BFL All-American champion Jacob Wheeler is one of 58 anglers competing for the $500,000 top prize this week in the Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Ouachita in Arkansas. He got off to a strong start with a 14-10 sack on day 1.
The 20-year-old Wheeler, who has temporarily put college on hold to chase dreams of becoming a pro angler, has already created a financial pillow for himself through the $100,000 top prize he won at the All-American in May. In a case of good timing, the Indianapolis young gun also signed up and became eligible for the BoatUS Angler contingency program days before his six-figure triumph. Consequently, he collected an additional $1,000 in BoatUS Angler Weigh-to-Win cash.
If he wins this week at Ouachita he'll get a $1,500 bonus from BoatUS Angler. And while that may seem like peanuts compared to the half-a-million top prize, Wheeler, who started fishing tournaments at age 9 with his dad and uncle, will tell you the peace of mind alone from his BoatUS Angler membership is worth the college-student friendly registration fee.
"You're foolish to go out on the water or tow your boat down the highway without a membership to BoatUS Angler," he said. "If something goes wrong – and things do happen out there – you have the security of knowing BoatUS will dispatch somebody to help you."
Wheeler lists BoatUS Angler Weigh-to-Win members Kevin VanDam, David Dudley and Edwin Evers as his favorite pros, and he will actually compete against Dudley this week. "There's nothing in the world to me like tournament fishing," he said. "Every day on the water is different, and the guy who puts all the pieces of the puzzle together the fastest gets the prize."
If Wheeler is the fastest puzzle-builder at Lake Ouachita this weekend, not only will he get the half-a-million top prize and the BoatUS Angler Weigh-to-Win" bonus, but also a likely extension on his collegiate sabbatical.
Getting a BoatUS Angler membership, and signing-up for the Weigh-to-Win program is easy. Memberships start at just $38. Just dial (918) 742-6424 and ask for Kendell. She'll make sure you're registered.
To visit the BoatUS Angler website, click here.
