It was Tyler Wheeler’s Day!

Hourly winners of the Tyler Wheeler Benefit Big Bass Tournament L to R: Nick Young 5.66, Ben Littleton 6.53, Steve Talley 4.51, Jeremy Albritton 6.16 and Johnny Hood 5.80. Not shown was Ernie Heckford 4.22.

Tyler Wheeler moved around in the crowd, watching the fish come to the scales manned by tournament director Dale Taylor and chatting with all the folks around, just like everybody else Saturday at Ludwig’s Marine. It was amazing. He was just one of the guys.

The fishing was tough. The big bass are still reeling a bit from the spawn and the cool snap this week didn’t make them any more aggressive. But there were some good ones brought to the scales, as shown by the winners pictured above.

But the big winner was Tyler. And the folks that made this happen. This was his day, a day where fishermen, friends, local businesses and his fellow game wardens came together to raise money to help with his medical expenses and encourage him to continue on the path to recovery. And just to say thanks for what he does.

If you don’t know, Tyler was shot multiple times in the line of duty earlier this year. It was a horrendous act against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agent and he is fortunate to still be with us. But he is. And he’s an inspiration to all who know him and his courageous story. That’s what Saturday was about. A time to say thanks and to help out just a little bit. A small payback for what he and other law enforcement do for us every day. And a chance to catch a few D’Arbonne lunkers.

A huge American flag was hoisted above the weighin. God Bless America. God Bless Tyler Wheeler.