Brainerd High School Fishing Team is on the Move

cropped-HSF-header.png

Last year, Jason Bahr and Dan Eigen set out to form a fishing team at Brainerd High School in Brainerd, Minnesota. Fishing is well ingrained into their community but they’d never had a school fishing team before and could never have been prepared for what was about to unfold.

mn“We thought that we might have 15 to 20 students show up at our first meeting,” Bahr said. “Obviously we were quite surprised and pleased when 70 Jr. High and High School students packed into the school library for the initial meeting.”

Since their huge turnout, the team has grown to 90 members strong in 2016 and has gained terrific support from the local community. “Several retailers in town have really taken the lead in helping us get this program rolling and we can’t thank them enough,” Bahr continued.

For their club tournaments Brainerd breaks the team into two groups. The Junior High angler’s fish as individuals in one segment and the High School students do the same in another. Then, for the SAF State Championship they pair the number one High School Student with the number one Jr. High Student so that the entire team can participate. That strategy worked well at last year Minnesota SAF State Championship as the Brainerd teams took four of the top five spots, including the coveted State Champions slot.

mn hsSince the water gets a little hard in Minnesota in the winter months the group shifts gears and keeps their students active by taking to the ice with their annual Ice Fishing contest. In this event, they follow suit with SAF events and incorporate academics. Students are challenged by five species of fish to catch ranging from Yellow Perch to Northern Pike. Fish are measured by length and the total lengths are added together. The academic twist comes in when they get to add their GPA in inches to that length. So a student with a 4.0 GPA gets to add four inches to their total length. A 3.0 GPA gets to add three inches and so forth. “That is a great motivator for the students to continue to do well in the classroom,” Bahr said. “In most cases, those bonus inches are the difference between the winning teams.”

Perhaps one of the best features of the club is their willingness to give back to the community. To date they have helped with eleven local charity events as well as fundraisers. They’ve also raised enough money to support the club for the 2016 season. “We don’t want to turn any student away so we don’t mind working hard to ensure that doesn’t happen,” Bahr added.

As the High School Fishing movement continues to grow in Minnesota, Brainerd High School will undoubtedly be the school leading the way as a shining example of what can be accomplished!

Introducing the New North Carolina SAF High School Fishing Trail!

cropped-HSF-header.png

Three (3) event trail open to all TBF/SAF High School Anglers!

March 12 – Lake Norman -7am-2:30pm – Pinnacle Landing
April 16 – Badin Lake – 6:30am-2:30pm – Alcoa Landing
May 7 – Lake Norman – 6:30am-2pm – Pinnacle Landing

Entry Fee: $30.00 per team

Optional Boat Captain Entry Fee: $5.00

Cash Drawing for Boat Captains after each event

Winners at each event will receive plagues

Prize drawings for anglers at each event

Points Championship winner will receive a stipend fund to help pay expenses to SAF High School World Finals at Pickwick Lake in Alabama in June (must fish all 3 events)

All TBF/SAF rules & NC Fishing Regulations Apply

Contact: Ray Shelton – 336-978-3944 – ray_s454@yahoo.com

2016 Louisiana High School State Championship March 26 on Sibley Lake

HSF-headerPONCA CITY, Okla. (February 15, 2016) – The Bass Federation (TBF), with our “Partner in Fishing” at FLW, announces the 2016 Student Angler Federation (SAF) Louisiana High School State Championship on Saturday, March 26 at the Sibley Lake Public Ramp near Natchidoches, LA.

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 5:30pm-7pm CST on March 25 at the Northwestern State University. A rules briefing will immediately follow. 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: Friday, March 25 at 5:30pm-7pm at the Northwestern State University near Natchidoches, LA.
Takeoff & Weigh-in: Saturday, March 26 at Sibley Lake Public Ramp. Take-off at 7am with weigh-in at 3pm. Questions? 580-765-9031

Tournament Waters: Sibley 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!