Harrison's Jacob Wheeler caught 39 bass totaling 116-6 on final day to earn top award of $100,000 at the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury.
In less than two minutes, Mr. Wheeler landed a 3-pound, 7-ounce largemouth. That sparked a bass barrage for the ages. He followed that fish with another 3-pounder, then a 2-3 and a 2-8 — all in the first 10 minutes. In the opening hour, he stacked 14 scorable bass for 43 pounds, 3 ounces on Scoretracker.
By the end of the first period, he’d amassed 70-6.
Mr. Wheeler ended with a 116-6 total on 39 scorable bass – more than 30 pounds clear of Michael Neal of Dayton, in second place.
Officials said, "This marks the second victory of the season for Wheeler, who also took home the title at Stage Two on Santee Cooper. It also adds to his Bass Pro Tour-best win total, hoisting his eighth trophy since the inception of the league in 2019 and doing so on one of his favorite lakes in the country."
“This is like my lake; this is my home away from home,” Mr. Wheeler said of Dale Hollow. “My wife literally jokes that we should have moved to Dale Hollow, you like it so much, like giving me crap about it. And I just love it, man. ... First big, national tournament on the lake, to get that win, it means a lot.”
The top 10 pros from the PowerStop Brakes Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Mercury finished:
1st: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 39 bass, 116-6, $100,000
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 28 bass, 85-10, $45,000
3rd: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 29 bass, 85-5, $38,000
4th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 27 bass, 78-8, $32,000
5th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 23 bass, 74-0, $30,000
6th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 21 bass, 61-14, $26,000
7th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 20 bass, 60-14, $23,000
8th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 13 bass, 38-4, $21,000
9th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 14 bass, 36-12, $19,000
10th: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, seven bass, 20-7, $16,000