Grace Christian Academy Wins Tennessee SAF State Championship and $10,000 Scholarship to Bryan College

photoCampbell County and Norris Lake proved to be a terrific host for the 2016 Tennessee High School Fishing State Championship on Saturday.  Spencer Peters and Austin Kirby put together an impressive five bass limit that weighed 13lbs 2oz to claim the championship titles on the scenic lake.

The pair stumbled into their fish first thing Saturday morning but capitalized on the finding to put a limit of fish in the boat quickly and then cull their way to the weigh-in. “I got hung up next to the shore at our very first stop this morning,” Spencer, who will be a senior this year at GCA said. “When I spun the boat around to go get it out Austin flipped out into the deeper water off shore and immediately caught a fish.

We then decided to back off the shore line a little and target an area that was 10-15’ deep and that is where we found most of our fish,” Peters continued.  “Had we not got hung up we may have passed over the entire spot.”

TN Champions“Once we found the location we primarily used a green pumpkin colored Carolina rig to catch all of our fish,” added Kirby who recently graduated and will attend Carson Newman College next fall. “Every fish we caught was a keeper and we probably culled 7 or 8 times today. When Spencer caught a big kicker smallmouth toward the end of the day we felt we had a pretty good chance to win.”

The pair will lead a six team contingent of anglers on to the Southeast Conference Regional Championship on Lake Cumberland in September.

 

Coming in second, was the team of Alex Gault and Hunter Thrasher from Lincoln County High School who had a five fish limit weighing 10lbs 10oz to claim the runner-up spot and also advance to the fall regional.

Claiming the third position was the team of Dillan and Jonathan Carroll from the host school Campbell County High School.  They had a limit that weighed in at 9lbs 15oz to finish just ahead of Ryan Winchester and Jake Lee from Clinton High School with a limit weighing 9lbs 4oz.

Coming in fifth was the duo of Charles Woody and Tristen Lowe from Polk County whose limit of Norris Lake bass weighed 8lbs 8oz.  Rounding out the six regional qualifiers was the team of Daniel Cheshire and Steven Mills from Creek Wood High School who only had four fish but still managed to bring in 8lbs 5oz.

The Lew’s Big Bass Winner for the event went to the team of Caleb Dryer and Logan Wollard with a solid 5lb beauty to claim the Lew’s Big Bass Award and a pair of nice reels for their efforts.

Special thanks go out to Ms. Cindi Reynolds, Mayor Morton and the entire staff at Campbell County who put on a terrific event for all the teams traveling to the picturesque Norris Lake for the event.TN Regional Qualifiers

2016 Kansas State Championship Postponed to July 16 Due to High Waters

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PONCA CITY, Okla. (May 31, 2016) – The Bass Federation (TBF), with our “Partner in Fishing” at FLW, announce the 2016 Student Angler Federation (SAF) Kansas High School State Championship on Saturday, July 16 at the Milford State Park ramp on Milford Lake in Junction City, Kansas.

The state championship is a two person event for students in grades 9-12. Each team can have one member in 7th or 8th grade, if needed. All teams should pre-register online for high school events at HighSchoolFishing.org to avoid onsite late fees. Each team and their “coach,” who provides the boat they compete in, will need to check in at 6am at the Milford State Park ramp.  A rules briefing will follow check-in.  Take off is at 7am and the weigh-in will begin at 3pm.

“TBF and our partners in fishing at FLW are the only organizations to offer a state championship in every state and Canada,” TBF National Youth Director, Mark Gintert, stated. “There’s no question our State Championship Series provides the foundation to make SAF the largest high school fishing organization in North America.”

The top 10% of each 2016 State Championship event advances to a FLW/TBF Conference Regional Championship. The top 10% from the Conference Regional events advance to the FLW/TBF High School National Championship to compete for the top team prize of a $10,000 scholarship. As an added bonus, national championship teams will compete out of new Ranger Boats provided for them, along with paid hotel accommodations and other perks. The final day weigh-in will take place on the FLW main stage in front of a live FLW Tour stop!

