Student Angler Federation – Page 100 – High School Fishing

MADERA’S BALBAS’ WIN BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING CALIFORNIA OPEN AT CAL DELTA

BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (May 25, 2017) – The duo of Johnathon Balbas and Kyle Balbas, both of Madera, California, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 20 pounds, 3 ounces to win the 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing California Open tournament at the Cal Delta. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.

A field of 53 teams competed in the no-entry fee, tournament which launched from Russo’s Marina in Bethel Island. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top five teams on the California Delta that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship was:

1st: Johnathon Balbas and Kyle Balbas, both of Madera, Calif., (five bass, 20-3)

2nd: Yuba Sutter Fishing Club, Yuba City, Calif. – Adrian Murar, Elk Grove, Calif., and Ryan Jaeger, Yuba City, Calif., (five bass, 16-1)

3rd: Vista del Lago High School, Folsom, Calif. – Brandon Burkey and Luke Johns, both of Folsom, Calif., (five bass, 15-13)

4th: Deer Valley High School, Antioch, Calif. – Isaiah Roddick and Enrique Herrera, both of Antioch, Calif., (four bass, 14-15)

5th: Delta Teen Team, Oakley, Calif. – Clayton Galassi, Watsonville, Calif., and Michael Alaga, Aromas, Calif., (five bass, 14-1)

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

6th: San Diego Junior Bass Anglers, San Diego, Calif. – Larry Snow III and Sean Ives, both of Lakesie, Calif., (five bass, 13-13)

7th: Hilmar High School, Hilmar, Calif. – Harrison Chang, Newman, Calif., and Kyler Oliver, Ceres, Calif., (five bass, 13-11)

8th: Golden Sierra High School, Garden Valley, Calif. – Julian Gebron, Georgetown, Calif., and Abram Sample, Garden Valley, Calif., (five bass, 13-6)

9th: Lake County High School Fishing Club, Lake County, Calif. – Jason Gentle and Nathan Phillips, both of Kelseyville, Calif., (five bass, 13-5)

10th: Liberty High School, Brentwood, Calif. – Michael Nienaber, Discovery Bay, Calif., and Triston Otis, Byron, Calif., (five bass, 12-13)

Complete results from the event and photos of the top five teams can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing California 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. Visitbassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.

# # #

Oklahoma State Championship Moved to Lake Eufaula Due to High Waters; Registration Closes Friday!

Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, OK – May 27
Registration: ** South Point Launch, May 27** 6am
Launch/Weigh-in: South Point Launch, 7am-3pm

FULL LIST OF EVENTS/RULES

Make plans now to get registered and come see what all the hype is about with high school fishing and TBF/FLW’s renewed partnership and formats. You won’t want to miss out this season!

Going forward, the SAF program will operate on a school calendar with the National Championship being held in the summer in conjunction with the High School Fishing World Finals.

All participants must be Student Angler Federation (SAF) members to participate. SAF membership includes both TBF and FLW membership plus a digital subscription to FLW Bass Fishing magazine, online training courses and more.

SAF members never pay an entry fee to participate in TBF or FLW High School Fishing tournaments and all clubs are covered by SAF insurance, which means there is no added expense for schools with sanctioned High School Fishing clubs.

Team Phillips Wins Alabama High School Fishing State Championship

The Gardendale Rockets team of Griffin and Fletcher Phillips took top honors at the Alabama High School Fishing State Championship at Neely Henry on May 21 with a limit weighing 10.15 pounds. The top two teams from this event also qualified for the 2017 National Championship event to be held in conjunction with the High School Fishing World Finals, June 27-July 1, in Florence, Ala.

Colton Cash and Levi Cox claimed the second qualifying spot with a limit of bass weighing 10.5 pounds. The Sand Rock Wildcat’s also earned the Lew’s Big Bass award and two Lew’s Baitcaster’s Reels for bringing in a nice 3.8 pound bass.

The top two teams reported catching their fish on jigs in 1-5 feet of water and topwater frogs around the grassy Neely Henry shores.

The top 5 teams are as follows:

1^st: Griffin and Fletcher Phillips, Gardendale Rockets, 5/5, 10-15

2^nd: Colton Cash, Levi Cox, Sand Rock Wildcats, 5/5, 10-5, Big Bass, 3-8

3^rd: Jordan Thompson, Tyler Crawford, Hartselle Tigers, 5/5, 9-2

^4th: Chase Parnell, Logan Bryan, Springville Tigers, 5/5, 8-15

5^th: Daniel Meadows, Aaron Stephens, Mortimer Jordan HS, 5/5, 8-14

FULL RESULTS PICTURES

Our Sponsor Partners