For Henry Shoemaker and Phillip Browning it was a battle of attrition as they battled the rain drenched waters of the Ohio river to win the 2013 West Virginia High School State Bass Fishing Championship in Gallipolis, Ohio.

“The tough conditions forced us to fish a little differently then we had planned,” stated Shoemaker. “We caught our only keeper flipping a Zoom Craw on some riprap above the dam. We knew every fish would count but I never dreamed that one fish would win the event,” added the pair from Westside High School.

That one fish weighed in at 1 lb 6 oz but it was enough to advance the pair on to the Central Conference Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in October.

June 29^th   – Pickwick Lake

30 youth from all corners of the state of Mississippi traveled to the Tennessee River near Iuka, MS June 28^th  and 29^th for the SAF MS High School State Championship.   From the Gulf Coast to the Delta area the High School anglers had the map covered.  Fishing on Pickwick in June is widely considered to be the best of the year and these young anglers could feel it.  Spirits were high during the pre-tournament meeting, held Friday evening at State Line Boat Ramp.  “I can’t wait to get out there,” said Rhett Hensley, a 15 year old High School Freshman at Magnolia Heights, near Coldwater, Mississippi.  “The ledge bite should be great after the TVA Starts pulling current after 10 today,” added Ty Jobe, a 17 year old Pickwick regular and former TBF State Champion back in 2011.  “I’m ready,” was all Nathan Morlok, the 2010 MS TBF champion had to say.  Participants were briefed on the lake length limits and tournament rules for the event and then released to their hotels for a short night’s sleep before the big event. Continue reading