the best bite when he can find it. In addition, a fast start gives Wheeler some breathing room, allowing him to practice at the best possible time – when the event is already under way. Patterns, then, are the freshest, and he fishes with more confidence, like we all do in practice. Except it counts.

Through it all, Wheeler continues to search for developing patterns. He gave examples of three events this year that were won by anglers who dissected bites that didn’t exist at the onset of the tournament. Massive water fluctuations, muddy water clearing up and high winds threw curves to many competitors, but those who kept ahead of the changes ended up champions. Wheeler does all he can to plan for those changes, always keeping an open mind.

A safety net is often in the plans as well. “Seventy percent of the bass I weighed at the St. Lawrence were largemouth,” Wheeler used as an example. “I wanted that (due to AOY pressure). Largemouth are more predictable, so I spent time practicing for them.”

Regional locations are also factored into the Wheeler strategy. Highly-pressured fisheries known for a tough bite often find him fishing historically productive areas, most already known to the masses. On northern fisheries, though, Wheeler gets away from the crowds. Again using the BPT format to his advantage, Wheeler knows that numbers of 3-pounders add up to more than handfuls of 5s. Yet history – data proven through 5-fish limits – supports areas known for giants, not big schools. So Wheeler zigs while others zag.

Still, Wheeler frequently looks for comfortable water. His prowess offshore cannot be understated, and he’ll force that bite. The BPT event at Santee Cooper was a case in point, where Wheeler came looking for isolated fish on offshore structure, a pattern going somewhat against the grain in the cover-filled waters, especially in prespawn. Yet Wheeler found what he was looking for despite never visiting the fishery prior, riding specific targets to victory.

“Tons of idling and graphing” is how Wheeler described his method at Santee. “After a while, I was able to understand what the fish were on and just keep looking for it.”

When asked what his most important piece of equipment was during the 2024 AOY campaign, Wheeler quickly answered. “The Crush City line of baits.” While this may sound like another sponsor plug, he digressed: “Being able to develop exactly what I wanted; I know how each bait works, the perfect set-up, the best line and hook … it allows me to be very efficient.” Wheeler also stated that such efficiency leads to the ultimate fish-catcher – unwavering confidence. For the record, Wheeler estimates that 80 percent of the fish he weighed this year came on Crush City plastics.

Thirty percent, he said, were seen on forward-facing sonar, a number I found interesting. Fifty percent, according to the champ, if you counted using FFS to locate targets, then casting to them without knowing if bass were present.

These numbers show the diversity of Wheeler’s process. He’s comfortable pursuing bass any way possible, but knows a good thing when he sees it.

Ending our interview, I asked about his future plans, and how he could improve. Most times, such questions are disregarded by today’s champions who state that every top pro has sufficient mechanical skills. Not Wheeler.

“I need to work on my left-handed pitching, to get more efficient. Back-handed roll casts. Casting accuracy with a spinning rod. I keep a list of things on my phone.

“And I need to get in the gym, work on arm strength. My back hurt after some boat rides this year – that was a first. I want to strengthen my back up for sure, so I’ll be working out a lot.”

Jacob Wheeler has never been like the rest, that’s been apparent all along. And what he’s evolved into is an angler like few in history.

One that future competitors will try to emulate for generations.

(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)

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