Due to high water levels on the Ohio River the West Virginia SAF State Championship has been postponed.  Stay tuned for the new date.  We will announce the rescheduled date in the near future.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PONCA CITY, Okla. (January 15, 2014) – The Bass Federation (TBF), in partnership with FLW is pleased to host the 2014 Student Angler Federation (SAF) SAM RAYBURN OPEN High School Bass Fishing Tournament on Sunday June 22^nd at the Cassels-Boykin Park in Zavalla, TX. The weigh-in we be held at the Bill and Emily Shelton Pavilion on Sunday June 22^nd at 3:00pm CST.

The TBF/FLW Open Series will advance on the top three teams from this event to the Southern Conference Regional event to be held in Shreveport LA in October. “The TBF/FLW Open events were developed to help build high school fishing across the country and reward areas like East Texas who have worked hard to build the sport in their areas” commented TBF National Youth Programs Coordinator Mark Gintert. “The East Texas Schools have done a terrific job of working together to give high school anglers multiple opportunities to compete and their events are some of the largest High School Bass Fishing Tournaments held in the country. Providing three more qualifying opportunities to the regional from this area only makes sense to us” added Gintert.

Students and parents can go to HighSchoolFishing.org for details on the Student Angler Federation (SAF) and to sign up. Cost is only $25/ year.  Membership includes full TBF and FLW benefits, FLW Magazine e-Edition and insurance coverage for clubs and students. The top 10% of each SAF state championship and the top 3 teams from any SAF National OPEN event will advance to an FLW/TBF High School Fishing Conference Championship. The top 10% of each conference championship will advance to the FLW/TBF High School Fishing National Championship held spring of 2015 in conjunction with a major TBF or FLW event. The National Champions win a $5,000 college scholarship to the school or their choice. All SAF members nationwide and all open and state championship participants automatically qualify for the largest event in high school fishing, the 2014 High School Fishing World Finals. At the 2013 World Finals, over $40,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.  As with all SAF national events, there is no entry fee to this come one, come all, family vacation event that gives every high school team a shot at thousands in scholarships and prizes.

If you’re not a 2014 SAF member, there’s a one-time $25/per angler fee.  This includes full TBF & FLW membership for the year, as well as, free entry to ALL National SAF events!

A unique SAF event feature is the “angler testing” component. It’s not “just about fishing” but also about education. This year’s angler testing will come from TBF’s new on-line education format with Faculty of Fishing. Anglers can go to highschoolfishing.org and click on “Online Education” then type in their SAF number and zip code to access the FOF site. They have a host of chapters covering a wide variety of topics. “Angler testing and education is an industry first by TBF,” Gintert said. “We built education into the foundation of the entire program when we began, and our partnership with FLW provides even more benefits and opportunities for them to take advantage of,” Gintert continued.  “For only $25 per year these young anglers and have opportunities unlike anything the industry has ever seen.”

Event Details:

Sign-up: PRE-REGISTER ONLINE at HighSchoolFishing.org or a $25 late registration fee applies to those registering onsite. The best way is to pre-register online at highschoolfishing.org.

Angler Celebration: Friday June 19^th in Historic San Augustine from 6:00-9:00pm. Don’t miss the angler parade and a variety of Pro Seminars and Displays.

Mandatory Check-in: Saturday, June 21^st at Old Broaddus Gym from 3:00-5:00pm with the rules meeting to immediately follow. Angler cook out and the boat and tackle show to start at 5:30pm.

Takeoff & Weigh-in: Sunday, June 22^nd at Cassels-Boykin Park in Zavalla, TX. Take-off at safe light.  Weigh-in at 3pm.  Questions? 580-716-4251

Tournament Waters: Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Click Here to see the weekend agenda provided by the city of San Augustine.

About FLW

FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 231 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 is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.

About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing organization there is. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF started 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

Morgan County High School’s Reece Eddleblute and Randy Denny were the last team to the scale at Saturday’s rain soaked Ohio High School State Championship. They had just watched Haleigh Caldwell and her sister Jalea Lyon take the lead with a 5 fish limit of Alum Creek Reservoir Bass that weighed in at 10lbs 7oz and was anchored by Jalea’s 5lb 6 oz. largemouth beauty that was the second biggest fish of the day. The pair of sophomore’s watched quietly as the scales spun their weight which turned out to be the winning bag at 11lbs and 8oz to give them the Ohio title.

The pair of smiling anglers both used a Booyah Spinner Bait to catch their fish and also win the Booyah Big Bag award for the largest sack of the fish of the day. “We used the spinner bait most of the day targeting mostly fallen wood to catch our limit today” commented Eddleblute. We only caught 7 fish today but they were all keepers and we really had to grind it out especially with the bad weather” added the smiling pair.

Finishing just behind the ladies in the third and final regional qualifying spot was the team of Alex Redwine and Harbor Lovin from the Cincinnati Youth Bass Club who had a very respectable 9lbs 4oz.

The top three teams from this event qualified for the Central Conference Regional Championship to be held later this fall.

Winning the Lew’s Big Bass Award was the team of Jason Short and Matthew Schlabach who brought a beautiful 6lb Alum Creek Large mouth to the scales to capture prize of two terrific Lew’s reels.

The TBF/FLW State Championship series continues next week with events in North Carolina, Colorado, California, And Washington State.

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