Tim Morgan & Jacob Wheeler Go Back-to-Back: How Team Rapala CrushCity Conquered Kinchant Dam in the 2024 Zerek BARRA Series

Winning one round of the Zerek BARRA Series is an achievement. Winning two in a row—on two very different arenas—is something else entirely. At Kinchant Dam, in the Venom-sponsored second round of the 2024 Series, Team Rapala CrushCity’s Tim Morgan and American superstar Jacob Wheeler proved their opening-round win at Teemburra was no fluke. They backed it up with another dominant performance, showcasing adaptability, lure versatility and world-class decision-making under pressure.

For barramundi tournament anglers across Australia, this win wasn’t just impressive—it was a masterclass in how to read a lake, adjust on the fly and capitalise on every bite window.

A Dream Start for Team Rapala CrushCity

Morgan and Wheeler arrived at Kinchant with the confidence that only a win in the opening round can deliver—but they were also fully aware that Kinchant is a different beast to Teemburra. The lake is notorious for lots of mid-size fish, roaming behaviour, and pressure sensitivity.

Yet somehow, Team Rapala CrushCity made it look almost easy.

Wheeler joked that he might need to “stay undefeated” and hop on a plane home before anyone could spoil the streak. But behind the humour was the reality: two rounds, two wins. 

The Early Bite: Live-Scoping and Tackle Adjustments

As daylight faded, the pair kicked off by targeting suspended fish using forward-facing sonar—one of Wheeler’s greatest strengths. His early tools were:

• Rapala CrushCity Freeloader

• 7-inch Jerkbait (another proven open-water fish trigger)

The pair rotated through lure profiles and retrieve styles, adjusting continually as the fish moods shifted. Wheeler described the process as “a hodgepodge of figuring it out”—a style of junk fishing familiar to many elite anglers.

Some periods favoured the smaller Freeloader; others required the larger jerkbait to pull bigger individuals from roaming packs. Their willingness to adapt early gave them the platform for success later in the night.

The Key Move: Securing the Point After Dark

After dark, the game changed. Morgan and Wheeler shifted to a key point they had hoped to fish from the start. They didn’t get their ideal position immediately, but patience paid off when another team left the prime stretch on dusk.

Wheeler slid the boat in perfectly.

That’s when Morgan went to work.

Using his confidence lure—a custom-weighted Impact Tackle swim bait (Heap Date) modified with a Dan Stead chin weight—he began executing long casts into deeper water, letting the bait hit bottom, then working it back up Kinchant’s gentle slope.

His gear setup was all business:

• 13 Fishing TX3 reel

• 13 Fishing 7’4” Heavy rod

• 50lb Sufix braid

• 70lb Schneider leader

No chew-offs. No panic. Pure efficiency.

Meanwhile Wheeler continued casting toward the weedline while Morgan worked the outer edge. Like clockwork, the wider line produced again.

Wheeler laughed that Morgan was “ripping them out the back every single cast”—a sign that Team Rapala CrushCity had found the winning rhythm.

Night Tactics: Vibes, Speed Changes and Micro-Windows

Wheeler later shifted to a Samaki Vibe, adding yet another lure category to their winning spread. His biggest vibe-caught fish ate on a fast crank rather than a subtle hop—highlighting just how reactive barra can be on Kinchant.

He explained the challenge perfectly:

• One hour they want subtle.

• The next they want speed.

• Bite windows can be measured in minutes, not hours.

This constant refinement—and willingness to completely change tempo—was a major factor in their victory.

Scoreboard Awareness and Tactical Discipline

Many wondered whether the top teams watched the live scoreboard. The answer? Yes—Team Rapala CrushCity certainly did.

Early in the session, they believed metre fish might be needed to secure the win. But the leaderboard told a different story: very few giants were being landed.

With four fish sitting in the 90s, Morgan and Wheeler made the experienced call to stay put.

No running.
No chasing.
No second-guessing.

Just grinding.

That decision—common among champions—saved them time, energy and emotional bandwidth, and ultimately locked in their second consecutive win.

Kinchant’s Unique Challenge

Both anglers noted how different Kinchant is to Teemburra. At Kinchant, barra can be found:

• on weed edges

• in open water

• around isolated structure

• in mid-lake roaming packs

But as Wheeler pointed out:
“Seeing barra and catching barra are two different things.”

Their success came from blending:

• sonar interpretation

• lure versatility

• retrieve experimentation

• smart positioning

• and unwavering belief in their plan

Team Rapala CrushCity displayed the complete tournament package.

A Statement Victory Before Faust

With Carl Jocumsen and Jeff Gustafson also fishing the tour, a friendly international rivalry is stirring. Wheeler joked that Carl and Gussy were “a little short” with their chat afterward—a sure sign that competition is heating up.

With Faust looming, the series narrative was shifting, but one thing was clear:

Team Rapala CrushCity had become the benchmark.

Conclusion: A Masterclass in Barra Tournament Fishing

Tim Morgan and Jacob Wheeler’s victory at Kinchant Dam showed exactly what modern barra tournaments now demand:

• Adaptation, not reliance on one technique

• Precision in forward-facing sonar

• Multiple lure categories ready to deploy

• Confidence in classic barra structure fishing

• The discipline to stay when the spot is right

• The courage to change when the fish demand it

Team Rapala CrushCity didn’t just win the Venom Round at Kinchant—they stamped themselves as the team to beat in the 2024 Zerek BARRA Series.