Jasper TX- Unseasonably warm temperatures, light winds, and fog greeted over 370 teams from 41 different high schools across the region last Saturday morning for the first event of the 2014-2015 SETX HS Fishing Association season at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. While the morning fog may have hampered travel times to prime fishing spots, the warmer temperatures had no one complaining.

At the Friday night safety meeting, tournament coordinator Clint Fountain said “We have over prepared for this tournament to make sure it goes off without a hitch, we know we have a challenge ahead of us tomorrow in making sure we provide as much for our kids and captains as possible”. With a record number of teams registered (372), SETX President Bryan Thomas said, “we know what is ahead of us tomorrow. Getting the kids back here safely, across the stage, and the fish back into the water are priorities for us. We are prepared and our volunteers have been an incredible help, we can’t thank them enough.”

The big question before the tournament was what kind of weight would it take to bring home 1^st place on Saturday? Only time would tell. After sitting atop the Gopher Industry hot seat in front of over 2000 spectators for what seemed like forever, the team of Dawson Wainwright and Kyle Lewis were able to win by over one full lb to emerge victorious. Their stories and others below

First Place– 15.32 LBS –  Dawson Wainwright/Kyle Lewis- Woodville HS– “Perfect weather conditions were the key for us today” said Boat Captain Bryan Wainwright. “Everything just fell into place and we happened to be at the right time and place”. A late morning flurry that lasted about 15-20 minutes was the key in getting over 15 lbs of bass into the boat. The team from Woodville threw ¾ oz rattletraps to 10-15 feet depths in upper lake grass beds and edges to fill their live wells. The team wished to thank the following sponsors for their support of the Woodville HS fishing team: J. Michael Risinger (Attorney at Law), Dr Charles Spurlock DDS, Sitco Services, First Natl. Bank of Woodville, Rawling Signs, Tyler County Tractor Supply, Travis Weaver, Magnolia Appliances, Mike Thomas Trucking, Troy Carrell, Crystal Wainwright, the Woodville ISD Administration, and the entire SETX staff, sponsors, and volunteers.

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PONCA CITY, Okla. (Dec. 3, 2014) – The Bass Federation (TBF) and affiliated Student Angler Federation (SAF) announce that the prestigious High School Fishing World Finals will make a venue change in 2015 to Florence, Ala., on the legendary Pickwick Reservoir, following a successful five-year inaugural run for the event at Arkansas’ Lake Dardanelle.
The 2015 championship, July 6 – 11, is expected to again draw more than 100 teams from as many as 25 states, bringing together the best of the best in high school fishing.

HIgh school anglers from as many as 25 states are expected to be among the more than 100 teams competing in the 2015 High School Fishing World Finals, with the July 6-11 event to be hosted for the first time by Florence, Ala., and PIckwick Lake. (Click to view/download image)

“Florence/Lauderdale Tourism is very excited to bring the Student Angler Federation and its World Finals event to our area,” said Suzie Shoemaker, sports marketing coordinator for the tourism group. “The education and experience these young people receive through bass fishing is helping to shape them into incredible young adults. We are thrilled to have them and their families coming to our great city, and the summer event can’t get here fast enough for us!”
TBF National Youth Director Mark Gintert agrees that Florence offers a great new venue for the SAF event.
“First, I’d like to recognize Russellville, Ark., for the their wonderful role in helping us build our High

School Fishing program into what it has become; they were terrific hosts,” said Gintert. “We see Florence continuing the momentum, serving up the ideal middle-of-the-country location and the iconic fishing setting of Pickwick Lake. The tourism team has been a great group to work with and they are genuinely interested in bringing family-oriented events to their city. Our family-focused event is a perfect fit.”

High School Fishing’s World Finals present one of the most unique and fair formats found in competitive fishing today. It is designed to give every team an equal chance to advance to Saturday’s final round of 21 teams.
Competition begins with anglers competing over the first two days against others from their own states. The top

two teams from each state then advance on to the semi-final round on day three.
Those who did not qualify for the semi-finals are placed

in a consolation round with yet another chance to still make it to the final day, much like how double elimination baseball tournaments work.
“Our kids are coming here to fish and we’re giving them a couple of different ways to make it all the way. Regardless of where a team finishes, everybody enjoys their time during championship week,” Gintert added.
Online registration for the 2015 championship opens January 15 at www.highschoolfishing.org. Additional details about the event and future updates can also be found on the same web site.

Date: January 10^th

Location: Lake Cumberland, Kentucky

Launch: Burnside Island

Entry fee: $25

Tournament hours: 8:00-2:00

5 fish Limit

Trophies for 1^st 2^nd and 3^rd place will be awarded.

This is a fundraiser for Southwestern and Pulaski County Schools.

For questions call or text:

Barry Strunk 606-305-7885

Mark Morgan 606-275-9867