Tennessee pro races to 25 bass for 70-11 to win Knockout Round and advance, final 10 now set for Championship Day shootout for $125,000

SANDUSKY, Ohio (Aug. 8, 2026) – There was plenty at stake Saturday when the remaining 24-man field launched boats onto Lake Erie for the Knockout Round of Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches. Front and center was the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) battle between Zack Birge and Jacob Wheeler. In the end, Birge secured the AOY trophy by finishing the day in fourth place; Wheeler did everything he possibly could, winning the day with 25 bass for 70 pounds, 11 ounces.

Much of Wheeler’s weight was caught first thing: he piled 21 of his 25 fish on SCORETRACKER® in the first period.

After that, the Suzuki pro spent the remainder of the competition day checking other areas around the big lake, experimenting with new techniques and beginning to prepare for the Championship Round and his shot at his 12^th Bass Pro Tour trophy.

Now that the AOY race is settled, the focus returns to Stage 7 and the final 10 anglers fishing the final day of the 2026 season.

With a 12-point deficit to Birge in the AOY race entering the week, Wheeler needed an excellent finish on Lake Erie and for Birge to stumble to have a shot at his fifth AOY title. While that didn’t happen, Wheeler was complimentary of Birge and the competition this year between the two.

“Obviously, it’s super cool to see Zack win it after the year he had,” Wheeler said. “Coming into this event, it was out of my control, and certain things had to happen for me to even have a shot. It just goes to show how much every point all year long and decisions throughout the year make a huge difference, which is what makes the game we play so much fun.”

While Wheeler obviously would have loved to win another title, he’s also seeking a tournament win and a little revenge on Lake Erie. The last time he visited, Justin Lucas narrowly edged him for the win at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament in 2020. Lucas, who also qualified for the Championship Round, beat him by a single ounce in that 2020 event, and Wheeler hasn’t forgotten it.

“To be honest with you, I circled this one when the schedule came out because of how it went down last time,” Wheeler admitted. “I got behind the 8-ball a little the first day of competition this week, but had saved some largemouth I found for today, and the rest of the day I just spent tinkering around. I still have a few places lined up, and sort of mixed it up between largemouth and smallmouth, which I think is what it’ll take to win this tournament. I feel like the smallmouth weigh more and even though the largemouth also group up, I don’t know if they’ll be big enough to win with them alone.”

Since Wheeler laid off early today with a quick morning bite, how much weight is possible on Lake Erie tomorrow is unknown. Wheeler is shooting for over 75 pounds and says it’s possible that it will take over 100 pounds to claim the title.

“I think you’re going to have to start strong tomorrow and have at least 40 pounds in the first period,” he said. “The second period has been slower, and then you’ll have to blitz them again at the end. I’d say it could take 90 pounds or more to have a shot with the way they’re catching them.”

As close as the weights around the Lucas Oil Cut Line remained for most of the day, it was bound to be a tight finish, and that came to fruition with two anglers riding last-minute flurries to advance to the final day. For those watching on MLFNOW!, it was hard to keep up at times as Jesse Wiggins, Ott DeFoe, James Elam and Wesley Strader traded blows and battled for just two spots.

Wiggins landed a 3-6 and 4-11 in the final six minutes to secure his berth. With a camera in his boat, it was easy to see the action unfold for Wiggins, but Marshall Hughes, without a camera, came out of nowhere and made a rally of his own that was even more impressive. In the final seven minutes, the Texas pro landed a 4-2, 3-12, 4-8, and 4-6 in succession to bump John Hunter and finish the day in the Top 5.

The top nine pros that now advance to Championship Sunday on Lake Erie at Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches are:
1st:          Jacob Wheeler, Birchwood, Tenn., 25 bass, 70-11
2nd:        Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 19 bass, 58-6
3rd:         Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 16 bass, 57-11
4th:         Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 17 bass, 47-1
5th:         Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 12 bass, 44-12
6th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 12 bass, 44-11
7th:         Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 14 bass, 44-2
8th:         Jesse Wiggins, Logan, Ala., 13 bass, 43-6
9th:         Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 12 bass, 42-7
*QR Winner: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio

Eliminated from competition are:
11th:      John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 14 bass, 42-3
12th:      James Elam, Cleveland, Okla., 12 bass, 38-2
13th:      Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 14 bass, 37-2
14th:      Mark Daniels Jr., Shorter, Ala., 10 bass, 33-11
15th:      Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 10 bass, 30-8
16th:      Adrian Avena, Marmora, N.J., nine bass, 28-5
17th:      Dustin Connell, Deatsville, Ala., 10 bass, 25-15
18th:      Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., eight bass, 25-13
19th:      Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., eight bass, 23-11
20th:      Nick Hatfield, Afton, Tenn., seven bass, 23-10
21st:      Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., eight bass, 23-6
22nd:     Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., seven bass, 19-15
23rd:      Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., seven bass, 16-0
24th:      Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., four bass, 11-10
25th:      Colby Miller, Elmer, La., three bass, 7-14

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 271 bass caught weighing 841 pounds even caught by the 24 Bass Pro Tour anglers on Saturday.

Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was earned by Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, who caught a 5-pound, 5-ounce smallmouth in the first period on a drop-shot rig. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

Hosted by Shores & Islands Ohio, t he four-day tournament features 51 of the world’s top professional anglers competing for a $125,000 top prize and their share of a $600,000 purse, along with valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for REDCREST 2027 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – and the Kubota Heavy Hitters all-star event.

The full field of anglers competed in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday. After the two-day Qualifying Round was complete, the pro with the heaviest two-day total – Cole Floyd – advanced directly to Sunday’s Championship Round. Anglers who finished 2nd through 25th competed in Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed, and the remaining anglers competed to finish in the top nine to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are again zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $125,000.

Based on the forecast for stronger winds, MLF will enact the trailering policy for Sunday’s Championship Round. Anglers will arrive at 5:45 a.m. ET to Shelby Street Public Boat Launch, located at 101 Shelby Street in Sandusky, Ohio, and will depart Shelby Street Public Boat Launch at 6 a.m. to approved launch ramps located around the fishery. Anglers will return to Shelby Street Public Boat Launch Sunday evening, following the end of competition at 3:45 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to watch the event live online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® livestream and follow along with SCORETRACKER® coverage at  MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the action live on Championship Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!® will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com , the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

On Sunday, Aug. 9, from 3 to 6 p.m., MLF invites fans of all ages to the Paper District Marina, located at 611 Shoreline Drive in Sandusky, for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the Bass Pro Tour pros live on the MLFNOW!® big screen, enjoy free food for the first 100 fans, enter hourly giveaways, browse MLF merchandise and the bargain bait bin, participate in a free fishing derby and casting contest, and cheer on their favorite anglers. Live music with Mike Risner begins at 4 p.m., followed by top-10 angler interviews and the trophy presentation at 5 p.m., including autographs and photos with Bass Pro Tour finalists. The first 50 kids ages 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel.

The Suzuki Marine Stage 7 at Lake Erie Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The 2026 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 51 of the best professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Kubota Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2027 championship.

Television coverage of the Suzuki Marine Stage 7 at Lake Erie Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 3 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing Co., Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Force, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, NITRO Boats, OFF! Deep Woods, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki Marine, Toyota, Yuengling and Zenni.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X,  Instagram, Rumble and YouTube .

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery, Outdoor Channel, VICE, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV, Game & Fish TV and Rumble, and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.