By MLF Communications Staff

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Reigning Angler of the Year (AOY) Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn. caught 21 scorable bass Saturday, with his best five weighing 29 pounds, 9 ounces, to lead the 40-angler Knockout Round and advance along with the other Top-10 anglers to Sunday’s Championship Round at the MLF Bass Pro Tour event at Lake Guntersville.

Wheeler has a sizeable 5-01 advantage over second-place pro Ott Defoe of Blaine, Tenn., who weighed in five bass totaling 24-08. Adrian Avena of Vineland, N.J. sits in third place with five bass weighing 23-12, while Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla. weighed in five bass totaling 23-11 to finish the day in fourth. Lynchburg, Va.'s David Dudley caught five bass weighing 23-01 to round out the Top-5.

Competition resumes Sunday morning with the Championship Round, where weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total will win the top prize of $100,000.

“I had a great day on the water and you live for those days,” Wheeler said. “It was one of those days where every decision I made seemed like the right one.”

Wheeler is known for his tendency to bounce from spot to spot to cover water, but he said recreational boat traffic kept him stationary during part of the day.

“I was bouncing around a little bit,” Wheeler said. “I would spend some time in some zones, but I didn’t spend all my time in those areas. It was tough to get around in some places, so I squatted a little bit more than I would. As the rain hit, things opened up and I was able to bounce around a little bit.”

Rain fell in the afternoon for 20 to 30 minutes, and the bite turned on as the rain approached. The rain, combined with a slowdown in recreational boat traffic, allowed fish to set back up on schools. As a result, a large number of fish turned on to feed and were caught during that period.

Wheeler said four of his five biggest bass of the day came on a yet-to-be released bait he designed called the Freeloader that will debut at ICAST in July. Wheeler’s Saturday catch included nine bass over 4 pounds – including three that weighed more than 6 pounds.

“Lake Guntersville is impressive,” Wheeler said. “It might be the best Tennessee River bass-fishing lake in the country. It just pumps them out every single day. There are more 3- to 5-pounders in this lake than just about anywhere else that I’ve ever been.

“Obviously it was a really good day,” Wheeler added. “Better than I anticipated. I was fortunate to get a couple of the right bites, got them in the boat, and hopefully I can repeat that tomorrow. Anybody can drop a 30-pound bag at any point in time, so I’m definitely not safe. I think I need to catch another 25 pounds to have a real good shot at taking this one home.”

The Top 10 pros who now advance to Sunday’s Championship Round on Lake Guntersville are:

1st: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 29-09
2nd: Ott Defoe, Blaine, Tenn., five bass, 24-08
3rd: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., five bass, 23-12
4th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., five bass, 23-11
5th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 23-01
6th: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla, five bass, 22-07
7th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., five bass, 21-07
8th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 21-02
9th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 21-01
10th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, five bass, 20-12

Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award went to Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., who caught a 7-06 largemouth in Period 1 on a Texas-rigged ribbon-tail worm to earn the payout. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The final 10 anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT Sunday from the Guntersville Civitan Park, located at 1130 Sunset Dr. The takeout will be held at the park beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW! livestream and ScoreTracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLF Fan Experience will take place at Civitan Park from 1 to 6 p.m.. MLF will welcome fans to celebrate fishing and the outdoors with concerts in the park, hosted by Explore Lake Guntersville, featuring country music artist Jackson Chase. Food and drinks will be available from local food trucks and fans can check out the latest gear and offerings from MLF and sponsors including Toyota, Favorite Fishing, Kubota, U.S. Air Force, and The Fallen Outdoors. Fans can hang out and watch the pros live on the MLF NOW! big screen during the MLF Watch Party, and the Championship Round anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.

The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.



Knockout Round

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

1. Jacob Wheeler -- 29-09 (5) -- 6-08

2. Ott DeFoe -- 24-08 (5) -- 6-06

3. Adrian Avena -- 23-12 (5) -- 5-15

4. Edwin Evers -- 23-11 (5) -- 6-09

5. David Dudley -- 23-01 (5) -- 6-05

6. Randall Tharp -- 22-07 (5) -- 6-15

7. Matt Becker -- 21-07 (5) -- 5-09

8. Jacob Wall -- 21-02 (5) -- 4-14

9. Bradley Roy -- 21-01 (5) -- 5-00

10. Takahiro Omori -- 20-12 (5) -- 6-14

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

11. Alton Jones Jr. -- 20-02 (5) -- 4-08

12. Michael Neal -- 19-06 (5) -- 4-10

13. Brent Ehrler -- 19-00 (5) -- 3-15

14. Dustin Connell -- 18-12 (5) -- 4-15

15. Bryan Thrift -- 18-07 (5) -- 7-06

16. Jesse Wiggins -- 18-02 (5) -- 4-02

17. Jordan Lee -- 17-08 (5) -- 4-06

18. James Elam -- 17-04 (5) -- 5-07

19. Josh Butler -- 17-03 (5) -- 4-07

20. Cody Meyer -- 17-00 (5) -- 4-08

21. James Watson -- 16-12 (5) -- 3-13

22. Gerald Spohrer -- 15-12 (5) -- 4-01

23. Greg Vinson -- 15-10 (5) -- 3-07

24. Dakota Ebare -- 15-00 (5) -- 3-11

25. Todd Faircloth -- 15-00 (5) -- 3-07

26. Spencer Shuffield -- 14-15 (5) -- 3-13

27. Zack Birge -- 13-15 (5) -- 3-06

28. Stephen Browning -- 13-11 (5) -- 3-15

29. Kelly Jordon -- 13-11 (5) -- 3-15

30. Brett Hite -- 13-06 (5) -- 2-15

31. Marty Robinson -- 12-11 (5) -- 3-01

32. Mark Daniels Jr. -- 12-11 (5) -- 2-15

33. Shin Fukae -- 12-01 (5) -- 3-09

34. Anthony Gagliardi -- 12-00 (5) -- 2-14

35. Justin Lucas -- 11-09 (4) -- 3-14

36. Jonathon VanDam -- 11-03 (4) -- 3-07

37. Timmy Horton -- 9-02 (3) -- 3-10

38. Dylan Hays -- 6-04 (2) -- 3-10

39. Scott Suggs -- 4-14 (2) -- 3-02

40. Matt Lee -- 4-10 (1) -- 4-10