Dustin Connell (left) and Jacob Wheeler on the third Elimination Round match at the Patriot Cup by nearly 15 pounds.
October 26, 2024
By MLF Communications Staff EARLY, Texas – When Dustin Connell and Jacob Wheeler teamed up to compete in the first MLF Team Series event of the season in August at Erie, Pa., many fans thought the reigning REDCREST champion and Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year, respectively, would dominate the competition. Instead, a series of unfortunate on-the-water mishaps – including a hook to the hand that saw Connell leave the water and seek medical treatment for a period of time – resulted in the duo failing to advance out of the Elimination Round.
Saturday, in the third and final match of the Elimination Round at the Patriot Cup on O.H. Ivie in Early, Texas, the duo – representing Team Lucas Oil – dominated.
Wheeler accounted for 16 bass weighing 23 pounds, 5 ounces, while Connell added five for another 9 pounds to earn the Elimination Round win by a 14-11 margin with a 32-5 total. Team Coign – Jeff Sprague and Bryan Thrift – finished the match in second place with 11 bass weighing 17-10. Team Star brite – Dylan Hays and Jacob Wall – and Team B&W Trailer Hitches – Todd Faircloth and Andy Montgomery – were eliminated from competition.
“We’re looking forward to advancing to the Knockout Round – our last time out we had an early exit in Erie. So, it feels good to qualify on this time around," Wheeler said.
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After a short stint fishing the bank in Period 1, the duo quickly pulled out their spinning rods and moved out to deeper water, targeting fish with their forward-facing sonar.
“Early on in the second period we made a major change,” Wheeler said. “Looking at the two baits, you wouldn’t think it is a big change. But we moved from the (gizzard shad-colored Rapala Crush City) Freeloader to the (Rapala Crush City) Mooch Minnow.
“The Mooch Minnow is a lower profile bait and really good around threadfin shad and smaller bait. We also downsized to an 1/8-ounce tungsten VMC (jig) head and then we caught a lot of fish. That change was key to generating more bites throughout the day.”
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The duo spent the last hour and 15 minutes "big-fish hunting" – using their forward-facing sonar to scan deep structure and points and casting to specifically big fish.
“We did give it an honest try,” Connell said. “We could have sat back and caught more 2- or 2 1/2-pounders, but we tried to fish for some big ones this afternoon. Ultimately, they never bit.”
The Knockout Round field is now set, with the Team Lucas Oil duo of Connell and Wheeler competing on Monday, while Sprague and Thrift will compete on Sunday.
“We had a fun time today and we caught a lot of bass. Jacob caught them good and put on a clinic. I’m looking forward to getting back out on Monday and I think we can do this again,” Connell went on to say.
Here are the final totals for the match:
1st: Team Lucas Oil, 21 bass, 32-5
2nd: Team Coign, 11 bass, 17-10
Eliminated
3rd: Team Star brite, six bass, 7-10
Wheeler caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a 3-1 largemouth.
The event takes place over six days in west-central Texas. The competition water for each day is top-secret and is only revealed to the anglers when they arrive at the boat ramp each morning. Anglers are driven directly to the day’s competition area launch ramp by their officials. Competition begins on the water at 8:45 a.m.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney break down the extended action live every day of competition from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
