TBF Student Angler Federation (SAF) Announces 2025 High School State Championships and Sanctioned Fishing Schedule.

Registration is open! 

PONCA CITY, OK (Nov 20, 2024) – The Bass Federation’s Student Angler Federation (SAF) announced today the 2025 High School Fishing sanctioned schedule. Offering more opportunity than ever before including 44 SAF High School Fishing State Championships, 3 Open Challenge events, 14 state high school athletic association sanctioned tournaments, up to 5 MLF High School Fishing Opens and the pinnacle event in all of high school fishing the 16^th annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship.  Available dates/locations are listed below and on the website at www.highschoolfishing.org .

In 2025 across all SAF sanctioned events, we expect more than 35,000 participants in the SAF High School Fishing program and just between the TBF and MLF / SAF sanctioned trails.

“As the founders of the National High School fishing movement in 2007, we immediately seen reaction to getting young people outdoors and the rapid growth potential with parents embracing the concept nationwide at our first High School Fishing World Finals in 2010. We are proud to have had our partners in fishing at MLF be the very first to join us in the High School arena. Together in 2011, we rolled out events in every state and Canada to provide more fishing opportunities for more high school students than anyone else in the world,” said TBF President Robert Cartlidge. “For us High School fishing was and is not about fishing for money, which is why TBF/SAF nor MLF charges any entry fees at our High School events and we do not pay cash to student anglers.  It is also not about getting students sponsorships or patches on their jerseys.  The core mission is about education through fishing, earning prizes and scholarships and getting young people into the outdoors.  We will continue to jointly push the programs forward to accomplish those goals.”

TBF/SAF and MLF will continue advancement opportunities with 1 in 10 teams from each TBF and/or MLF State Championship, Challenge or Open event earning a spot in the National Championship. The 15^th Annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship offered a record $3.2 Million in college scholarship and prizes up for grabs giving the maximum amount of student anglers the best shot ever for a college scholarship, technical or trade school education.

Additionally, High School anglers who win a SAF state championship and are 16 years old or older(one or both team members) will be offered a High School TBF Living The Dream package, a TBF sponsorship for a year to include: fully paid ADULT TBF\MLF competitor membership, advancement opportunity to represent their home state in a TBF National Semi-Finals as a co-angler, with fully paid entry fees! From there, the sky is the limit, they could qualify for the TBF Federation National Championship or beyond!  Check it all out at HighSchoolFishing.org.

2025 Student Anglers Federation (SAF) High School Fishing Schedule 

2025 16^th Annual High School World Finals / National Championship:

June 24-28, 2025     Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Grove, OK

2025 Season SAF High School Fishing State Championships

Feb 1       Florida State Championship, Lake Kissimmee, Lake Wales, FL

Feb 22     Georgia State Championship,West Point Lake, LaGrange, GA

Feb 22     Nevada State Championship, Lake Mohave, Boulder City, NV

March 1    Louisiana State Championship, Caney Creek, Chatham, LA

March 15  Missouri State Championship, Table Rock, Branson, MO

March 15  Tennessee State Championship – Old Hickory, Hendersonville, TN

March 22  Kentucky State Championship – Lake Cumberland, Jamestown, KY

March 30  South Carolina State Championship, Lake Murray, Prosperity, SC

April 5       Alabama State Championship, Alabama River, Prattville, AL

April 5       Arkansas State Championship – Greers Ferry Lake, Greers Ferry, AR

April 5       Virginia State Championship, Kerr Lake, South Hill, VA

April 12     West Virginia State Championship – Sutton Lake, Sutton, WV

April 12     Indiana State Championship – Patoka Lake, Celestine, IN

April 19     Iowa State Championship – Okoboji, Okoboji, IA

April 26     Kansas State Championship – Melvern Lake, Osage City, KS

April 26     Tri State Championship (CT,MA,RI) – Quaboag Pond, Brookfield, MA

April 27     Arizona State Championship – Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City, AZ

April 27     Hawaii State Championship – Waita Reservoir, Koala, HI

May 4       Texas State Championship – Belton Lake, Belton, TX

May 10     California State Championship – Cal Delta, Stockton, CA

May 10     Oklahoma State Championship – Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Grove, OK

