By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

If there’s a better big-game player in the sport of bass fishing than Jacob Wheeler at the present time, he'd better stand up now. Otherwise, Wheeler seems poised to solidify his place among the greats in the game.

After posting a solid 14-11 stringer on Friday to begin the Bassmaster Classic, Wheeler hauled 17-11 out of the Tennessee River today to catapult himself into the lead with one day of competition remaining. His 32-06 total after two days has him just eight ounces clear of his nearest challenger, good friend and roommate Mark Daniels Jr., setting the stage for a pressure-packed final day at Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes.

It’s far from a slam dunk – the top 5 are separated by less than four pounds – but if Wheeler puts together another strong day and closes out the win tomorrow, he’ll become the sixth angler to capture a Forrest Wood Cup and Classic – and he’s only 28. He would also become the only angler to win those marquee events in addition to the BFL All-American, which he claimed in 2011.

Wheeler’s résumé is far from top-heavy, though. He amassed seven top-12 finishes in full-field tournaments during his two seasons on the Elite Series, including a win at Lake Cherokee in 2017 and a runner-up showing at Lake Travis (Texas Fest) last year. He also won the Lake Chickamauga BASSFest tournament in 2014. In eight previous Cups and Classics, Wheeler has finished outside the top 10 just twice.

As much as Wheeler wants to add another significant piece of hardware to his collection, the group of anglers chasing him will be looking to build on big days.

Daniels sacked 17-06, including a 6-03 largemouth, to move up four spots to 2nd with 31-14. Chris Zaldain, the only current Elite Series pro with a realistic shot at winning, caught a tournament-best 21-12 and rocketed up 25 places to 3rd with 30-12.

Day-1 leader Ott DeFoe saw his weight nearly cut in half at 10-05 and slipped to 4th with 30-05. Mike Iaconelli, the 2003 Classic winner, put himself in contention with a 19-07 effort that moved him into 5th with 28-09.

Moving baits have dominated the action so far and it doesn’t appear as though that’ll change for the final day. Conditions tomorrow will be ideal with abundant sunshine and highs in the mid to upper 50s with light winds out of the west.

Only four spots in the top 25 changed hands today, with Edwin Evers (30th to 12th) and Seth Feider (32nd to 20th) joining Zaldain and Iaconelli in earning another day on the water. Tennessee natives Wesley Strader (6th) and Brandon Lester (21st) also made the cut.

Two-time defending champion Jordan Lee saw his tournament come to an end after he caught just three fish for 5-04, sending him to a 42nd-place finish.



B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito
Photo: B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito

Wheeler used moving baits to compile his stringer of brown fish.

So what makes Wheeler so good when the stakes are raised and the lights are at their brightest?

“I don’t know. I truly think it has to do with not being worried about points or finishing last,” he said. “There’s a point in the Classic or a large event where you realize you can’t win it on day 1, but you can lose it and I think some guys swing too hard and put themselves out of contention and end up trying for five giants. I’m more into taking what the lake gives you.”

Today, he dealt with power issues in his boat prior to launching, then hit a log on the way back to check-in this afternoon, knocking off the lower unit of his motor. Brent Chapman then stopped and transported Wheeler and his fish back to the landing.

“I never saw whatever it was,” he said. “It was totally my fault.”

Wheeler surprised himself by weighing in a limit of smallmouth, all of which had to satisfy an 18-inch length requirement. He caught them all fishing moving baits.

“I guessed on a deal in practice and figured if I didn’t find anything else I’d run with it in the tournament,” he said. “It still felt like hodge-podge, a little bit of junk-fishing.”

After catching a couple of his day-1 fish off a stretch he’d found in practice, he discovered another productive area that produced three smallmouth. Today, he went back to it and caught a 5-pounder there.

“They’re similar, but not the same,” he said.

After averaging 16-plus pounds through the first two days, Wheeler will also be faced with putting a third straight strong day together on a fishery that is notorious for betraying anglers.

“I sure do hope so,” he said. “We saw what Ott did on day 1 and he had a tougher day today. I hope to go out and catch them again. It’s not that easy out there. We’ve seen some big bags, but without a couple big bites, they’re just an average bag. I have to keep moving and running and hope to get a couple big bites so I’ll have an opportunity to win.”

