Jacob Wheeler Leads After Hot Start at MLF Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Six at James River

Tennessee pro weighs in 78 pounds, 8 ounces to lead after Day 1 for Group A – Group B begins competition Wednesday

RICHMOND, Va. (June 25, 2024) – The heat wave that greeted the Bass Pro Tour field upon its arrival to the James River for practice prior to the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Stage Six Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts relented during the opening day of competition, but only barely, with temperatures still climbing into the low 90s. The fishing, meanwhile, was just as hot.

Of the 39 pros who took to the water for the first day of qualifying in Group A, 27 stacked at least 20 pounds on SCORETRACKER® and 11 hit the 40-pound mark. It took 40 pounds, 6 ounces to claim a spot inside the cut line – the third-heaviest 10th-place total for an opening day of qualifying all season, narrowly trailing only the first two days of Stage Three at Dale Hollow.

And yet, despite that torrid pace, two-time Fishing Clash Angler of the Year Jacob Wheeler of Harrison,…