2023 bally bet ANGLER OF THE YEAR storylines highlight dynamic bass pro tour race
By Mitchell Forde
2023 bally bet ANGLER OF THE YEAR storylines highlight dynamic bass pro tour race
Jones , Wheeler , DeFoe , Becker finishing nip-and-tuck battle at Saginaw Bay
Alton Jones Jr . |
Jacob Wheeler |
Ott DeFoe |
Matt Becker |
As this issue of Bass Fishing magazine goes to press , the most exciting Bally Bet Angler of the Year race in Bass Pro Tour history remains in the stretch run . When the BPT field heads to Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River for the seventh and final stop of the 2023 season from Aug . 1- 6 , the mysterious Michigan fishery will decide which contender takes home the coveted trophy , as well as $ 100,000 .
Four anglers enter Stage Seven within 10 points of one another at the top of the standings . After notching consecutive top-five finishes at Cayuga Lake and Lake St . Clair , Alton Jones Jr . sits in first place , but his cushion is only 7 points ahead of two-time defending AOY winner Jacob Wheeler . Ott DeFoe and Matt Becker also lurk closely behind Wheeler .
The tight race virtually guarantees that whoever wins the AOY trophy will have to finish the season strong . We ’ re also assured of a compelling storyline regardless of who prevails . Here are a few facts and figures that illustrate why a win would be noteworthy for each of the four top contenders .
Wheeler is looking to pull off a miraculous three-peat .
PHOTO BY TYLER BRINKS
wheeler trying to cap dramatic comeback
Regardless of how he pulled it off , winning a third consecutive AOY title would put Wheeler into elite company and further bolster his growing candidacy to be included among the greatest tournament anglers of all time . Only Kevin VanDam and Roland Martin have won AOY three years in a row on national-level tours .
However , if Wheeler can stay hot and take home the trophy for the third straight season , this year ’ s win might go down as his most memorable considering the hill he ’ s had to climb just to get back into contention .
Wheeler ’ s quest for a three-peat looked to be sunk by his 75th-place finish at Lake Murray in Stage Three . The rare dud dropped him to 25th in the AOY standings , more than 80 points behind first place . Wheeler himself has admitted that , at least at the time , he gave up on his AOY aspirations . That might just turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to him .
Whether because he has been fishing for wins or because he was simply mad about his struggles at Lake Murray , Wheeler has been scorching hot of late , even by his standards . His dominant victory on Lake Guntersville vaulted him up to 11th in the standings . A third-place finish at Lake Cayuga moved him to sixth . Now , after finishing third at Lake St . Clair , he ’ s knocking on the door of yet another title .
Given his dominance on northern waters and his history of closing the AOY race strong , it would be hard to bet against Wheeler completing the comeback . During the second half of each of the past three seasons ( from Stage Four on ), Wheeler has never finished worse than 11th . That stretch includes three wins and a jaw-dropping 10 top-five finishes in 11 events .
14 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2023