OXFORD, Ala. (Major League Fishing) — Jacob Wheeler and Dustin Connell of Team O’Reilly Auto Parts capped off an unforgettable week on the Alabama pro’s home waters with a dominant performance Monday, cruising to a win at the Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches on Logan Martin Lake.
The powerhouse duo combined for 70 pounds, 10 ounces on 46 scorable bass – the first 70-pound day recorded in this week’s event – to secure a comfortable victory in the Championship Round of the third Fishing Clash Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops event of 2025. They cleared runners-up Jake Lawrence and Alton Jones Jr. of Team Knighten Industries by nearly 25 pounds.
For Connell, the win carried special meaning – his first Team Series title, earned on his home waters of the Coosa River. For Wheeler, it marked his second straight Team Series championship win following last month’s Heritage Cup victory with Mark Daniels Jr. in Wisconsin.
“I love these Team Series, man,” Connell said. “I really enjoy getting in the boat with my buddy. We fish together a lot – anytime we have free time, for us to get together and win one of these. This means a lot. I’m not going to lie.”
More minnow mastery from Wheeler, Connell
No one will be surprised to see Wheeler and Connell hoisting another trophy. They rank first and second in career Bass Pro Tour wins. Even by his high standards, Wheeler is in the midst of a scorching hot streak – he’s now won four of his past five MLF events dating back to BPT Stage 5 on Kentucky Lake. Connell, meanwhile, has been almost unbeatable in his home state. He’s now won five times in seven pro-level MLF events in Alabama.
Yet Connell admitted that his local knowledge didn’t necessarily make things easy.
“It didn’t really happen the way I expected,” he said. “It was cloudy and rainy, and I thought that might hurt us. But Jacob called the shot. He said, ‘Hey, let’s go try this little pocket here,’ and I said, ‘Heck yeah, this feels good.’ That’s where it all came together.”
Both pros relied on forward-facing sonar and finesse presentations, catching the majority of their bass on the Rapala CrushCity Mooch Minnow paired with VMC Redline Series Tungsten Swimbait Jigheads.
“Here on Lake Logan Martin, it was about a bait that has won a lot of money between the two of us,” Wheeler said. “The conditions were perfect for that Mooch Minnow bite – cloudy with just enough wind to keep the fish up. We fished the main lake, ran upriver, and just bebopped around until we found the right zone.”
“We threw the albino shad and gizzard shad colors, mostly on 3/8-ounce jigheads, but we mixed in some 1/4-ounce for fish that were higher in the water column,” added Connell. “You need several different weights for this technique because the fish are constantly moving up and down – that’s why you’ll see us changing rods all the time.”
“We caught about 60 bass today, counting the non-scorables,” Wheeler agreed. “It was insane. Once we settled into that area and the groups started to show up, it was on.”
The day wasn’t without drama. Midway through the second period, the duo briefly lost momentum after a fish-landing violation erased a scorable bass from their total. But instead of rattling them, the penalty lit a fire.
“Oh, man. That’s about as mad as I get,” Wheeler said with a laugh. “Right after that, we just put the hammer down. We started stacking them up, and from there, it never slowed down.”
For both anglers, the win reflected more than just a productive pattern – it was a celebration of friendship, teamwork, and execution.
“Cool tournament,” Connell said. “Glad to win it with my boy. We got it done.”
Wheeler summed it up.
“It was an insane week here in Alabama,” he said. “DC got to fish two lakes he’d never been on before, and we got to finish it right here on his home river. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
