Jacob Wheeler is a professional American fisherman who is widely popular for being the winner of the 2014 Bassmaster BASSfest at Chickamauga Lake. In his fishing career, he has competed in several tournaments and has won a few of them. Apart from being a fisherman, he is also a YouTuber.
Jacob has established himself as one of the prominent competitive fishermen. Furthermore, he shares a blissful marital life with his wife and has a daughter. Well, let's learn more about the talented fisherman, Jacob Wheeler's biography, and professional career.
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Early Life, Family, And Education
Jacob Wheeler was born on September 18, 1990. He was born to his mother, Lynn Wheeler, and father, Curtis Wheeler, in Harrison, Tennessee, US. He grew up with his two sisters, Amber Wheeler and Kaitlin Wheeler. Jacob, along with his two sisters, was homeschooled. Jacob's parents did not want to send their children to the local public schools, thinking that peer pressure could lead them into trouble if they attended the local public school.
Jacob Wheeler and his sisters were homeschooled by their mother. Image Source: Jacob Wheeler Instagram.
Before the birth of three children, Jacob's mother was a teacher, and she homeschooled her children up to high school. Through high school, they were homeschooled via a network of instructors. Those instructors taught one or two classes in their homes, due to which Jacob had to drive to a different home three days a week to attend classes. Those classes covered the required subject matter, and then they devoted the remaining two days each week to do their homework.
Career
Along with the homeschooling for his formal education, Jacob's bass fishing skill was also learned at home. He was taught by his father and his uncle Morry Wheeler, who were members of the Circle City Bass Hookers, a B.A.S.S. affiliated club. Wheeler's uncle had qualified twice for the B.A.S.S. Nation's Indiana State Team, and was the more accomplished angler. He was taken fishing for the first time in 1997 by his uncle. During his early years, he used to join his father and uncle in other fishing outings. And that was when his passion for fishing grew.
Jacob had already begun to catch his own bass with a pre-rigged worm and a push-button reel by the age of eight. The same year, he fished for his first tournament with his uncle. By that time, he had also begun to fish with other bass anglers from their boats. This helped him gain exposure to a variety of lures and fishing styles.
Jacob's dad received a quarterly newsletter from B.A.S.S. as a member of the B.A.S.S. affiliated club, and Jacob used to read the youth section of the newsletter. At the age of 10, he began fishing at Bassmaster Junior tournaments. Three years later, his family bought their first bass boat.
By the age of 13, Jacob had already fished in several Junior Bassmaster tournaments with the "tub." He was qualified for the 2004 Junior Bassmaster World Championship, where he finished in the top 10. During his fishing pot tournaments, he became friends with Bryan "BJ" Johnson and Brian Waldman. Waldman taught him how to use electronics and bass behavior, while Johnson helped him make good decisions during the tournaments and fishing techniques.
Wheeler fished for the first BFL tournament at the age of 19 in 2010. The following year, he qualified for the 2011 BFL All-American, where he won, making him the youngest angler to ever win. He has participated in other events, and here is the table showing the tournaments that he has competed in, in different years and their result.
| Tournaments | Place | Total Weight |
| 2014 BASSfest at Chickamauga | 1 | 90lb-60z |
| 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina | 14 | 37lb-10oz |
| 2015 Bass Pro Shops Central Open #3 presented by Allstate | 2 | 42lb - 12oz |
| 2016 Bass Pro Shops Northern Open | 2 | 50lb-0oz |
| 2017 Bassmaster Elite at Cherokee Lake | 1 | 69lb-13oz |
| 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | 3 | 83lb-15oz |
| 2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe presented by Abu Garcia | 7 | 62lb - 1oz |
| 2019 GEICO Bassmaster Classic | 2 | 45lb - 5oz |
These are some of the tournaments participated by him.
Well, Jacob uses Duckett J. Wheeler Series fishing rods. Duckett Micro Magic Pro, Duckett Black Ice, Duckett Incite, etc., are some of the fishing rods used by him. He has achieved significant success from his profession as an angler. Jacob still has a long way to go, so one cannot doubt that he will gain more success in the future.
Jacob Wheeler Net Worth And Earnings
There's no doubt that Jacob Wheeler is establishing himself as one of the most prominent fishermen. Looking at the number of tournaments, he might have amassed enormous wealth. Jacob Wheeler's net worth might be in millions too. Most of his wealth comes from various tournaments that he has participated in, prize money, and endorsement deals. Here's the table showing the money he was paid in several tournaments.
| Tournaments | Cash WInnings | Cash Bonus | Total Money |
| 2017 Bassmaster Elite | $100,000 | $1,000 | $101,000 |
| 2016 Bass Pro Shops Southern Open #1 | $2,533 | $0 | $2,533 |
| 2016 Bass Pro Shops Northern Open #1 | $20,165 | $1,000 | $21,165 |
| 2014 Bassmaster BASSfest | $125,000 | $2,000 | $127,000 |
| 2013 Bass Pro Shops Northern Open #2 | $2,376 | $0 | $2,376 |
Furthermore, Jacob had also worked as a nanny for the children of family friends during the final two years of high school. Apart from that, he also helped his father in the construction work. He used to earn money through his work, along with $200 to $400 a week, that he pocketed in tournament winnings. According to Bassmaster.com, he has won more than $1 million fishing FLW tournaments to date.
According to Comparably, the average salary of professional Bass Fishermen in the USA is $62,796. Well, Jacob Wheeler's fortune must have risen significantly over the years. Furthermore, his net worth comprises endorsement deals and sponsorship offers too. Due to the popularity that he has gained, Jacob has gained several sponsorship offers. His sponsors are Academy Sports, Suffix, Under Armor, Ranger, Gene Larew, VMC Hooks, and many others. He also endorses several brands and promotes them through his Instagram account.
Similarly, Jacob also has a YouTube channel with 116K subscribers. He has $2K to $32.3K yearly estimated earnings from his YouTube channel. Furthermore, he also has a merch store, and here are the merches along with their price.
| Items | Price |
| Wheeler Fishing Richardson Beanie | $19.99 |
| Wheeler Fishing Icon Tee - Black Heather | $24.99 |
| Wheeler Fishing Richardson Hat | $24.99 |
| Wheeler Fishing Banner Tee - Royal Heather | $24.99 |
Hence, Jacob Wheeler's net worth must be of a grand sum as he has amassed huge wealth through various ventures. All thanks to his riches, he is able to live a comfortable life with his family in Tennessee.
Marriage And Kids
Talking about Jacob's love life, he is a married man. He tied the knot with his wife, Alicia Wheeler, in October 2017. Jacob proposed to her in January 2016, and they shared the news via social media. The now-married pair dated each other for a long time before exchanging their vows. The couple is deeply in love with each other and does not shy away to share their love via Instagram. The lovely pair of Jacob and Alicia are great parents to a daughter and are going to have their second child soon.
Jacob Wheeler is a married man with a beautiful daughter. Image Source: Alicia Wheeler Instagram.
Jacob Wheeler's wife, Alicia, gave birth to their firstborn, a little girl named Olivia Hollyn Wheeler, on January 22, 2019.
Jacob Wheeler's daughter weighed 9 pounds at the time of the birth. They shared the news on Instagram and now are raising their child with great love and care. The lovely duo is soon going to welcome their second child.
We can see that Jacob Wheeler and Alicia Wheeler are raising their child with great love and care. They are excited to welcome their next child and are doing great for themselves.
Trivia
- Jacob has 231K and 27.6K followers on Instagram and Twitter, respectively.
- His hobbies are hunting and traveling to different countries.
