PHOTO BY JOEL SHANGLE
2021 — wheeler , defoe stack up trophies
The 2021 Bass Pro Tour season saw Wheeler and DeFoe exchange haymakers as they racked up trophies . DeFoe kicked off the season with a win at Stage One on Sam Rayburn Reservoir and added a second victory at Stage Four on the Harris Chain . Wheeler , meanwhile , escaped with a nailbiting , 2-ounce win over Bobby Lane at Stage Two Lake on Lake Travis , then added back-to-back $ 100,000 paydays and BPT trophies to his 2023 ledger on the St . Lawrence River and Lake Champlain at Stages Five and Six , respectively .
DeFoe entered Stage Seven at Lake St . Clair with a 12- point lead over Wheeler in the AOY race , hoping to hold serve on one of the country ’ s most prolific smallmouth fisheries . But after two days of qualifying in different groups – DeFoe finished 17th in Group B with 66-10 , Wheeler third in Group A with 131-13 – it became obvious to DeFoe that he didn ’ t have the fish to keep Wheeler at bay . DeFoe threw a Hail Mary in the Knockout Round , trailering as far south as tournament boundaries would allow and fishing totally new water in a tributary of Lake Erie . The prayer fell short ; DeFoe finished 30th in the round , while Wheeler motored on to the Championship Round to lock up his first career AOY trophy . Final AOY score : Wheeler 464 , DeFoe 430 , Michael
Neal 420 , Brent Ehrler 413
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
PHOTO BY JOSH GASSMANN
2020 — jordan lee lands first career aoy
There are very few trophies missing from the Cullman , Alabama , home of Jordan Lee . The winner of the first ever Bass Pro Tour event ( 2019 ), the first ever Heavy Hitters championship belt ( 2020 ) and two Bassmaster Classic titles , Lee entered the 2020 season finale lacking only a major-tour Angler of the Year title to complete a sweep of career accomplishments .
In a COVID-shortened season , Lee hung tough from the get-go , finishing ninth and seventh in the first two events to stay within range of Wheeler , who got off to a blazing-hot start by winning Stage One on Lake Eufaula . He then weathered the storm of a 31st-place finish at Lake Fork as DeFoe powered to the AOY lead . Lee made his move at Heavy Hitters , winning that event ( and pocketing an extra $ 100,000 in big-bass bonuses in the process ). He sealed the deal a month later with a fourth-place finish on Sturgeon Bay , earning Lee his first AOY trophy .
Final AOY score : Lee 353 , DeFoe 334 , Wheeler 331.5 , Jeff Sprague 308 .
2019 — evers doubles up with aoy , redcrest titles
From the outset of the inaugural season of the MLF Bass Pro Tour , Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers performed like a man on a mission . After finishing second to Lee in the league ’ s historic first event on the Kissimmee Chain , Evers dominated the Championship Round on Lake Conroe two weeks later . He went on to finish fourth , seventh and 16th at the next three events to create a little breathing room between himself and AOY pursuers Sprague and Ehrler .
Evers found himself at the uncomfortable mercy of SCORETRACKER ® at Stage Eight , finishing 21st in Group A qualifying and needing the hard-charging Sprague to also finish below the Elimination Line in Group B to maintain his AOY lead . Sprague fell shy and finished seven spots below Evers in the event , securing the Oklahoman ’ s first career major-tour Angler of the Year title . He completed the magical season by claiming the first ever REDCREST trophy at the Mississippi River two months later .
Final AOY score : Evers 510 , Sprague 500 , Ehrler 491 , Wheeler 488
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