Jake Read and Taylor Thomas from Vista Ridge High School win the first FAN High School Fishing Series event on Lake Travis, 

Presented by Brad Marshall Homes and Designer Pools & Outdoor Living.

With much anticipation and excitement 36 teams representing 7 High School Bass Fishing Clubs and over 30 area middle and High Schools ascended on the beautiful shores of West Beach Marina on Lake Travis early Saturday morning, where anglers and their captains would be greeted with unseasonable warm 53 degrees, a light southern breeze, and a cheerful FAN staff to check them in and hand them their membership bag including a FAN High School decal, t-shirt, Academy hand towel, and bag of HAVOC Pit Boss baits.

After the brief announcements, prayer, and national anthem, the teams were released by boat number to test their skills amongst the 72 other anglers.

The weather would change during the morning from a thick layer of fog and drizzle to a summer like afternoon of 81 degrees and a moderate southern breeze snapping at 12mph as family and friends made their way to the 2PM weigh in dressed in team colors to cheer on their High School Bass Teams.

As the 2PM check in drew near, teams slowly made their way to the holding tanks and FAN stage to show off the results of their day on the water and the FAN staff and volunteers captured photos of their catch.

As in any bass fishing tournament anglers would be confronted with many challenges and not everyone would catch the 5 fish limit that was ultimately needed to win this event, however several teams did manage to dissect the conditions to do just that.

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New for 2014:

Ranger Releases the VS1780 Aluminum Deep V

New design brings Ranger quality and aluminum accessibility to multi-species anglers nationwide.

Ranger’s acclaimed roster of aluminum bass, crappie and multipurpose boats continue to be one of the industry’s best-selling product lines as the brand’s strong heritage, quality construction and innovative design resonates with boat buyers. This year, Ranger Boats is poised to introduce another category to the most sought-after aluminum boats on the water, the all-new Ranger Aluminum Deep V Series.

With more models planned for introduction in the coming year, the new Ranger Aluminum Deep V Series will deliver feature-laden boats complete with a solid, all-welded aluminum hull constructed without the use of any wood components. Upright, level foam flotation adds even more confidence, stability, and security to this ultra-quiet design, as proven with the new VS1780.

“We’ve incorporated so many key elements we’ve learned and developed in our years of building the most popular and best-performing multispecies fiberglass boats into the new Ranger Aluminum Deep V Series,” said Ranger Boats President Randy Hopper. “The 1780, in particular, features a solid, one-piece feel and the peace of mind that comes with quality construction and attention to detail – all starting at under $20,000 in some configurations.”

Measuring 17 feet, 8 inches with a 96-inch beam, the Ranger Aluminum VS1780 is rated for outboards ranging in horsepower from 90-135. Equipped with a 24-gallon fuel tank, the boat offers plenty of fishing space on its expansive front deck as well as the ability to accommodate kicker motors.

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Brandon Branch and Hunter McPherson were the last boat out in the 42 boat filed for Saturday’s Florida SAF High School State Championship but that didn’t stop the talented pair from bringing in a whopping 24lb 4oz sack to win the SAF Florida State Championship on legendary Lake Toho. The big bag was anchored by the Lew’s big bass winner a 7lb 4 oz toad and a very respectable 6lb 10oz running mate that propelled to the smiling pair to outdistance the runner-up team of Corbin Smith and Stephen Soileau from the Osceola Angler group who had a very respectable 19lb 110z bag that was also anchored by a 6lb 7oz kicker. Branch and McPherson also claimed the Booyah Big Bag award for the day which is awarded to the team with the largest one day catch in the SAF State Championship series.

Finishing third was the team of Jeremy Morgan and Trevor Waltz from Bartow High School who also had an impressive 19lb 4oz bag that carried with it a 7lb 2oz beauty. The final regional qualifying spot went to Pine Ridge High School’s Trevor Brown and Nick Sutton who had 15lb 14oz’s to edge out 5^th place finishers Tyler Woolcott and Parker Meadows from Spruce Creek High School who brought in 15lb 7oz to the Big Toho Marina weigh-in area.

“It’s a little hard to believe this but yesterday we pre-fished in the exact same spot where we caught the bulk of our fish today and we did not have a bite” cited McPherson. “Today we primarily used a Chatter Bait and for some reason they decided to bite” added Branch who also felt that the key to the team’s success was the fact that they didn’t give up on their primary spot. “We knew those fish were in that area so I’m sure glad we stuck with it and went back there first thing this morning” added the smiling pair.

The SAF State Championship series continues this week with the Anderson Open event on Lake Russell in South Carolina and the Louisiana High School State Championship in Natchitoches Louisiana.

Go to highschoolfishing.org and click on “State Championship” to see all the SAF events around the country.

RESULTS