Go to HighSchoolFishing.org for details on the Student Angler Federation and to sign up for events. If you’re not a 2016 SAF member, annual cost is $25 year. Pay in advance or register for an event online and pay then. There are no entry fees as long as you enter your active/paid SAF membership number at the time of registration!  SAF membership includes full TBF and FLW competitor membership benefits, FLW Magazine e- Edition, online training programs and full insurance coverage for clubs, officers and student members.

In addition to State Championships, SAF National OPENs and other events held across the nation will advance the top 3 teams to their Conference Regional Championships. All SAF members automatically qualify to compete in the pinnacle of all high school events, the 2016 High School Fishing World Finals for thousands of dollars in scholarships and prizes each year. The World Finals format allows anglers to test their skills against high school anglers from across the nation at a week-long family vacation event, which will be held in Florence, Alabama on Pickwick Reservoir, June 28-July 2. This no entry fee, come one, come all mega event gives every high school team a shot at the sports top prizes and honors.

State Championship Event Details:

Sign-up: Pre-register online at HighSchoolFishing.org or a $25 late registration fee can apply to those registering onsite. The best way is to pre-register online at highschoolfishing.org. Just enter your active SAF membership number during online SAF event registration.

Mandatory Check-in: Saturday, July 16, 6am at the Milford State Park ramp

Takeoff & Weigh-in:  Milford State Park ramp, Milford Lake, Junction City, Kansas – Take-off at 7am with weigh-in at 3pm. Questions? 580-765-9031

Tournament Waters: Milford Lake

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 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 2007 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook!

FLW FOUNDATION OFFERING GRANTS TO FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL FISHING CLUBS

FLW_Logo_Red_485CFunds help establish new or expand existing High School Fishing clubs

MINNEAPOLIS (May 20, 2016) – The Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Foundation has announced the availability of grants to Student Angler Federation (SAF)-affiliated high school fishing clubs in Florida of up to $500 per school to establish new or expand existing clubs. The grants are offered via a two-year initiative with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

The grants can be used by school teams/clubs to pay SAF dues for participating students, cover the cost of running team-sponsored tournaments, purchase student jerseys or other club costs. The initiative will help recruit new anglers, retain existing anglers during a critical developmental period, and reactivate lapsed anglers, including parents and grandparents, eager to support fishing as a high school sport.

Florida High School Fishing clubs that have at least 10 SAF members or are interested in becoming an SAF-affiliated club are eligible and encouraged to apply for the grants.

“High School Fishing in the most impactful recruitment tool that our industry has,” FLW Foundation Director Dave Washburn said. “Studies conducted by the Illinois High School Association show that 60 percent of High School Fishing participants do not participate in other school-sponsored sports. This means that participating schools are reaching a whole new segment of the student body, giving them an incentive to make good grades and a sense of school pride that they may not previously have had.”

The program will increase sales of youth and regular fishing licenses among high school students and recruit new anglers to the sport. Many youth demonstrate less interest in fishing as they enter high school. This program intends to retain these younger anglers and create lifelong avid anglers who have a strong conservation appreciation.

Funding provided by RBFF will be administered by the FLW Foundation. Additional requirements include completion of aquatic education and/or boater safety courses and a conservation project. All Florida high schools and members of the Home School Cooperative are encouraged to apply. Special consideration will be given to schools that include novice anglers in their club roster.

The Florida High School Fishing Grant Application is available at FLWFishing.com/Foundation. Applications are generally reviewed within three to five business days, but may be as long as four weeks. Applicants are encouraged to begin applying as soon as possible.

More information on the FLW Foundation is available at FLWFishing.com/Foundation. Questions from the public should be directed to Dave Washburn by emailing dave.washburn@flwfishing.com or calling 270-252-1607. Please note that this is not a toll-free number.

About Fishing League Worldwide (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 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico 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 Periscope: @FLWFishing.

About the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF)

RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources. RBFF developed the award-winning Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ campaigns to create awareness around boating, fishing and conservation, and educate people about the benefits of participation. Take Me Fishing and Vamos A Pescar help boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels learn, plan and equip for a day on the water. The campaign websites, TakeMeFishing.org, and VamosAPescar.org, feature how-to videos, information on how to get a fishing license and boat registration, and an interactive state-by-state map that allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots.

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