Wheeler, Connell Team Up To Win Patriot Cup

Connells feasts on home waters to secure Team Series victory

October 27, 2025 By Staff Report

OXFORD, Ala – The Team O’Reilly Auto Parts tandem of Dustin Connell and Jacob Wheeler capped off a memorable week on Connell’s home waters with a dominant performance Monday, cruising to a win at the Major League Fishing Patriot Cup Team Series at Logan Martin Lake.

The powerhouse duo combined for 70 pounds, 10 ounces on 46 scorable bass, the first 70-pound day recorded at the event and secured a comfortable victory in the Championship Round. They topped the runner-up duo of Alton Jones Jr. and Jake Lawrence by nearly 25 pounds. They finished with 45-13.

For Connell, the win carried special meaning – his first Team Series title, earned on his home waters of the Coosa River. For Wheeler, it marked his second straight Team Series championship win following last month’s Heritage Cup victory with Mark Daniels Jr. in Wisconsin.

“I love these Team Series, man,” Connell said. “I really enjoy getting in the boat with my buddy. We fish together a lot – anytime we have free time. For us to get together and win one of these, this means a lot. I’m not going to lie.”

Connell admitted that local knowledge didn’t necessarily make things easy.

“It didn’t really happen the way I expected,” he said. “It was cloudy and rainy, and I thought that might hurt us. But Jacob called the shot. He said, ‘Hey, let’s go try this little pocket here,’ and I said, ‘Heck yeah, this feels good.’ That’s where it all came together.”

Both pros relied on forward-facing sonar and finesse presentations, catching the majority of their bass on the Rapala CrushCity Mooch Minnow paired with VMC Redline Series Tungsten Swimbait Jigheads.

“Man, here on Lake Logan Martin, it was about a bait that has won a lot of money between the two of us,” Wheeler said. “The conditions were perfect for that Mooch Minnow bite – cloudy with just enough wind to keep the fish up. We fished the main lake, ran upriver and just bebopped around until we found the right zone.”

“We threw the albino shad and gizzard shad colors, mostly on 3/8-ounce jigheads, but we mixed in some 1/4-ounce for fish that were higher in the water column,” added Connell. “You need several different weights for this technique because the fish are constantly moving up and down – that’s why you’ll see us changing rods all the time.”

“We caught about 60 bass today counting the non-scorables,” Wheeler agreed. “It was insane. Once we settled into that area and the groups started to show up, it was on.”

But the day wasn’t without drama. Midway through the second period, the duo briefly lost momentum after a fish-landing violation erased a scorable bass from their total. But instead of rattling them, the penalty lit a fire.

“Oh, man. That’s about as mad as I get,” Wheeler said with a laugh. “Right after that, we just put the hammer down. We started stacking them up, and from there, it never slowed down.”