Wheeler’s CrushCity Rampage Seems Unstoppable
Throughout his dominant history across multiple circuits, Jacob Wheeler has experienced moments of doubt, and he still usually comes out on top, so when he heads into an event confident and comfortable, it’s almost an invitation for the rest of the field to vie for second place. That was the situation this past week in the Bass Pro Tour’s tournament on Dale Hollow Lake, one of his favorite venues, and one where he feels exceptionally comfortable.
“This is a place that is near and dear to my heart,” he said. That was before he put on a dominant show and claimed his unmatched eighth BPT win there.
Now it has a place on his mantel, too. Soon, he may need to build a bigger display area, because each time CrushCity™ intends to introduce a new lure, Wheeler jumps the gun and brings it to the world’s attention prematurely.
This time it was the CrushCity Mooch Minnow that did the damage, and the difference was notable. He beat his closest competitor in the Championship Round by over 30 pounds. Wheeler can’t give all the credit to the Mooch Minnow, as his trusty Freeloader rigged on a VMC® Hybrid jighead was the “deal” through the beginning days of the tournament. As the conditions changed and fish became a bit more reluctant to biting, downsizing to the 3.5” Mooch Minnow made all the difference in the world.
The Mooch Gets the Job Done
Actually, this was the rare case where Wheeler didn’t introduce a lure to the public. Yes, the Mooch Minnow won’t be widely available until after this year’s ICAST show, so he was a bit early, but it was his close friend Dustin Connell who initially let the secret out. Connell used it for some of his fish when he won at Toledo Bend in February, and then it was his primary tool when he won the Redcrest in March. Thus, it’s been a part of three BPT wins in three months.
If anything, it’s competing for ink and pixels with the CrushCity™ Freeloader, which was the primary tool in Connell’s Toledo Bend victory as well as in Wheeler’s February victory on Santee Cooper. It should surprise no one who follows the tour even lightly that Wheeler and Connell are first and second in the points standings.
“The reason why the Mooch Minnow is such a great bait is that it looks exactly like a threadfin shad that a lot of those fish are keying in on,” Wheeler said. “It’s also super versatile.”
One distinguishing feature is the existence of little tabs on the tail which seem innocuous but provide a key-kicking action.
“You can impart different actions using them,” Wheeler said. “Cut the tabs off and it’s a little bit more free and allows the bait to roll more. If you want less roll, keep the tabs on and you’ll get tail action like a real shad.”
Deadly and Economical
Wheeler rigged the Mooch Minnow on a range of swimbait heads tailored to the precise conditions that confronted him, anything from 1/8 ounce to 5/8 ounce, but particularly relied upon a 3/16 ounce VMC® Hybrid Swimbait Jig Head.
“That screw lock makes a huge difference,” he said “You go from being able to catch four or five fish on one Mooch Minnow up to about 10 to 15 per bait. Take some time, rotate it around, and it’ll stay put.”
That was critical because even though they had early access to these soon-to-market soft plastics, Wheeler and Connell still had to ration them.
“Gizzard shad was the only color I have. I have maybe 25 packs and DC has about 20. But I only went through about six or seven Mooch Minnows and I caught more than 40 bass.”
One other way that he maximizes his catch and his bait efficiency is through using a main line of 8-pound test Sufix Revolve Braid merged to a leader of 10-pound test Sufix® Advance® Fluorocarbon. Revolve is a spinning reel braid that will be released at ICAST and available at retail later this year. That combination allows him to get his line back in the water as soon as possible while the fish are fired up without suffering from debilitating nicks.
History in the Making
Wheeler’s talent and skill at knockout punches have made many fans virtually immune to his exceptionalism. To some extent, the question has always been, when will he win next, and by how much? But now it’s added a new wrinkle: “What new secret will he reveal with the next win?”
Rest assured, some new standouts are coming from CrushCity sooner rather than later….although even “sooner” may get accelerated depending on Wheeler’s whims.
He just wants to get out there again: “It never gets old, reeling bass in,” he explained. He’s made the top ten in 24 of the last 32 BPT events, on all sorts of fisheries, at all times of the year. The wins keep on coming and he’s not even 34 years old.
