The Student Angler Federation, in conjunction with The Bass Federation, was happy to return to Clear Lake on March 22, 2026, after two seasons with no high school events scheduled there. High school teams traveled from Fresno to Shasta Counties to complete. Clear Lake is the undisputed “Bass Capital” of the West, so for anyone who likes bass fishing, this lake should be on your bucket list. The lake was higher than normal for this time of year and crazy warm weather for March has fooled a lot of bass into moving shallow to spawn over a month early.
Pre-fishing was hit-or-miss with mixed feedback about the conditions and success from those able to get on the lake early. Ultimately, this was a tournament for the record books, because I have never seen these kinds of weights in high school competition!
Game day morning dawned calm, cool and wet, with a temperature of 43*. Fifty high school teams lined up inside the marina at the Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport, CA. At 6:43 am the National Anthem rang out and the teams were on their way. With the ability to qualify the top 10% with a spot in the Nationals, we just made the cut and gave certificates to five worthy teams.
Topping the list with a whopping 24.52 lbs for 5 fish was Evan Birck and Maddox Mullins from the Delta Teen Team.
Close behind with 23.64 lbs was Justin Maraviglia and Caden Starr from the San Joaquin Bassmasters.
Third place was filled by the team of Austin Gomes and Trae Sequenzia with an even 23 lbs, while Matthew McKeough and Dylan Grossman hold the fourth spot with 21.24 lbs. Both are new pairings from the Folsom Lake Student Anglers. 
And the last team to qualify was Hunter Martin and Ryder Simmons with 21.18 from Delta Saints Bass Team. The big fish of the tournament weighed 7.72 lbs by Lake County angler Maxwell Lee.
The High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship will be held on Lake Cumberland in Russell Springs, KY on June 24 – 27th, 2026. Registration and results can be found at highschoolfishing.org
Toni MacKinnon, Assistant Youth Director, California Bass Federation
