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fishing clash aoy update : wheeler ascending
By Joel Shangle
With two regular-season events complete in the 2024 Bass Pro Tour schedule as of press time for this issue , a familiar name sits atop the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings : 2021 and 2022 AOY Jacob Wheeler .
The Tennessee pro finished fourth at Toledo Bend to start the season and took home his seventh Bass Pro Tour champion ’ s trophy at Santee Cooper for Stage Two , putting Wheeler atop the AOY standings heading to Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake with 157 points to Jesse Wiggins ’ 150 .
While there ’ s still plenty of fishing ahead before MLF crowns the 2024 Fishing Clash Angler of the Year , Wheeler ’ s familiarity with the No . 1 spot and his astounding success over the past five seasons marks him as a favorite to take home his third AOY trophy and $ 100,000 paycheck in four years . If he pulls it off , it ’ ll put Wheeler in some exclusive company .
Here ’ s how a Wheeler AOY win in 2024 would stack up against some of the history makers of the sport .
all-time aoy streaks
Roland Martin and Kevin VanDam ’ s careers are the high bars by which bass fishing Angler of the Year performances will be judged forevermore .
Martin won an astounding nine AOYs between 1971 and 1985 , including six in nine years from 1971 to 1980 .
VanDam won eight AOY races in his 33-year career ( seven with Bassmaster , one with MLF / FLW ). He was an absolutely juggernaut from 2008 to 2011 , when he claimed four straight Elite Series AOY trophies . But a third AOY for Wheeler in four years would equal Martin for the second-best fouryear run in major-tour history .
PHOTO BY GARRICK
DIXON one four-timer
While there are a handful of threetime AOY winners on the major-tour level , only one angler aside from Martin and VanDam has put together four AOY-winning campaigns : Bass Pro Tour competitor David Dudley , who claimed four FLW Tour Angler of the Year trophies ( 2008 , 2011 , 2012 and 2019 ).
the three-timers
If Wheeler pulls off a third AOY campaign , he ’ ll join a list of three-time winners that reads like a Who ’ s Who of bass fishing : Andy Morgan , Mark Davis , Clark Wendlandt , Aaron Martens and Bill Dance .
wheeler is a finisher
With the second half of the 2024 Bass Pro Tour campaign looming , Wheeler ’ s AOY odds will likely rise based on his recent late-season performance . In the previous four full seasons on the BPT ( not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season ), Wheeler has finished in the Top 5 at 11 of 16 tournaments in the second half of the season ( including four wins ). scan to install download the fishing clash app
CASTLEDINE IS KING OF THE TOYOTA SERIES AOYS
If there was a betting pool for Fishing Clash Angler of the Year honors for the Toyota Series Southwestern Division , it would be a fool ’ s bet to choose anyone other than Todd Castledine . The Texas pro has collected five Southwestern Division AOYs in 12 seasons ( including two of the last three trophies ). Castledine also owns an AOY trophy from the Cowboy Division of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League in 2013 .
BRUEGGEN , CARTER , FREEZE LEAD BFL AOY COUNT
Three anglers own six Fishing Clash AOYs in the BFLs : Mike Brueggen ( 2009 , 2014 , 2016 , 2018 , 2019 and 2020 in the Great Lakes Division ); Kip Carter ( 2006 , 2009 , 2010 , 2017 , 2019 and 2022 in the Bulldog Division ); and Maurice Freeze , who stacked up six AOY awards among the Piedmont , North Carolina and South Carolina divisions in 2004 , 2006 ( when he topped the points in two divisions ), 2007 , 2009 and 2010 .
14 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | APRIL-MAY 2024