Jacob Wheeler of Indianapolis, Ind. became the youngest-ever BFL All-American champion on Saturday when his 36-03 total for 3 days far outdistanced the other 48 qualifiers at Louisiana's Cross Lake. His winning margin over runner-up Jake Morris of McKee, Ky. was more than 9 pounds.
“This is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life – it's life-changing,” said the 20-year-old Wheeler, who earned $100,000 and a berth in this summer's Forrest Wood Cup. "I've been fishing since I was 2 and dreaming about becoming a pro fisherman since I was 4. I've been draining my bank account every tournament to fish. This was a great day and has been a great week.
“Everything just seemed to go my way this week. I spent a lot of time practicing down here and learning the lake. On the first day I went to an area where a pond was being drained into the lake, which caused a current. It was loaded with fish. That was really why I had the success I did to start the tournament. I went back on day 2, but the pump had been turned off and I had to adjust a little bit. This lake is full of fish and you just have to find those key areas.
“On day 1 I did a lot of running and gunning," he added. "Days 2 and 3 I really slowed down. My strategy was to maintain my lead and try to bring home the win. I mostly sat on one spot and worked through it. I caught most of my fish on tubes. I caught my biggest one (Saturday) with a Pop-R. I feel so blessed.”
Full details of his winning pattern will be published soon.
Here's a look at the totals for the Top 10 finishers:
1. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, Ind. -- 15, 36-03
2. Jake Morris -- McKee, Ky. -- 12, 27-01
3. Charles Cummings -- Leeds, Ala. -- 14, 24-10
4. Lloyd Pickett Jr. -- Bartlett, Tenn. -- 12, 23-06
5. Mike Hicks -- Goochland, Va. -- 10, 22-14
6. George Kapiton -- Inverness, Fla. -- 8, 22-07
7. Mike Brueggen -- La Crosse, Wis. -- 7, 21-12
8. Kip Carter -- Loganville, Ga. -- 8, 19-14
9. Harry Barton -- Sterrett, Ala. -- 10, 18-00
10. Don Boeger -- Caldwell, Idaho -- 9, 16-01
