Arkansas High School State Championship was canceled and rescheduled due to heavy rain, storms and rising waters on Greers Ferry, this led to a rescheduled event in Hot Springs on Lake Hamilton.
Anglers were forced to gear up and change their tactics for the 2025 AR State Championship on Hamilton. First Place team of Jackson Roumbanis and Lawson Lewis did just that. The pair spent part of their Friday afternoon on the water pre-fishing and trying to find that magic that would work on the following tournament day. As the flights were called out one by one and the teams headed off for the day, the team of Jackson and Lawson rolled up on their first spot of the morning. First cast you always want to get that one out of the way and Jackson did just that only he came up with a 3 pounder on that first cast. Lucky? The team conversated was it going to be a bad day as everyone knows you never want to catch your first fish on that first cast. Up to the wire they struggled to get that final keeper they needed and on a hale marry the team made a big run from one end of the lake to the other. With just a few minutes remaining the team made their last cast and came up with a great 4-pounder that would cull giving them that few extra pounds they would need. Jackson and Lawson had a crushing conservation five fish limit All alive weighing in at 16 pounds and 6 ounces. No giants for the team but a great solid bag of fish.
Second place team was Justin Corpier and Kaleb McKinney with 14 pounds and 1 ounce securing them the second-place spot on Hamilton and also securing them a shot at the 16th annual High School Fishing World Finals & National Championship that will take place this June just across the state line on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees. Justin and Kaleb held the lead up until the second from last team. Great day on the water for Justin & Kaleb.
Benton Bass Team Hudson Kindy and Carson Harmon took the lead about mid-way in the weigh in and they too held that for a while giving the teams coming to the scale a weight to shoot for. Hudson and Carson secured third place with their weight for the day and also set their sites on that National Title this summer in Oklahoma.
4th place through 6th place also secured National Berths to the National Championship in OK this June.
Congratulations to 4th place team Will Powell and Deacon Shelby with 12 pounds and 13 ounces.
5th place was Grayson Goss and Drew Morgan with 12 pounds and 5 ounces
And the final team also with a respectable weight of 12 pounds and 4 ounces was Alexander Watkins and partner Kade Hamilton.
Our Lew’s Big fish team of the day came to the scales with a great largemouth taking that big fish award and a pair of Lew’s reels home with them was Jackson Jundt and Ryne Lewallen with a 5-pound and 6-ounce lunker.
Congratulations to all of our top finishers on winning a National Birth to this year’s 16th Annual High School Fishing World Finals & National Championship. On behalf of the Student Angler Federation, we want to thank the AR Bassers for all of their help in making the 2025 AR HS State such a huge success.