He’ll have to hold off traveling partner Daniels to do so after Daniels finished his day on a high note. He’d been stuck on four fish up until he had about 10 minutes to go before he had to start heading back to Knoxville. That’s when he threw a white spinnerbait up close to a laydown and began slow-rolling it back.

“I had four fish and needed five and with how many small ones are here … I hadn’t had a bite in a while,” he said. “I slow-roll it by the laydown and never felt the bite. My rod tip just started to bow down like I was hung up. Then my inner fisherman said, ‘You probably want to set the hook,’ and I did.”

B.A.S.S./Andy Crawford
Photo: B.A.S.S./Andy Crawford

A 6-pound largemouth topped Mark Daniels Jr.'s day-2 haul that elevated him to 2nd place.

The fish came up and jumped with its mouth wide open. Daniels frantically got the fish away from the log and swung into the boat. It came off the hook in mid-air and landed in the floor of his boat. As it did, Daniels danced on his front deck as though he’d scored the go-ahead touchdown in the Super Bowl.

“I’ve put myself in great position to win and hopefully that’s what happens,” he said.

He got a taste of the finicky nature of Lou-Tel today as he came up empty on areas that had produced bites on day 1.

“My two best places from Friday, I didn’t get a bite today,” he said. “And a place I fished Friday and didn’t get a bite, I caught three of my fish there today.

“They’re using these places – it’s what’s neat about getting a bite here – you just need to be there when they slide up. At 1 (o'clock) I thought I might blank today.”

And now he’s got a chance to become the first African-American angler to win the Classic.

“I haven’t been stressed at all,” he said. “It’s the Classic and we all want to do well. There are no points involved so I’m letting it all hang out and at the end of the day, you either catch ‘em or you don’t.”

Zaldain couldn’t have scripted a better follow up to his four-fish, 9-pound day on Friday.

“I fired on all cylinders,” he said after sacking two smallies and three largemouth, the biggest of which was 5-14. “I couldn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t get to fish this pattern on day 1, though.”

That’s because he followed a hunch he picked up Wednesday in the Tellico River, where he caught a 6-pound smallmouth flipping a laydown.

“On paper, looking at the water temperatures going up and the water coming up, plus it’s springtime and I caught it in a creek, I said, ‘I’m going back up there figuring they’re coming to me,” he said.

It didn’t materialize quite the way he imagined, so he reverted today to what he’d developed over the first three days of practice.

“All of the stuff I fished today, I ran past it on Friday,” he said. “Today, I went back to places I fished in practice. At one point, I went 10-for-10. Every spot had a good one on it. It’s not spot oriented, though. It’s a pattern.”

And now he’s hoping the pattern holds up and carries him to the top.

“It’s a three-day tournament and the only thing you can ask for is to be in contention,” he said. “Whether I’m in first, second or third doesn’t matter because I saw today that the potential is there for another 20-pound bag. It’s a real specific thing these fish are on and the conditions are favoring what I’m doing. It’s not going to get worse.”

B.A.S.S./Andy Crawford
Photo: B.A.S.S./Andy Crawford

Chris Zaldain caught a mix of largemouths and smallmouths on day 2.

DeFoe summed up the theme of his day by calling it the “struggle bus.” He’s grateful to still be in the mix, but he felt like today was a missed opportunity.

“I’m thankful to still have a chance, but it hurts a little because I had such a big day (yesterday) and I did not back it up with 14 pounds today,” he said. “I’d have been happy with 14.”

He plans on covering a lot of water tomorrow and not staying in one spot too long without a bite.

“I locked myself into a section of the lake the last two days,” he said. “That won’t happen tomorrow.”

Iaconelli benefited greatly from the change in wind direction today and hopes to reap the rewards again Sunday.

“I fished the same way, but the areas I’m fishing are reliant on current and that’s important to trigger bites,” he said. “On day 1, the wind blew against the current. We got beat up running back in.

“You wouldn’t think that small amount of flow change would impact it that much, but the current today moved at a regular velocity and it helped my bite. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and hope to get fortunate with a couple big bites.”

