Could we be getting ready to crown our first-ever repeat champion at the Forrest Wood Cup?

At first blush the Red River doesn’t look like the type of fishery that would turn out enough weight for an angler to make a four-and-a-half-pound comeback on the final day. Also, as the fish have been buzzed, frogged, flipped and shakeyed into a tizzy, weights should continue to fall. And they have.

For everybody except defending Cup champion Evinrude Pro Jacob Wheeler.

Wheeler’s weights have increased every day to a high of 14-4 (today’s heaviest sack). Across the board weights have come down even for the three pros who, tonight, stand between Wheeler and a piece of hardware that will carry a piece of fishing immortality if he becomes the first to ever hoist it twice – back-to-back years – by the age of 22.

About tomorrow Wheeler said “I’m ready to go! Ready to get my tackle prepared, get my mind into it. I made good decisions today. I feel like I understand what the weather is doing, what the fish are doing and how to catch them.”

He’ll fly on his gut “You’ve got to fish by the seat of your pants here. Things change so much. You have to change with them.”

Chevy Pro Bryan Thrift rides a 4 ounce lead over Randall Tharp. All of Thrift’s fish that weighed over 4 pounds have come from one point in Pool 5. He plans to stop there in the morning. He also plans to spend some time in Pool 4. “I fished there for 25 minutes today, caught a two-pounder and came back,” said Thrift.

Thrift said two-pounders are the reason he will invest the time it takes to lock into Pool 4. Then he hopes his big fish point is good for another kicker.

Thrift has caught all of his big bass, including the 7-9 whopper, on a Damiki finesse worm and 1/8 oz. shakey head on 10-pound fluorocarbon.

EverStart Pro Randall Tharp has been catching a small limit each day before heading back to a spot near the take-off point in Port Lake to upgrade with a frog. Today, instead of a pair of 4-pounders his big fish area kicked out 2-pounders. It’s not the type of place that’s likely to reload with fish as it is simply a pad-choked drain in the back of the lake which harbors mostly resident fish. Can Tharp find some fresh fishing holes tomorrow?

Chevy Pro Larry Nixon has occupied 3^rd place since the tournament began. He is 3-08 off the lead with 35-14 after bringing 8-5 to the scale today.

Walmart Pro Mark Rose, in 5^th, has also seen his weight slip slightly each day. He is exactly 5 pounds behind Thrift with 34-6.