winning three events and finishing in the Top 10 multiple times . Wheeler ’ s “ bass fishing IQ ,” according to VanDam , was the biggest factor in his AOY run .
“ To win a tournament is a great accomplishment , but to win an AOY is much , much more difficult and mentally demanding ,” VanDam asserts . “ No matter how good you ’ re fishing , you ’ re going to have off days where it ’ s hard to keep your focus and your confidence . But you have to have the mental capacity to never , ever get down and battle for the best possible outcome every single day . You make a good decision and move up 10 places with a late run , maybe those 10 points are the difference in winning or losing the AOY at the end of the year .
“ I ’ ve known some really great anglers who are incredible at finding fish and breaking a lake down , but just mentally weren ’ t strong enough when it came to the competition aspect . Jacob is as good mentally as anybody I ’ ve ever seen , and especially ( in 2021 ).”
Brain power equals winning power
“ If you truly believe in it , if you become vocal with it , you ’ re creating that law of attraction and it will become reality .”
— Conor McGregor
Mark Daniels Jr . has to stop and think for a few beats as he considers the question he ’ s asked about Wheeler , his Bass Pro Tour travel buddy : “ What ’ s the one thing that Jacob does better than anybody else ?”
Considering Wheeler ’ s success in the 10 years since he won the BFL All- American as a 20-year-old – and the level of domination he ’ s exerted since 2018 – it ’ s a question that likely has several correct answers . Daniels lists Wheeler ’ s eagerness to learn and improve , his skill set with multiple techniques and a work ethic that seems to know no bounds . But his final answer confirms VanDam ’ s assessment of Wheeler .
“ Mental game ,” Daniels says flatly . “ That dude has a brain unlike anything I ’ ve ever seen . The way he processes things is unreal . I don ’ t know how he does it , honestly , but he ‘ gets it ’ faster than anybody I ’ ve ever been around .”
Wheeler himself struggles to explain exactly how his brain works .
“ There ’ s so much to it , it ’ s hard to pinpoint ,” Wheeler says . “ Some of it comes down to understanding and studying the game , but there are so many things going on during a tournament day that it takes some pretty serious mental gymnastics to keep it all straight . You add SCORETRACKER ® to it and it becomes even more of a mental game . You have to keep a constant understanding of what ’ s happening in the game , and it can speed you up to the point of losing your concentration . Keeping your mind clear and focused on a tournament day is no joke .”
“ You have to be mentally strong enough to believe that you ’ re making the right decisions all the time .”
Both Wheeler and VanDam share the mental characteristic that the highest-level alpha athletes in professional sports – the Michael Jordans and Tom Bradys of the world – have demonstrated in abundance : confidence and the knowledge ( even when it ’ s inaccurate ) that they ’ re going to win .
“ It really comes down to trusting in yourself – if you don ’ t trust and believe in everything you ’ re doing is right , you ’ re not in the right mindset ,” Wheeler says . “ Spend some time around Kevin during a tournament ; he ’ s oozing with confidence . He believes that every decision he makes is going to be right , and it ’ s pretty hard to argue with his success . You have to be mentally strong enough to believe that you ’ re making the right decisions all the time . Sometimes it ’ s naïve and sometimes you ’ re just flat wrong , but I really believe there ’ s something to the power of confidence .”
Being detailed is mental ( and so is work ethic )
“ It ’ s the little details that are vital . Little things make big things happen .”
— John Wooden
The detail work of tour-level tournament bass fishing is relentless . Anglers on the Bass Pro Tour and Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit dedicate an exorbitant number of hours to tweaking split rings , hooks , knots , reels , line , nearly unending lists of boat , motor and electronics busywork . It ’ s not unlike a spreadsheet , according to California pro Brent Ehrler : Sloppy attention to the small details of the equation lead to a poor result at the end .
“ Work ethic and dedication are mental things ,” Ehrler says . “ I can never halfass anything when it comes to details and preparation . I probably over-prepare , but when you ’ re trying to accomplish a goal in a tournament , I need to have everything ready . I need to go over the details multiple times to be sure that everything is right . Leaving one or two things unfinished at the end of the day doesn ’ t make any sense to me .
“ When you ’ re on the clock , you can ’ t be messing around with a piece of gear that you had time to fix when you were doing your tackle but didn ’ t do it . There are no excuses . You just didn ’ t focus hard enough . You were lazy . Your time management wasn ’ t good . Those are conscious choices you made ; you can ’ t be mad when you hook a fish on a rod that you didn ’ t put fresh line on and it broke off .”
Winning ( and losing ) the mental battle
“ Make sure your worst enemy doesn ’ t live between your own two ears .”
— Laird Hamilton
There ’ s virtually no competitive sport ( or competitor ) that ’ s immune to a slump .
Jordan shot 32.5 percent in the first three games of the 1993 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks – nearly 20 percent below his career average . MLB Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson admitted that an 0-for- 20 slump in his second season made him believe “ I didn ’ t think I was ever going to get another hit .”
Bass-tournament slumps are even worse , according to one of the sport ’ s most successful performers , Skeet Reese . As one of the Top 10 money
42 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | APRIL-MAY 2022