Reed and Rouse win State Championship title in Moss Point, Mississippi

The 2023 MS High School State Championship was held early March on the Pascagoula River System in Moss Point, MS. The day started with fair skies and a light breeze with rapid changing water temps. The anglers struggles a bit to get those five needed bites.

At the end of the day, Ryker Reed and Cooper Rouse with D’Iberbille High School brought in a limit of fish weighing 10 pounds 6 ounces, winning the State Championship. The Vancleave team of David Robinson and Parker Strickland came in 2nd place with 9 pounds 7 ounces. Joseph Stingley and Austin Craft took 3rd place with 8 pounds 12 ounces. Joseph and Austin also claimed the daily Big Bass prize with a fish weighing 3 pounds 13 ounces and both received a Lew’s reel. Rounding out the top four, Joel and Trevor Hyatt from George County High School had a limit that weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces.

These top four teams will advance to the 14th Annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship this June in LaCrosse, Wisconsin on the Mississippi River. For full results and more photos CLICK HERE.

The Student Angler Federation would like to thank Mayor Billy Knight for taking the time to speak with the teams, and the City of Moss Point, including Ms. Donna Joseph and the Parks and Recreation Department team for allowing us to use their outstanding riverfront site and facility amenities. We also want to thank Sue Wright with Moss Point Main Street Association for all her efforts in making this a great event for the student anglers.

FISHERY MANAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM ANNOUNCED BY BASS FISHING HALL OF FAME

FISHERY MANAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM ANNOUNCED BY BASS FISHING HALL OF FAME

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Making sure the many lakes and reservoirs in the U.S. and Canada where anglers pursue bass are healthy and vibrant relies a great deal on the efforts from federal, state, and provincial fishery management professionals. To assure those efforts are supported, and to provide financial resources for high school and college bass anglers looking to pursue careers in the fishery management field, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Board is instituting a college scholarship program for students seeking a degree in a natural resource field with an end goal of becoming a practicing fishery manager.

Up to $15,000 will be awarded in July 2023 to the selected applicants. Applications for the scholarship are now being accepted at https://www.bassfishinghof.com/scholarship.

               “Within many fishery management agencies, there is a definitive need to fill vacant positions with qualified individuals who understand and have a passion for both the sport of bass fishing and the science needed to manage those fisheries,” said BFHOF Board president John Mazurkiewicz. “Spearheaded by Gene Gilliland, Casey Shedd, and our Conservation Committee, this new scholarship program fits in ideally with the Hall’s mission of celebrating, promoting, and preserving the sport by supporting those whose future career path will focus on healthy fisheries, needed access, and clean rivers, lakes and reservoirs.”

               Gilliland notes that scholarship applicants must be a high school senior who has committed to enroll or be an undergraduate and graduate student currently enrolled in a four-year college, university, or accredited graduate program. They must declare or have declared a major in biology, aquatic ecology, fisheries, marine science, or a closely related natural resources field. “We’re also asking every applicant to submit a short essay explaining their goals for a career in natural resources and to describe their dream agency job, along with proof of membership in a recognized bass fishing organization or provide a copy of a valid fishing license,” said Gilliland.

               The BFHOF Fishery Management Scholarship Program form outlines all the application requirements. Gilliland also mentioned all applications will be reviewed by an independent panel that includes individuals involved in fishery management issues in both the U.S. and Canada, including Phil Morlock, Director of Government Affairs with the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association; Chris Horton, Senior Director of Fisheries Policy with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation; Ross Self, Chief of Inland Fisheries for the South Carolina DNR; and Dr. Mark Rogers, Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit Leader at Tennessee Tech University.  

The application deadline is May 31, 2023 and the scholarship winners are notified by early July. For student financial aid requirements, the monetary award from the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is considered a stipend for use by the student for any school-related expenses.

               For more information on the BFHOF Fishery Management Scholarship program, visit https://www.bassfishinghof.com/scholarship

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Boswell and Thayer Win Georgia High School Championship at West Point

Early spring is always an exciting time in fishing, as fish begin to move around and begin their annual journey up to the shallows to spawn.  As usual for this time of the year, the fish are in several different depth locations and will bite a wide variety of lures.  This past weekend was no different.  Out of the ninety teams that came to West Point Lake for the Student Angler Federation (SAF) Georgia High School State Championship, when they weighed their fish, they reported several different baits that were producing some really good limits.  Many anglers were using Drop Shots, Ned Rigs and Carolina Rigs and were fishing out of the deeper points and channel swings to catch their fish anywhere from fifteen to fifty feet of water.  Yet many others were simply power fishing with chatterbaits, spinnerbaits jigs and worms working their way down the bank in one to three feet of water.  The other group was in between those groups and they were using crankbaits, buzzbaits and rattletraps to catch fish in six to eighteen feet of water.  There was 586 pounds of fish weighed in with a whopping fifty teams bringing a limit to the scales.  The Lew’s Reel Big Bass award went to the Gilmer High School team of Bryce Barclay and Haden West for their nice 5-pound 11-ounce lunker.  They received two new Lew’s Reels for their efforts.

Taking home the title of Georgia State Champions was the Winder-Barrow team of Brett Boswell and Dylan Thayer with a nice sack that weighed 14-10 pounds.  The Big Bass team of Bryce Barclay and Haden West finished second with a total weight of 13-15 pounds.  Haralson County Rebels team of Dalton Tilley and Ethan Carter managed a top three finish with 12-14 pounds.  Branton Champions and Jackson Behringer from Richmond Hill finished fourth with a good catch of 12-10 pounds.  Rounding out the top five spots was the Newnan Cougar team of Gage Smith and Tayson Harrison with a good limit weighing 12-06 pounds.  Congratulations to all the teams this weekend, we had a great event.

For full results from this event CLICK HERE

Photos from the SAF GA High School event at West Point can be found by CLICKING HERE