He said he’ll be returning to where he started today, hoping more fish have moved into the area.

“I’m going to start at the same start, but I put it on them, so I’m not expecting a lot,” he said. “I’d like to get a couple better fish and then maybe move on.”

He said there’s an increased sense of urgency being in contention while knowing this could very well be his final Classic.

“It’s different,” he said. “It’s more in the back of my mind. There’s potential that it’s the last chance. When you’re in the hunt, I don’t know if that extra motivation is a good thing or a bad thing.”

Weather Forecast

> Sun., March 17 – Mostly Sunny – 54°/34°
- Wind: From the W at 4 to 7 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Jacob Wheeler -- Harrison, TN -- 10, 32-06 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 5, 17-11

2. Mark Daniels Jr. -- Tuskegee, AL -- 10, 31-14 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 17-06

3. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 9, 30-12 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 09-00 -- Day 2: 5, 21-12

4. Ott DeFoe -- Blaine, TN -- 10, 30-05 -- 0 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 20-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

5. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 10, 28-09 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 09-02 -- Day 2: 5, 19-07

6. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, TN -- 10, 28-00 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 5, 17-02

7. Roy Hawk -- Lk Havasu Cty, AZ -- 10, 27-10 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 17-11 -- Day 2: 5, 09-15

8. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 27-00 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09

9. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 10, 26-10 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-15

10. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 10, 26-07 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03

11. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 8, 25-14 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 3, 09-03

12. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 10, 24-12 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 16-00

13. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 10, 24-04 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

14. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 24-02 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 09-10

15. Kyle Dorsett -- Odenville, AL -- 9, 24-02 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

16. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 23-09 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

17. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 10, 23-08 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15

18. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 23-05 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 09-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01

19. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 10, 22-15 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14

20. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 9, 22-01 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 08-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07

21. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 21-11 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 09-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00

22. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 21-06 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04

23. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 10, 21-04 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06

24. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 8, 20-09 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 08-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06

25. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 8, 20-01 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 3, 06-08

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 3.

26. Frank Talley -- Temple, TX -- 9, 19-14 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 09-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09

27. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 6, 18-13 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 04-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12

28. Josh Bertrand -- San Tan Valley, AZ -- 9, 18-13 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 4, 07-08

29. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 18-05 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 08-04

30. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 18-02 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 5, 08-09

31. Jake Whitaker -- Fairview, NC -- 10, 18-01 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-02

32. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 10, 17-07 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01

33. Derek Hudnall -- Baton Rouge, LA -- 9, 17-05 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

34. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 8, 17-01 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-14 -- Day 2: 4, 09-03

35. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 7, 16-09 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 2, 04-10

36. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 7, 15-06 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 03-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03

37. Garrett Paquette -- Canton, MI -- 7, 15-03 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 08-04 -- Day 2: 3, 06-15

38. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 7, 14-15 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 06-06 -- Day 2: 4, 08-09

39. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 10, 14-14 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-02 -- Day 2: 5, 05-12

40. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 6, 14-07 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 08-01 -- Day 2: 3, 06-06

41. Nick Ratliff -- Vine Grove, KY -- 7, 14-05 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 06-10 -- Day 2: 3, 07-11

42. Jordan Lee -- Cullman, AL -- 8, 13-10 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-06 -- Day 2: 3, 05-04

43. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, CA -- 6, 12-14 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 08-04 -- Day 2: 3, 04-10

44. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, LA -- 7, 12-12 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-06 -- Day 2: 3, 05-06

45. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 6, 12-02 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 03-12 -- Day 2: 4, 08-06

46. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 7, 11-10 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 2, 02-14

47. Matthew Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 4, 09-08 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 03-05 -- Day 2: 2, 06-03

48. Alton Jones Jr. -- Lorena, TX -- 3, 09-01 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 07-07 -- Day 2: 1, 01-10

49. Jacopo Gallelli -- Firenze, Italy -- 5, 08-13 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 5, 08-13

50. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 4, 06-15 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 06-15 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

51. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 4, 06-05 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 06-05 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

52. Randy Pierson -- Oakdale, CA -- 3, 04-07 -- 0 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 02-14 -- Day 2: 1, 01-09