Jacob Wheeler has finally broken through at MLF REDCREST. Five days on from his $300,000 win at Table Rock Lake, the Indiana pro has sat down for a long-form interview that reveals just how much the championship means to him — and exposes one of the most unusual day-two gambles in Bass Pro Tour history.
"It was a tournament that was on — it was a monkey on my back, it was a thorn in my side," Wheeler said. "It was just nice to check that box. Felt like it was something that was much needed and I wanted to get that one off the table."
It had been 13 or 14 years since his first national championship, the Forrest Wood Cup he won as a rookie. In that period Wheeler has racked up seconds, near-misses and a reputation as the sport's most consistent regular-season angler. He put the long drought in context with his trademark maths.
"I told somebody I said every seven years I'll win a championship. It just took me 14. So if you average them out, that's sort of what it seems to be."
The key strategic moment came late on day two, when Wheeler made the call that has split the bass-fishing world. With 76 pounds on the board but a swing in the cut line looming, he deliberately cut the hooks off his baits to stop accidentally catching fish he wanted to save for championship Sunday.
"If I saved it, I'd have a chance," he said. "I was literally saving fish. I could have caught a heck of a lot more on day one, but I was saving places that I knew I could catch them on."
He watched his name slip from fourth to fifth to sixth to seventh, with officials warning him he was four pounds from elimination. He still backed himself to ease through on the strength of the fish he had locked away.
"The odds of someone catching a four-pounder in the last 10 minutes and catching a four-and-a-half and then eight, and passing me, were probably not real high. So I just sort of kept my tabs on that and played it as close as I possibly could."
"A lot of times bass will spawn on bluff-end style places. They'll spawn on 45-degree banks on a main creek arm. Not as many people are going to be there. But when you find them, they typically replenish," he said.
The personal moments were heavier than the numbers. Between periods, Wheeler FaceTimed his wife — something he called "the closest thing to a team" in a sport with no teammates.
"My wife's my partner," he said. "There is no coach or anything like that. Being able to have that call and just ground yourself, letting her know what's going on, keeping her in the loop — it just keeps her understanding what's happening."
His daughter Olivia is already on brand. "She told someone the other day, she's like, 'Dad, my dad won Red Crest and won $3,000.' Maybe not 3,000, but she sees the hoisting trophies."
But the moment that hit hardest was when the countdown clock hit zero. Wheeler said his first thought was of his late father, who had been his loudest champion from childhood.
"My dad was probably my biggest fan," he said. "He would tell everybody — even though I was 13, 14 years old — my kid's going to be a world champion. There was times I'd had to pull my dad back. I'd say 'Dad, you got to stop telling these people this, please.'"
"I knew he wanted to see me win more than anybody. To be able to get another championship under the belt and knowing that he's up there in heaven — that was a moment I felt like was heavy."
Despite the title, Wheeler said the Angler of the Year race still trumps any one-off event on his list. "Angler of the Year is still the number one achievement any angler can make because you're the best angler for the season. One tournament defining you is cool, but a season makes bigger impacts."
"I'm going to enjoy this one before I worry about the next one," he said. "I have a week before we go to Beaver, but I'm going to enjoy it."
