Jacob Wheeler’s Summer Bass Master Class on TVA Reservoirs

Wired2fish teams with bass fishing phenom Jacob Wheeler to break down an offshore ledge bass bite on Pickwick Lake during the summer heat. With tournament fishing pressure at its peak, Wheeler walks us through how he uses fish finder mapping, waypoint sharing, and side and down imaging to find schools of bass and put a variety of baits on their noses.
TACKLE USED
• TERMINAL SETUP - VMC Tokyo Rig Finesse Neko, size 2/0: wired2.fish/TokyoRigFinesseNeko
• WEIGHT - VMC Tungsten Rugby Weight, 1/2 ounce: wired2.fish/VMC-TungstenRugby...
• PLASTIC - Googan Baits Drag n Drop, color - Morning Dawn: wired2.fish/GooganDragNDrop
• SOFT SWIMBAIT - Storm Largo Shad, color - Green Gizzard: wired2.fish/StormLargoShad
• JIG HEAD - VMC Hybrid Swimbait Head, 1/2-ounce: wired2.fish/VMC-HybridSwimbai...
• LINE - Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon, 12-pound: wired2.fish/SufixAdvanceFluoro
• JIG - Accent Scooter Football Jig: wired2.fish/AccentScooterFoot...
For Wheeler, there's no such thing as a "best" bait, so he usually has upwards of 10 rods rigged with different presentations on his front deck. Despite his expertise with fish finders, he still likes to verify the fish species by fishing after marking a likely school. He prefers using finesse baits first, as they excel at generating bites but are less apt to spook the school.
In a fashion similar to his recent Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour win on the St. Lawrence River, Wheeler uses the VMC Tokyo Rig Finesse Neko to rocket a plastic worm to the bottom in deep water. Precision depth control allows you to put a bait directly in the face of the fish you've just marked. Catch a few, then start rifling through other proven tactics such as swimbaits and crankbaits to milk the school for extra bites
FISH FINDERS & MAPPING
• Humminbird HELIX 12 CHIRP MEGA SI+ GPS G4N: wired2.fish/HumminbirdHELIX12...
• Lowrance HDS-12 LIVE with Active Imaging: wired2.fish/HDSLive
• Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 126sv: wired2.fish/31rtEWn
• Minn Kota Ultrex Trolling Motor: wired2.fish/MinnKotaUltrex52-RMP
• Humminbird LakeMaster Mapping: wired2.fish/LakeMasterMaps-RMP
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[@southerngurlfishing2561]

Definitely need more video's like this especially how you line up everytime on your waypoint to hit your spot everytime

[@RickiBobbi69]

17 minutes of jacob wheeler? let me grab the lotion

[@gccurry1]

ewww

[@wesleyhughes363]

Love the use of visual on graph when suggesting where to start fishing and why. Also great job of Jacob explaining what he was doing and why. He was focused on teaching - not fishing. Helping me catch fish is why I watched - we all ready he can catch them! Really enjoy these type videos. Thanks!

[@Wired2Fish]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@thomasroach3965]

This is what makes him so good. He is not married to just a couple techniques. He is constantly looking for the best trigger at the moment.

[@rlsoutdoors997]

I caught a fish almost every cast the other day finessing that drag-n-drop. That brown gill pattern is fire too!

[@alanreyes29]

Awesome video

[@Wired2Fish]

Thanks

[@WestCoastChris138]

This is ooolllddd footage if JWheelz still got the Evinrude on the Triton! Y’all boys holdin the juice 🧃 or what!!! Lol Jk

[@chrisfoley3320]

Its not always easy,i,m glad you brought that up. I went through everything i had on a school the other day and never got them to fire.

[@mattalan6559]

They make it look so easy lol. It takes me 3-4 hours to find my first ledge bite

[@W2.Outdoors]

Missed the first guide on the spoon rod🤣

[@_fisher_2_]

How do you think a drop shot with a short leader would compare to the Tokyo rig?

[@anglingadventureswithjim9094]

What shorts were you sporting there? They look very comfortable. Thanks for the vid, very informative.

[@gamingdreams2142]

Got to be wheeler lake cause I don’t see the bigger mountains.

[@trustno1342]

No doubt the Tokyo rig works both shallow and deep but why not use the the ball and chain rig on those fish holding tight to the bottom? Is it because as you said you can feel the bottom better or are you simply able to fish it faster?

[@Wired2Fish]

Good questions - a little of both. The Finesse Tokyo extremely compact and fast when I want a bait a couple inches off of the bottom. It also fishes very well on casting gear with 10 or 12 pound fluorocarbon. It doesn't replace a drop shot, but it's faster with less rigging hassle when I can get away with the extra hardware.

[@nelsonchiro]

Ah, the shoe lure!

[@Wired2Fish]

Oh yeah!

[@trextrextrex]

So how deep was this deepest fish you ever caught on the Tn River?

[@Wired2Fish]

If I recall correctly, one of these bass came from 40 feet. - Ryan

[@andrewbrowning1605]

Old video? he doesn’t have the Evinrude anymore.

[@Wired2Fish]

Filmed during the summer of 2020. Content still quite valid.

[@sammichsearcher2230]

I’m feeling that same way. 100 bass and can’t get a bite. Camp attebury to da y, see if I can’t find a dummy.

[@chadjackson4786]

is it just me or did he not say how many feet deep the fish were

[@trextrextrex]

Nope he didnt

[@funkymojo111]

I bet if you threw a piece of bluefin tuna on that hook....WHAM!

[@dannyhudson5405]

I believe he could catch a bass in my swimming pool lol

[@Ethanguerin45]

First comment

[@email16v]

This doesn't help at all. All that technology, boat, etc is 1000% more than I want to spend to catch bass.