May 17     Mississippi State Championship – Columbus Lake, Columbus, MS

May 17     Montana State Championship – Noxon Reservoir, Trout Creek, MT

May 18     Wisconsin State Championship – Lake Delavan, Delavan, WI 

May 31     Ohio State Championship – Mosquito Lake, Cortland, OH

May 31     Tri State Championship (DE,MD,NJ) – Lake Anna, Spotsylvania, VA

June 1      Colorado State Championship – Pueblo Reservoir, Pueblo, CO

June 1      Nebraska State Championship – Lewis & Clark, Crofton, NE

June 7      North Dakota State Championship – Spiritwood Lake, Jamestown, ND

June 14    Michigan State Championship – Lake Cadillac, Cadillac, MI

June 27    Idaho State Championship – Lake Cascade, Cascade, ID

July 19      Vermont State Championship – Lake Champlain, Colchester, VT

July 20      Pennsylvania State Championship – Cayuga Lake, Union Springs, NY

Aug 9        Ontario State Championship – Balsam Lake, Rosedale, ON

Aug 17      Maine State Championship – Damariscotta Lake, Jefferson, ME

Aug 23      Minnesota State Championship – Clearwater, Annandale, MN

Sept 13     New York State Championship – Hudson River, Catskill, NY

Sept 13     Washington State Championship – Potholes Reservoir, Grant County, WA

Oct. 5        New Hampshire State Championship – Connecticut River, Walpole, NH

2025 SAF High School Fishing Challenges\Open Events:

April 6       California Open Challenge – San Joaquin Delta, Oakley, CA

May 4       New Hampshire Open – Spofford Lake, Spofford, NH

Nov 8        Alabama Open Challenge – Logan Martin, Lincoln, AL

2025 MLF High School Fishing Opens: (Major League Fishing events) 

Feb 15        MLF HS Open – Lake Seminole, Bainbridge, GA

March 8      MLF HS Open – Grand Lake, Grove, OK

March 29    MLF HS Open – Kentucky Lake, Gilbertsville, KY

Oct 4          MLF HS Open – Pickwick Lake, Florence, AL

Oct 25        MLF HS Open – Lake Hartwell, Anderson, SC

2025 State Athletic Association Events: (Qualified teams only)

Jan 25      GHSA #1 – Lake Seminole, Bainbridge, GA

Feb 1       LHSAA Qualifier 1 – Toledo Bend, Many, LA

Feb 8       GHSA #2 – Lake Oconee, Buckhead, GA             

Feb 22     LHSAA Qualifier 2 – Caney Creek, Chatham, LA

March 8   GAPPS/GISA Finals – Clarks Hill Lake, Appling, GA

March 8   GHSA #3 – Clarks Hill, Appling, GA

March 14-15   LHSAA State Finals – Toledo Bend, Zwolle, LA

Apr 5        GHSA #4 – Lake Hartwell, West Point, LaGrange, GA

April 26     KHSAA Region 1 – Lake Barkley, Kuttawa, KY

April 26     KHSAA Region 2 – Lake Cumberland, Jamestown, KY

April 26     KHSAA Region 3 – Green River, Campbellsville, KY  

April 26     KHSAA Region 4 – Harrington Lake, Harrodsbury, KY

May 3       GHSA State Finals – Lake Lanier, Gainesville, GA

May 9-10 KHSAA State Finals – Lake Cumberland, Jamestown, KY

GAPPS – Georgia Athletics Private Parochial School

GISA– Georgia Independent School Association

GHSA – Georgia High School Athletics

LHSAA – Louisiana High School Athletics Association

KHSAA – Kentucky High School Athletics Association

Complete rules are available at HighSchoolFishing.org   High School Fishing – Major League Fishing

Registration for the 2025 season state championships and challenge events is open now at HighSchoolFishing.org .  For SAF High School Fishing State Championships, each team must compete in the state in which their school is located. Teams from all states can compete in a SAF challenge event or a MLF High School Fishing Open tournament. Entries for all State Championships, SAF Challenge events or State Athletic Association events should be made at HighSchoolFishing.org or by calling TBF at (580) 765-9031, entries for MLF Open HS events should be made at High School Fishing – Major League Fishing or by calling 270-252-1000. There is no limit to the number of teams accepted into a tournament from each school or club except per State Athletic Association rules and those events only.

All MLF and TBF High School Fishing tournaments are free to enter, there is no event entry fee. The tournaments are two-person (team) events for students in grades 9-12 (one member of each team can be 7^th or 8^th) and open to any SAF-affiliated high school club.

About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 50 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2007 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing and are proud partners in fishing with MLF. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.

Parker Terrell and Caleb Hildenbrand bested the field of High School Anglers by three plus pounds
to claim the New York State Championship on Great Sacandaga Lake. The day started off with
partly sunny and mild conditions, but with a cold front pushing in, it wasn’t long before heavy rains
and high winds moved in the area making conditions on the lake less than favorable. Although the
bite was tough for many anglers, Terrell and Hildenbrand were able to find the right bites and claim
the victory and take the qualifying spot to represent NYS in the 2025 National Championship to be
held on Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees in Grove Oklahoma. Terrell and Hildenbrand were able to
weigh in 11.91lbs, anchored by their 3.10lb lunker of the day. The team of Dylan Terrell and Logan
Wood weighed in 8.60lbs for second place, and the team of Jack O’Conner and Jaden Rion rounded
out third place with 7.54lbs. Congratulations to all the teams that competed and Best of Luck to
Parker and Caleb at the Nationals!

Student Angler Federation Announces Three-Year Advance schedule of the 16th, 17th and 18th Annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship

After a record 15th annual event in 2024 where over 435 teams, 1,300 participants and 3,500 attendees from across the globe assembled, The Bass Federation’s Student Angler Federation (SAF) announced today a new strategically aligned three-year schedule.

