Wheeler Wins $50K bonus, Morgan Tops KO Round

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Photo: MLF

This 7 1/2-pounder was worth $50,000 to Jacob Wheeler at Heavy Hitters.

By MLF Communications Staff

Jacob Wheeler boated a 7 1/2-pound largemouth Tuesday afternoon on Shearon Harris Reservoir, the largest fish of the day, to win $50,000 at the Major League Fishing Heavy Hitters event in Raleigh, N.C. Wheeler finished the Knockout Round in 2nd place and punched his ticket sraight to Wednesday’s Championship Round.

“50 Gs, heck yeah, that is unreal,” Wheeler said in his post-game interview. “That will be a fish that I remember for the rest of my life. I was cruising down the bank and when I saw that fish, I literally stopped and was like ‘Whoa, that’s a $50,000 bass.’

"It took me about 45 minutes trying to figure out how to catch her, and it was pretty dang awesome when I did.”

Wheeler caught the big bass on a Googan Baits Lunker Log, although he credited a different bait as being his key for the day.

“The (Googan) Bandito Bug was the big player for me today and I caught several of my fish doing that,” Wheeler said. “But I also caught a couple, including the big ‘un, on the Lunker Log.

“I got really close to winning here two years ago and I’d love to try to take home the title and get a little payback on this lake this time around. So far, after today, it’s treating me pretty solid. Shearon Harris … I love you.”

Photo: MLF/Josh Gassmann

Andy Morgan won the Knockout Round with 15 scorable bass that combined to weigh 46-11.

Among those joining Wheeler in the Championship Round will be Andy Morgan, who won the Knockout Round with 15 bass weighing 46-11.

“It was a great day for me and well beyond my expectations,” said Morgan. “It was pretty simple fishing – just looking for spawning fish. They were up super-shallow, right around the bank. Weed clumps, trees, logs – whatever they could get around.

“I caught them on just a couple of baits,” Morgan continued. “I threw a 1/2-ounce Strike King Thunder Cricket with a chartreuse and white-colored Zoom Swimmer on the back. I also caught them flipping a Zoom Brush Hog and a Zoom Z-Craw . Some of the fish were actually feeding – those ones I’d catch on the Cricket. The bass that I caught flipping were primarily all spawning.”

Morgan fished the Thunder Cricket on a 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy Favorite Fishing Big Sexy casting rod paired with a Lew’s 6:3:1 reel and spooled with 16-pound fluorocarbon line. For his flipping setup, he Texas-rigged the creature baits and threw them on a Favorite Fishing Pro Series The GOAT rod paired with an 8:3:1 Lew’s Flipping and Pitching reel and 20-pound fluorocarbon line.

The Championship Round will feature Qualifying Round winners Fletcher Shryock and Bryan Thrift, along with the Top 8 anglers from the Knockout Round, competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000. In addition to the tournament purse, a $100,000 Big Bass Bonus will be awarded to the angler that lands the single biggest fish on the final day.

Other anglers who advanced to the finale were Alton Jones, Ish Monroe, Dave Lefebre, Brent Ehrler, Michael Neal and Jeff Sprague.

Overall, there were 143 bass weighing 453 pounds even caught in the Knockout Round, which included one 7-pounder, one 6-pounder and seven 5-pounders.

Attendance at the event is limited to competing anglers, essential staff and media. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the MLF NOW! livestream and ScoreTracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com

The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the Championship Round action from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Wednesday. MLF NOW! will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com. and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Knockout Round

(Figure at far right indicates weight of angler's heaviest fish for the round)

1. Andy Morgan -- 46-11 (15) -- 5-06

2. Jacob Wheeler -- 41-06 (13) -- 7-08

3. Alton Jones -- 39-06 (13) -- 3-15

4. Ish Monroe -- 36-15 (12) -- 4-05

5. Dave Lefebre -- 35-08 (10) -- 5-01

6. Brent Ehrler -- 30-03 (9) -- 4-14

7. Michael Neal -- 29-13 (10) -- 3-13

8. Jeff Sprague -- 29-13 (9) -- 4-08

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not advance to the Championship Round

9. Adrian Avena -- 27-07 (8) -- 5-10