ou ’ ve heard the old saying about the overwhelming force versus the immovable object ? Officially known as the “ unstoppable force paradox ,” it sparks an age-old debate about which is mightier : a force with unstoppable momentum or an object with unyielding tenacity .
It ’ s the spear versus the shield . When one strikes the other , which will break ?
Jacob Wheeler was the spear in 2021 . The Tennessee pro came into the season riding the momentum of several years of excellence , in pursuit of his first Angler of the Year trophy . The anglers of the Bass Pro Tour were the shield in 2021 , bracing for impact .
The unstoppable force won .
PHOTO BY JOEL SHANGLE
Defining excellence through others ’ eyes
You have to delve into the minds of Jacob Wheeler ’ s competition to appreciate just how much of a wrecking ball he was during the nine-event Bass Pro Tour schedule .
Wheeler entered the 2021 campaign on the heels of a pandemic-shortened 2020 season in which he collected seven Top 10s in the 10 events he fished and racked up three wins ( one Bass Pro Tour , one Pro Circuit Super Tournament , one Toyota Series ). He entered the new season with a two-year grip on the No . 1 spot in the Bassfan World Rankings and the status of automatic , perennial Angler of the Year threat thanks to a body of work that had grown increasingly impressive over the previous 10 years .
So when Wheeler ’ s season began at REDCREST 2021 at Lake Eufaula in late February , it came as little surprise when he finished third . But that third-place finish was only the beginning of a season that will go down as one of the best in the sport ’ s history .
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 39