The High School Fishing World Finals is without a doubt, the event that launched the growth in High School Fishing. TBF founded the National High School Fishing program and its club curriculum in 2006. That has led to more high school age young people becoming anglers and forming clubs to join our industry than any other single item in the history of our sport. All HS youth programs in the nation can trace their roots to this program, the first world finals held in Arkansas in 2010 or one of the first SAF school clubs founded in 2006. From there, the SAF program, backed by TBF and MLF, has grown into the industry leader and the world’s largest and longest running High School Fishing Program.

The last several years championships have offered well over three million dollars in college scholarships and youth prizes, all with NO entry fees and has advanced to the point that schools and families need more time to plan like most other premier sporting events. To better support that need, SAF has set up a three-year rotation on a large scale across the US so anglers anywhere in the world can plan travel, raise funds and chart a path to reach the pinnacle in High School Fishing.

First up is the 16th annual event in 2025 on Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees in Grove, Oklahoma June 24-28, 2025. This will be the first time this event visits Grand Lake which has a world class facility built by anglers for anglers and will easily accommodate this, the largest participation event in all of bass fishing.

“We live and breathe fishing in Grove, Oklahoma, and to host a world-class championship of this caliber with student anglers from around the world is an honor. Our town is super excited for the June 2025 High School World Final Championship that will be held at Wolf Creek Park. Stated Brent Malone, Grove Convention & Tourism Director. We have hosted thousands of tournaments in past years, but when you get to showcase our lake and community to families from all over the country you get excited to roll out the red carpet. We will be ready and prepared to make these student anglers feel at home in our wonderful community.”

In 2026 for the 17th annual the Championships will look to another new location, Lake Cumberland, KY. Hosted by the Lake Cumberland Tourist Commission Russell Springs, KY. June 23-27, 2026.
“We are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to host the High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship out of Halcomb’s Landing in June of 2026! Said Danielle Wilson, Executive Director of the Lake Cumberland Tourist Commission. This is an exciting milestone for our community, marking this the first time an event of this caliber has come to our area. The tourism impact will be significant, drawing thousands of anglers and visitors from across the nation and providing a substantial boost to our local businesses and economy. This is a positive step forward for Russell County, and we look forward to showcasing the unique charm and hospitality of our community on a national stage.”

Then June 22-26, 2027 the 18th annual event will head back to angler favorite, Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC.
“We are very proud to once again be working with the TBF\SAF to host our third High School World Finals and National Championship in 2027! The leadership of Anderson County has provided us with a world class facility in Green Pond Landing as well as the resources to attract event such as the World Finals. The future in bass fishing certainly is our high school anglers and we look forward to the opportunity to host them once again in our community. Our team at Anderson County has worked very hard to ensure that we’re a destination for bass fishing with one of the top facilities in America and our fishery, Lake Hartwell, has been named a Top 100 Bass Lake in America! We could not be more excited about hosting the future of our sport right here in Anderson!”

In the competitive fishing arena, there is just no way around travel for the anglers, industry staff and partners it is expected as fishing is no different than championships in baseball, softball, cheer or dance. Couple that with the fact that few places can accommodate an event of this size on the water for a week we are proud of these premier locations that have stepped up to host. It is the industries largest participation event but designed so that as many young anglers as possible can have a chance at one of the many scholarships offers totaling more than 3 million dollars each year and to experience the comradery of an event this size where lifetime friendships are made.

“This is the second time we have announced a three-year schedule for this one-of-a-kind event. In fact, the entire format of the event itself was designed with input from anglers, clubs and families and while it is unique in the fishing industry it is comparable to any other official High School sport program as a double elimination event.” Stated TBF President\CEO Robert Cartlidge. “This 3-year schedule allows our anglers and families to plan well in advance to attend these premier events and the locations are spread out geographically to help equalize travel as much as we can and to ensure that no angler will fish a 4-year high school program on the same lake every year.”

The popular four-day High School Fishing World Finals and National championship combined event format is a very unique structure where all anglers compete for three days with a second chance round designed to keep everyone in the running until the final day cut. The dual event format saves families money by not having to make two trips to different premier events and it is all accomplished with NO entry fees! For full details, check out HighSchoolFishing.org. You can get your club affiliated with SAF and compete! All TBF, SAF and MLF High School Fishing events are no entry fee events. To register, anglers only need to be a member of the Student Angler Federation (SAF) which is a mere $25 per year and includes full SAF and MLF memberships. Join online at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The Student Anglers Federation (SAF) is proudly sponsored by industry leading companies: Ranger Boats, Rapala Crush City Baits, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Favorite Fishing, Lew’s, Cabela’s, Seaguar, Strike King, Eagle Claw, Fishlab, St. Croix Rods, Rapala, Sufix, Pursuit, Gemini, VMC, Seviin, 13 Fishing, Aqua-Vu, Googan Baits, KastKing, Hammer Bullets, Faculty of Fishing and our partners in fishing at MLF.

About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for 50 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2006 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.