Fishing Clash duo of Roy and Vinson advance to Knockout Round with second-place finish
OXFORD, Ala. (Oct. 22, 2025) – Alabama pro Dustin Connell and Tennessee’s Jacob Wheeler proved once again why they’re one of the most formidable duos in professional bass fishing, cruising to a wire-to-wire victory Wednesday on Lake Wedowee in the opening Elimination Round of the Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches.
Competing on the Tallapoosa River impoundment for the first time, Connell and Wheeler combined to catch 42 scorable bass weighing 64 pounds, 8 ounces – easily the day’s best total – and advanced Team O’Reilly Auto Parts directly to the Knockout Round.
Link to HD Video Clip of Patriot Cup Elimination Round Match 1 Highlights
Link to Afternoon Photo Gallery: Team Series action resumes with Patriot Cup on Lake Wedowee
“It really came down to adjusting,” Wheeler said. “We fished different head sizes with that VMC Tungsten Jighead – anywhere from an ⅛-ounce with a 1/0 hook up to ¾ ounce – depending on the depth and wind. That flexibility was a huge key.”
Connell, who lives just over an hour from Oxford and has built much of his career success on Alabama waters, said this was his first time ever fishing Wedowee.
“I’d never been here before, but it felt like home,” Connell said. “It’s a typical Alabama lake – clear water, spotted bass, deep structure – so it didn’t take long to get comfortable.
“I caught all my fish on the CrushCity Mooch Minnow, mostly the 3½-inch and 2½-inch sizes,” Connell continued. “This time of year they’re keyed on small shad, and that bait matched them perfectly.”
The O’Reilly Auto Parts team’s 64-pound haul easily outdistanced the field, with Wheeler also landing the day’s largest bass, a 2-pound, 15-ounce spotted bass.
“It was one of those days where everything clicked,” Wheeler said. “The fish were grouped up, we made the right adjustments, and Dustin did what he always does in Alabama – he caught ’em.”
Kentucky’s Bradley Roy and Alabama’s Greg Vinson secured the second qualifying spot with 27 scorable bass totaling 38 pounds, 13 ounces. Using Vinson’s Tallapoosa River experience and Lowrance ActiveTarget forward-facing sonar, the pair tracked spotted bass throughout the day to end the day comfortably above the cut line.
“Greg’s local knowledge was huge,” Roy said. “We mixed in some largemouth, but those spotted bass kept us in it.”
Vinson added, “We finally dialed in the right depth zone on ActiveTarget and it just clicked. It feels good to move on here in my home state.”
Team Star brite’s Mark Davis and Marshall Hughes mounted a late rally offshore with a Carolina rig and drop-shot, but it was too little, too late, and the duo finished third with 32-14. Team BUBBA’s Ott DeFoe and Andy Montgomery started strong on shallow buzzbait and spinnerbait patterns before the bite faded, ending the day with 27-4.
The top two teams from Elimination Round Match 1 at the Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches that now advance to the Knockout Round are:
1st: Team O’Reilly Auto Parts, 42 bass, 64-8
Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 22 bass, 33-15
Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 20 bass, 30-9
2nd: Team Fishing Clash, 27 bass, 38-13
Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 16 bass, 23-9
Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 11 bass, 15-4
Eliminated from competition are:
3rd: Team Star brite, 22 bass, 32-14
Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 13 bass, 19-4
Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, nine bass, 13-10
4th: Team BUBBA, 21 bass, 27-4
Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., six bass, 7-8
Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 15 bass, 19-12
Complete results from throughout the week can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 112 bass weighing 163 pounds, 7 ounces caught by the four teams in Elimination Round Match 1 on Lake Wedowee. Team O’Reilly Auto Parts pro Jacob Wheeler caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a 2-pound, 15-ounce spotted bass.
The four teams that will compete Wednesday in Elimination Round Match 2 at the Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches are:
Team 7Brew Coffee:
Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla.
Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala.
Team B&W Trailer Hitches:
James Elam, Tulsa, Okla.
Alton Jones Sr., Lorena, Texas
Team Kubota:
Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La.
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.
Team Lucas Oil:
Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash.
Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn.
The Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches is hosted by the City of Oxford and takes place over six days in Oxford, Alabama. The competition water for each day is top secret and is only revealed to the anglers when they arrive at the boat ramp each morning. Anglers are driven directly to the day’s competition area launch ramp by their officials. Competition begins on the water at 9:15 a.m.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live every day of competition from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps, RFD-TV Now, Game & Fish TV and Rumble. The final period of every day of competition of the 2025 Fishing Clash Team Series is broadcast live on RFD-TV, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT.
The Patriot Cup features 12 two-man teams divided into three groups as they enter the one-day Elimination Round matches. Each of the three Elimination Round matches will feature four new teams, with the top two teams from each match of the Elimination Round advancing to the Knockout Round on Days 4 & 5. In the Knockout Rounds, three teams compete each day, with the top two teams from each Knockout Round match moving on to the Championship Round on Day 6. In Monday’s Day 6 Championship Round, the final four teams will compete in a one-day shootout to determine which team will win the 2025 Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches.
The MLF Fishing Clash Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops features four Cup events in 2025 – the Challenge, Heritage, Patriot, and Summit Cups – with 12 two-man teams of Bass Pro Tour anglers competing for a share of $560,000 in prize money. Teams were formed through a selection process, where 48 team captains – based on Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) standings throughout the 2025 Bass Pro Tour season – selected a teammate. Teams will compete throughout the fall of 2025.
The MLF Fishing Clash Team Series Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches will also air on Outdoor Channel as six two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon starting March 28, 2026. The complete television schedule for the Fishing Clash Team Series on Outdoor Channel will be posted at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Proud sponsors of the MLF Fishing Clash Team Series include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Boat Technologies, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Ferguson, Fishing Clash, Knighten Industries, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, NITRO Boats, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Smokey Mountain Caffeinated Pouches, Star brite, Toyota, YETI and Zenni.
For complete details and updated information on the MLF Fishing Clash Team Series, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.