Rookie Wheeler Leads Wire-To-Wire, Wins Bass Fishing’s $500,000 Forrest Wood Cup Presented By Walmart

2012 Forrest Wood Cup Champion Jacob Wheeler

12.Aug.2012

DULUTH, Ga. – After Jacob Wheeler of Indianapolis, Ind., won the 2011 BFL All-American, the championship event for weekend anglers, he stated his goal was to someday win the Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. In 2012 Wheeler made the leap to the FLW Tour, which features the world’s best professional bass anglers, to pursue his goal of hoisting the Cup. And in storybook fashion Sunday at the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart on Lake Lanier, Wheeler’s five bass worth 11 pounds, 15 ounces gave him a total four-day weight of 60 pounds, 1 ounce as well as a wire-to-wire win and $500,000.

“This was just an awesome event,” said the 21-year-old Wheeler, who became the youngest angler to win the Forrest Wood Cup. “God just really blessed me this whole event. It was just unbelievable, and this is the best day of my life.”

Although it may have turned out well for him, Wheeler said it wasn’t an easy road to a championship title.

“It was a struggle today,” Wheeler said. “I had six keeper bites all day.

“Every time I sat down to run to the next spot I might have been jittery, but I realized I had to stay focused and fish at 100 percent every day and capitalize on every single bite,” Wheeler added.

Wheeler said he targeted fish on the Chattahoochee River using a variety of baits including a Rapala X-Rap Prop, flipping a Trigger X Flippin’ Tube and a Chatterbait-style bait. Wheeler said he caught fish Sunday by flipping creature baits, but two of his biggest fell for a prop bait.

“The second day I caught my two biggest ones on the X-Rap Prop,” Wheeler said. “The fish were getting accustomed to seeing bluegill-looking prop baits out there, but the elongated X-Rap Prop really showed them something different. Those fish really seemed to like that the second day, for sure.”

Wheeler said he fished the river to catch a limit, then made an hour-long run to an area near Brown’s bridge to switch to fishing bluegill beds for larger “kicker” fish.

“A lot of people fish better when they have five fish in their livewell,” Wheeler said. “They just fish better and make better decisions, and you don’t have that pressure of worrying about that other fish on your back.”

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After three dim days, the top-10 finalists will fish their final day on Lake Lanier in sunny conditions. (Photo by David A. Brown)

12.Aug.2012 by David A. Brown

DULUTH, Ga. – Unlike those house guests who overstay their welcome, no one’s complaining about the fact that largemouth bass have played a larger-than-expected role for longer-than-expected in the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier.

Largemouth, which reach greater dimensions than neighboring spotted bass, always offer the opportunity for a limit-boosting kicker fish. But most anglers probably entered the tournament assuming that the typical summer patterns of targeting spots over Lanier’s deep brush would be the dominant deal. One good day of largemouth action wasn’t surprising, but going into the fourth and final day with the big green fish in top billing is pleasantly surprising for many.

As FLW pro and Lanier Legend Tom Mann Jr. pointed out, recent drought years allowed a lot of new vegetation to take root on exposed lake bed. The water’s still down about seven feet, but it has dropped much lower, so the returning depth has covered a lot of that new vegetation, thereby complementing the existing wood and rock cover. Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, who starts today in third place notes that the current water lever has put a premium on shallow cover.

“With the water being down, it takes a lot of (areas) out of play and when you get into the backs of the creeks and pockets, there’s not as much cover for them to be on,” said the 2010 FLW Tour Angler of the Year Thrift. “What is in the water, they’re on it.”

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After three dim days, the top-10 finalists will fish their final day on Lake Lanier in sunny conditions. (Photo by David A. Brown)

12.Aug.2012 by David A. Brown

DULUTH, Ga. – Unlike those house guests who overstay their welcome, no one’s complaining about the fact that largemouth bass have played a larger-than-expected role for longer-than-expected in the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier.

Largemouth, which reach greater dimensions than neighboring spotted bass, always offer the opportunity for a limit-boosting kicker fish. But most anglers probably entered the tournament assuming that the typical summer patterns of targeting spots over Lanier’s deep brush would be the dominant deal. One good day of largemouth action wasn’t surprising, but going into the fourth and final day with the big green fish in top billing is pleasantly surprising for many.

As FLW pro and Lanier Legend Tom Mann Jr. pointed out, recent drought years allowed a lot of new vegetation to take root on exposed lake bed. The water’s still down about seven feet, but it has dropped much lower, so the returning depth has covered a lot of that new vegetation, thereby complementing the existing wood and rock cover. Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, who starts today in third place notes that the current water lever has put a premium on shallow cover.

“With the water being down, it takes a lot of (areas) out of play and when you get into the backs of the creeks and pockets, there’s not as much cover for them to be on,” said the 2010 FLW Tour Angler of the Year Thrift. “What is in the water, they’re on it.”

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Retired U.S. Air Force National Guard colonel Timothy Dearing topped the co-angler division of the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier. (Photo by David A. Brown)

11.Aug.2012 by David A. Brown

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – He passed on the opportunity to become a general in the U.S. Air Force National Guard, but Retired Colonel Timothy Dearing advanced to the top of his co-angler ranks with a convincing win in the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier.

Two years ago, after 38 years of military service, Dearing found himself contemplating this career-capping advancement. Ultimately, it was the advice of his wife Lisa that convinced the Loudon, Tenn. co-angler that it was time for a life transition.

“My wife said ‘Why do we want to do that?'” Dearing said. “(The promotion) was signed by the president, but my wife said “Why don’t you retire and go fish while you’re healthy enough to live your dream?'”

Dearing opened his tournament campaign by placing third on day one with a limit catch of 9 pounds, 6 ounces. He struggled on day two and caught a lone keeper that went 2-3. The final round, however, saw Dearing’s finest effort and as soon as he took to the stage, he proudly displayed a nice bass for the crowd at the Gwinnett Convention Center.

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Wily Wheeler

Pro leader Jacob Wheeler shows off his two biggest bass from day three on Lake Lanier. (Photo by Brett Carlson)

11.Aug.2012 by Brett Carlson

DULUTH, Ga. – Despite being a 21-year-old rookie pro, Jacob Wheeler implements and executes a game plan like a savvy veteran. After whacking a huge stringer on opening day, day two of the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier was all about getting a limit. On day three, he planned to push the pedal a little more in hopes of catching a bag in the mid-teens. Thus far, Wheeler is batting three for three and with one more successful day he’ll become the youngest pro ever to claim the Cup.

Wheeler started day three just like the first two – running up the Chattahoochee River in search of quality largemouths. The bite was steady, but unspectacular until a mini-flurry around 10 a.m. brought a 3-pounder and then a 4-pounder 15 minutes later. Wheeler saw Jay Yelas leave the area about an hour earlier and decided enough was enough – he wasn’t going hammer anymore.

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