Twenty One year old Fatheadz Pro Jacob Wheeler of Indiana has won just about everything on his way to the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup Championship. As you have likely heard, just 15 months ago Wheeler won the prestigious BFL All-American at the young age of 20, but long before that he was a Junior World Champion as well. Wheeler became the youngest FLW Champion ever by targeting the heavier largemouth on Lake Lanier, known as a world class spotted bass fishery. He had a two pronged approach of chasing numbers of largemouth early way up the Chattahoochee River and then coming back down the lake to target bluegill beds for kicker fish.
Up the river Jacob relied on topwaters, flipping baits and anything else he could coax out bass from the numerous shallow laydowns and stumps. On the main lake, prop baits and shakey heads did most of the work around the targeted bluegill beds. The Fatheadz pro caught an unimaginable 21-pound, 15-ounce limit on the first day of the tournament to open up a 6-pound lead. From there, each day was a balancing act of saving water and managing his fish. On day two he simply wanted to be consistent and put a limit in the boat. The next day he pushed the pedal a little more so that he simply had to catch a limit Sunday to claim the Cup.
Amazingly, there were never any missteps, miscalculations or mistakes. The bite was not great on the final day (he caught only 6 keepers) but Wheeler had more than enough to walk away with the Forrest Wood Cup. Wheeler finished the four-day event with 60 pounds, 1 ounce and won by over a 7-pound margin. His $500,000 check more than tripled his previous career earnings. Jacob Wheeler clearly had a bright future in bass fishing!
As a parting thought, keep in mind what captaining a boat for a junior angler could mean down the road for them some day…..
