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By Joel Shangle
wheeler ’ s pursuit of back-to-back bally bet aoys started early
Two-time AOY went from nontraditional bass-fishing upbringing to the top of the sport
Most professional athletes begin to dream about playing a game for a living when they ’ re children . Back-to-back Bally Bet Angler of the Year Jacob Wheeler is no exception : As a second-grader , Wheeler informed his parents that he had a slightly nontraditional career plan in mind .
“ At 6 years old , I told my parents that I wanted to be a professional bass angler ,” Wheeler said . “ I remember even earlier , there was a Jacobs Cup on Wheeler Lake and [ I thought ] ‘ Jacobs Cup on Wheeler Lake , yeah , I ’ m going to win that !’ At career day , I ’ d tell people all the time ‘ I ’ m a professional bass angler .’”
What made the youngster ’ s bassy focus so exceptional was his hometown : Indianapolis , Indiana . At the time , the Indiana Pacers were in heated competition with the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks for NBA Eastern Conference supremacy , and the Indianapolis Colts were in a run to the AFC Championship game . But instead of admiring Reggie Miller or Marshall Faulk , Wheeler looked up to Ohio-based bass pro ( and eventual Redman All-American champion ) Joe Thomas .
“ That ’ s not normal ,” Wheeler joked . “ You ’ re not in Texas or Alabama – where you ’ re in the heart of bass-fishing country – you ’ re in Indiana . Downtown Indianapolis . If there ’ s anybody who ’ s not going to make it , you would pick me . You would say ‘ That kid , more than likely , is not going to make it .’”
Wheeler , of course , made it . And made it big .
He became the youngest-ever winner of the BFL All-American in 2011 , followed that up a year later with a Forrest Wood Cup title and then raced to the $ 1 Million Club faster than any angler in history . He dominated in 2021 and 2022 , picking up bookend Bally Bet AOY trophies and becoming one of only five anglers to win major tour-level back-to-back AOY awards .
PHOTO BY DAVID A . BROWN PHOTO BY GARY MORTENSON PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON mindset matters
As longtime bass scribe Rob Newell stated in the October / November issue of Bass Fishing magazine , Wheeler ’ s success has come thanks to a hearty mixture of perseverance , hustle , work ethic , skill and intelligence ( and a little serendipity ). Now eleven years into his professional career , Wheeler has added “ savvy ” and “ experience ” to the mix of a winning mindset .
“ looking back , i could never fathom in a million years what ’ s transpired in my career .”
“ There ’ s a learning curve of [ understanding ] how to win a tournament , and then there ’ s a learning curve of how you win Angler of the Year , and how you prep for that ,” Wheeler said . “ It ’ s different . Your goals change and your mindset changes . There ’ s the mental side of it that takes time and years to get to where you need to be . If you start ( fishing ) early , eight to 10 years in you ’ re getting enough knowledge , you ’ re mentally all there – you ’ ve had both bad and good tournaments , so you know how to deal with that emotion . It comes to that point where it ’ s a perfect sweet spot .”
As the 2023 Bass Pro Tour season approaches and Wheeler prepares for a run at an AOY three-peat , the gravity of his stellar success isn ’ t lost on him . Six-year-old Jacob would be proud .
“ I appreciate ( it ) because I think it shows people that everything doesn ’ t have to be perfect to accomplish your goals ,” Wheeler said . “ It wasn ’ t all me , by any means . I had a lot of people help me along the way and a lot of things went the right way . You have to have a break in this sport to get to the next level and to the next and the next . Looking back , I could never fathom in a million years what ’ s transpired in my career .”
12 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2023