PELL CITY, Ala. (April 24, 2017) – The Oneonta High School duo of Laine Cooley of Oneonta, Alabama, and Noah Coleman of Pinson, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 12 pounds even to win the 2017 FLW High School Fishing Alabama Open tournament on Logan Martin Lake. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting docks and ledge points with a shaky-head rig.
A field of 30 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Lakeside Park in Pell City, Alabama. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams on Logan Martin Lake that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Oneonta High School, Oneonta, Ala. – Laine Cooley, Oneonta, Ala., and Noah Coleman, Pinson, Ala., (five bass, 12-0)
2nd: Indian Springs School, Pelham, Ala. – Jacob Drake, Odenville, Ala., (five bass, 11-1)
3rd: Sand Rock High School, Sand Rock, Ala. – Ethan Clanton and Seth Justice, both of Collinsville, Ala., (five bass, 10-11)
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Sand Rock High School, Sand Rock, Ala. – Brody Robison, Collinsville, Ala., and Grant Robison, Fort Payne, Ala., (five bass, 10-8)
5th: Sand Rock High School, Sand Rock, Ala. – Levi Cox, Gaylesville, Ala., and Colton Cash, Leesburg, Ala., (five bass, 10-3)
6th: Oneonta High School, Oneonta, Ala. – Drake Williams and Cole Farmer, both of Oneonta, Ala., (five bass, 10-2)
7th: MGA Fishing Club, Macon, Ga. – Carson Green and Ben Kennedy, both of Macon, Georgia, (five bass, 10-0)
8th: Harris County High School, Hamilton, Ga. – Mason Waddell, Waverly Hall, Ga., and Cal Culpepper, Hamilton, Ga., (five bass, 9-4)
9th: Moody High School, Moody, Ala. – Nathan Phillips and Colton Tims, both of Cropwell, Ala., (five bass, 8-15)
10th: Hueytown High School, Hueytown, Ala. – Micah Morefield and Carson Walker, both of Bessemer, Ala., (five bass, 8-4)
Complete results from the event can be found here at www.highschoolfishing.org
The 2017 FLW High School Fishing Alabama Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
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.
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