Over the past several years, no professional angler has been as dominant as Jacob Wheeler. That was especially clear last year as he won three of the seven Bass Pro Tour events on the way to an Angler of the Year title. He wins often and has championships already, with a BFL All-American and Forrest Wood Cup title to his name. Now, he looks to add another to the list as he prepares to fish Grand Lake for REDCREST.
Preparing for Grand Lake
Like many anglers in this year's field, Wheeler has been to Grand Lake before and although he hasn't won there, he likes the lake and thinks it's setting up to be a great event.
"I've been there before and like how it sets up," he said. "It gets a lot of pressure, but overall it's a great lake with a lot of quality fish in it. From what I've seen, it's not going to be a numbers deal with a bunch of two pounders. We may not catch a lot of fish, maybe eight to 10 a day, but they'll be good ones."
Another thing Wheeler noted is that the lake is currently lower than usual, which should change the playing field.
"We've all been there before, but lower water and different conditions will make it a different lake," he said. "The lower water may play a role in where the fish are located and instead of being way up creeks, they might be scattered on flats. The conditions change everything here, and I like that; it won't be the same old thing. I'm excited for this one."
Jerkbaits Are Part of the Plan
Wheeler is one of the best in the game with a jerkbait and even deadlier when using his forward-facing sonar. He believes both might be keys to a REDCREST win.
"Everywhere we go now, forward-facing sonar dominates," he said. "One of the best lures to fish while using it is a jerkbait and anymore, it has become a year round lure. I'll have plenty of jerkbaits tied on, including the 13 Fishing Loco Special."
When fishing jerkbaits and using his electronics, Wheeler likes to have several different baits rigged up with unique actions and diving depths. Each fish acts a little different and having options is one of the reasons that he's become so good with his forward-facing sonar, as he can adjust based on each fish. He likes the Loco Special for fish suspended in the top of the water column.
"We call them 'floaters' because they suspend and float up near the surface because the water is warmer this time of year from the spring rains," he said. "The Loco Special has a great action and dives to the perfect depth zone to catch those fish."
Lipless on Flats
Another way Wheeler could see the event playing out is fish scattered on flats as they move closer to spawning. He says a lipless crankbait would be one of his top options if that were the case. Wheeler will be looking for flats, but also points.
His bait of choice for these scenarios is the 13 Fishing Magic Man Multi Pitch lipless crankbait. "It has a unique, tight wobble that's not too aggressive," he shared. "That's the deal when they are aggressive and biting good but also works when the fish are more pressured, or the water is clear. Sometimes it's the difference between catching two or three fish or catching four or five."
Cranking Shallow and Deep
A crankbait will be a popular lure at Grand Lake during REDCREST and Wheeler thinks it will be part of his arsenal if he finds himself in dirty water.
"I'll be fishing the 13 Fishing Jabber Jaw in stained water and the lower water should theoretically make the crankbait bite better since all of the targets will become more obvious," he said. "I'll fish the Jabber Jaw Deep out a little deeper and use it to deflect off of stumps and bigger rock. It has a great deflecting action like a squarebill, but you can use it in that 7 to 9-foot range."
Other Patterns in Play
Wheeler is banking on hardbaits playing a role but says there may be other options. "I could see a spinnerbait or vibrating jig doing good, too," he said. "You might also see the old school finesse jig fished on pea gravel catch some fish. The key will be to see what kind of rocks the fish are relating to. Grand Lake is a great pattern lake and once you figure that out, you can run it all over the lake. That's what's so fun about it."
Jacob Wheeler is undisputedly the best professional bass angler in the world right now and is on everyone's radar as he attempts to win REDCREST. His approach to this event is like all of the rest he fishes and he will try to break down the lake and dial in a pattern when he arrives for practice.