GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (March 17, 2015) – The Bass Federation (TBF) and FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, will host a Student Angler Federation Murray State High School Fishing Open on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, March 28 with the winning team receiving $4,000 in scholarships to Murray State from Independence Bank and FLW. The tournament will offer high school anglers the experience and intensity of tournament bass fishing while also testing their own bass-fishing skills against their peers.
“We are proud to partner with Independence Bank and the Murray State Bass Anglers to offer the winning team $4,000 in scholarships to Murray State,” said Dave Washburn, FLW vice president of operations. “It’s a small way for us to honor the memory of Jim Carter, Murray State’s vice president for institutional advancement, who passed away February 13. Jim was a tireless supporter of College Fishing and High School Fishing. His numerous contributions to the sport will benefit students in Kentucky and across the nation for generations to come.”
The Murray State High School Open is a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12. It is open to students from any state. Each member of the winning team will receive a $2,000 scholarship ($4,000 total for the team) to Murray State University. Registration for anglers and their coach, who will provide and drive the boat from which they compete, is open online at HighSchoolFishing.org. Participation is free for all Student Angler Federation Members. Students who are not yet SAF members will pay a $25 membership fee that includes eligibility to fish SAF tournaments at no charge; insurance coverage for students and their bass-fishing club, school and volunteers; advancement opportunities from local and state events to national events offering scholarships; a digital subscription to FLW Bass Fishing magazine; access to free online fishing education courses; and much more.
High School Anglers will take off from Kentucky Dam Marina located at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, at 6:45 a.m. Saturday. The weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. Teams should register online at HighSchoolFishing.org or a $25 late-registration fee will apply to those who register on-site.
Complete tournament details can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.
The top three teams from each of the seven TBF/FLW High School Fishing Opens held this season will advance to a High School Fishing conference championship along with the top 10 percent of each state championship field. The top 10 percent of each conference championship field will then advance to the High School Fishing National Championship coinciding with the TBF National Championship and an FLW Tour stop in the spring of 2016. The High School Fishing national champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
All TBF Student Angler Federation members nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2015 TBF/FLW High School Fishing World Finals. The High School Fishing World Finals will be held July 8-11 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama. At the 2014 World Finals more than $40,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2015 over the course of 240 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. For more information about FLW visit FLWFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
ABOUT INDEPENDENCE BANK
Independence Bank is a regional community bank with 19 locations in 9 counties in Western Kentucky – Calloway, Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, McLean, McCracken, Warren and Webster – and assets of over $1.5 billion. Independence Bank has been recognized as one of the Top Performing Banks in the Nation, ranking in the top 10 the past 5 years in a row according to the American Bankers Association. It has also been named as a Best Places to Work Company by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management. Since 2001, Independence Bank has awarded over 486,000 in college scholarships to high school seniors within it’s footprint. To learn more about what makes us revolutionary, visit www.1776bank.com, www.facebook.com/independencebank or www.twitter.com/1776bank
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 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
