Tennessee pro tops Qualifying Round with two-day total of 60 bass weighing 152 pounds, 8 ounces, 2nd through 20th advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round

CALVERT CITY, Ky. (June 6, 2025) – For almost 24 hours, it looked like Jacob Wheeler had no interest in winning the Qualifying Round at Lowrance Stage 5 Presented by Mercury. As usual, the Bass Pro Tour superstar rocketed to a fast start during Day 1 on Kentucky Lake, stacking up more than 95 pounds during the first half of the day. At that point, he strapped his rods down and spent the rest of the day searching for new schools of offshore fish, not adding another scorable bass to his total.

Friday morning brought more of the same, with Wheeler idling and graphing for just about all of Period 1 and only boating one scorable bass during that time. Then, during the break between Periods 1 and 2, he FaceTimed his wife, Alicia.

“I FaceTimed my wife at the break, and she said, ‘I didn’t marry a loser,’” Wheeler said with a laugh. “That’s actually the real story.”

Whether to appease his wife, strategize the best way to try to win his ninth Bass Pro Tour trophy or solidify his lead in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race – or, realistically, a combination of all three – Wheeler resumed reeling them in. During the second period, he racked up 50 pounds, 1 ounce on 17 scorable bass. He went back to scouting during the third period but added a couple more fish in the process, bringing his two-day total to 152-8, which earned him the Qualifying Round win by 28-9 over Day 1 leader Michael Neal.

Always one of the savviest strategists on the Bass Pro Tour, Wheeler took to the water Friday torn about whether to fish for the Qualifying Round win. Normally, the automatic Championship Round berth is coveted. But given how much the bass on Kentucky Lake seem to be moving around and the value of idling and graphing to find them, he wanted to spend as much time as possible scouting for the potential winning school.

Both approaches had their advantages. On one hand, if he were to start strong once again during the Knockout Round, Wheeler could spend even more time graphing, and being on the water Saturday would give him a better idea of which schools are getting pressured by other anglers. On the flip side, though, he’d have to burn fish just to make it to the Championship Round, and advancing wouldn’t be guaranteed. He also noted that he can learn more about how to maximize a school by fishing for the bass than just graphing them.

“You get a better understanding about how to fish a place when you actually catch them,” he said. “There were a couple places I hadn’t fished that I had found, and I wanted to sort of catch a few and get an idea. And I was like, ‘well, heck, I might as well catch enough to win, and if it happens, great, and if it doesn’t, whatever.’”

The factor that pushed Wheeler to fish for the win was the fact that he has a chance to take a commanding lead in the Angler of the Year race. Gunning for his fourth points title in the past five seasons, Wheeler has now assured himself a fifth Top 10 in as many regular-season events this season. Meanwhile, his two closest pursuers entering Stage 5, Drew Gill and Matt Becker , both finished outside the Top 20. Wheeler is now guaranteed to have a lead of at least 28 points with two events left in the season.

“It’s hard, because it’s split between (winning Stage 5 and) Angler of the Year,” he said. “If I was just completely focused on winning, I wouldn’t have tried to catch them today. But, at the end of the day, I’m like, take the guarantee and let’s roll with it.”

Once Wheeler decided to add more weight to his total, he did so seemingly at will. Despite the fact that he essentially only fished for one-third of the day, his Day 2 total of 56-9 marked the second-best day of anyone on the water behind only Nick Hatfield’s 66-2. Interestingly, he caught an even split of smallmouth and largemouth, whereas the rest of the field has caught about 80% largemouth. Wheeler’s best spot produced a 4-1 smallmouth, a 4-15 smallmouth and a 5-6 largemouth.

“One cast can be a largemouth, one cast can be a smallmouth,” Wheeler said. “Pretty crazy.”

Wheeler is now one day away from adding to his Bass Pro Tour-best win total. While he always wants to hoist the trophy, this victory would be especially sweet coming on the heels of consecutive second-place finishes in each of the past two regular-season events, including a last-second loss to Jake Lawrence at Stage 4 on Chickamauga and Nickajack.

“Absolutely, I’d love to win this one,” Wheeler said. “You have a couple second places, and you’re like ‘gosh dang it, I’ve been so close.’ If I can figure out a way to win this thing, that’s the plan, for sure.”

Throughout Day 2, anglers constantly shuffled spots around the elimination line. It wasn’t until the final minute of competition that the Top 20 was set.

Brent Ehrler caught a 2-5 with about 12 minutes left to jump from 21st place to the right side of the cut. He then secured his spot with a 3-0 a few minutes later. Ehrler’s fish bumped Brandon Coulter out of the Top 20. However, Coulter quickly answered with a 2-6. That knocked Alton Jones to 21st place with about 4 minutes left.

Jones, one of the few anglers to find success fishing shallow, flipped up a 3-1 largemouth with less than a minute left to put himself into the Top 20 and knock Coulter back to 21st. As a result, both Jones and his son, Alton Jones Jr., will compete in Saturday’s Knockout Round after starting Friday outside the Top 20.

The 20 pros that now advance in competition on Kentucky Lake are:

1st:        Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 60 bass, 152-8
2nd:       Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 48 bass, 123-15
3rd:        Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 48 bass, 113-4
4th:        Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 42 bass, 102-4
5th:        Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 49 bass, 101-5
6th:        Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 40 bass, 100-3
7th:        Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 42 bass, 99-7
8th:        Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 40 bass, 93-10
9th:        Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 37 bass, 89-4
10th:      Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 42 bass, 88-7
11th:      Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 36 bass, 87-1
12th:      John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 35 bass, 86-12
13th:      Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 34 bass, 86-11
14th:      Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 37 bass, 86-8
15th:      Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 37 bass, 85-13
16th:      Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 32 bass, 85-12
17th:      Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 36 bass, 81-4
18th:      Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 32 bass, 79-15
19th:      Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 33 bass, 79-4
20th:      Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 29 bass, 78-1

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

Jared Lintner earned the Day 2 Berkley Big Bass Award Friday with a 5-pound, 7-ounce largemouth that he caught on a swim jig in Period 3. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

The full field of anglers competed in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday. With the two-day Qualifying Round now complete, Wheeler advances directly to Sunday’s Championship Round. The anglers that finished 2nd through 20th advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the top nine anglers will join Wheeler in Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $150,000.

Anglers will launch at 7:15 a.m. CT from the Kentucky Dam Marina, located at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. The takeout will be held at the same location beginning at 3:45 p.m. daily. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at  MajorLeagueFishing.com.

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

On Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit the Kentucky Dam Swim Beach at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways, listen to live music and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel each day. The event also includes a youth fishing derby and a casting contest. The Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand both days to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

Hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Calloway County Tourism Commission, the Lowrance Stage 5 at Kentucky Lake Presented by Mercury features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce 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 2025 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 66 of the top 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 Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2026 championship.

Television coverage of the Lowrance Stage 5 at Kentucky Lake Presented by Mercury will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 25 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Nov. 1. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sport Apparel, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki Marine and Toyota.

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 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 Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network 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.