Yuma Student Anglers (YSA) was proud to host the 2021 SAF AZ Sate Championship on Sat. March 27th at Mittry Lake. We had teams competing for awards, fishing tackle, scholarships, and the chance to advance to the National Championship and World Finals in South Carolina on Lake Hartwell, as well as a chance to compete as a co-angler at the District 23 Semi Finals in October at Lake Havasu City. As has happened for the two previous years, one of the two teams from Havasu came down and prevailed again. DANG!

Zachary and Brandon Verbrugge took first with 12.54#

But, teams from Yuma that found biting fish were close. 2nd place went to Jentry and Jerryn Goforth with 10.05#.

Finishing in 3rd place was Adam Straub and Logan Bathrick with 9.64#.

Yuma prevailed in the big fish category with a 3.99# largemouth bass boated by Wyatt Mellon. It was a tough fishing day, but a fun day overall with food served by our friends at Crossroads Mission. This event could not have happened without the many local individuals and businesses who have sponsored us over the last eight plus years. If you or your high school angler are interested in joining us next season, please contact me Dave Shill at 949-246-6646. CLICK HERE for full results of this event. Go see Yuma Student Anglers on facebook to see what we’re about.  To view more photos of the event CLICK HERE .

Lake Chickamauga played host to the Tennessee Student Angler Federation High School State Championship this past weekend.  Even though an unusual cold front was working its way past the lake, the anglers seemed anxious and ready to get out on the water.  With morning temperatures in the low thirties and the wind blowing stronger than normal, for this time of the year, the kids still managed to bring a lot of quality fish to the scales.

Taking the title of Tennessee High School State Champions was the West TN team of Caleb Griffin and Bryson Bailey with a limit of fish that tipped the scales to 16-13 pounds.

Coming in second place was the team of Bryson Sims and John Holloway from William Blount High School with 10-02 pounds.

Rounding out the top three teams was the all-female team of Addison Young and Emma Rae Slone from Upper Cumberland High School with 9-04 pounds.  Addison and Emma also took Big Bass Honors and a two-hundred-dollar Lew’s gift card for the Big Bass of the event, a 6.11 lunker.  Miss Emma said that was her personal best and biggest bass that she had ever caught.  Congratulations Emma!

Rounding out the top five finishers were the teams of Garrett White and Tanner McClain, from Rhea County, with 9-01 pounds and Elijah Kelley and Hunter Slone of White County, with 8-15 pounds.

With the recent rains around the Chickamauga area, the water was rising and there was plenty of new cover in the water and most all anglers said they caught their fish in less than five feet of water.  The normal baits this time of year produced once again with soft plastics, jigs, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, chatterbaits and rattletraps all catching fish.

Full Results from this event can be seen HERE and all the pictures from the Junior Anglers and High School Anglers can be seen on our Student Angler Federation High School Facebook page.

Not often do you see a team repeat as High School State Champions.  But that is exactly what happened this past weekend at Lake Cumberland at the Kentucky SAF High School State Championship.  Bailey Gay and Adrian Urso, of Ryle High School, topped the two hundred plus boat field with a strong limit that weighed 18-05 pounds to take home a second Kentucky High School State Championship.

They said that the majority of their fish came on a spinnerbait and a small crawfish colored crankbait.  They said they fished up shallow around the rocky banks and that most of their fish came in two to four feet of water.Second place went to the Southwestern High School team of Keaton Smith and Jaydon Coggins for their impressive catch of 16-09 pounds.Third place belonged to Luke Fletcher and Michael Hunter Flynn from Estill County with 15-09 pounds.

The last two sets of plaques went to Haggan Bishop and Sawyer Winchester from Lake Cumberland High School with 15-04 pounds and the Madison Central team of Ian Hurd and Kyle Snowden who weighed in 15-02 pounds.

The biggest bass of the tournament went to Landon Chenauly and Trace Mitchell. They weighed in a nice 4-12 pound largemouth.  They received a two-hundred dollar Lew’s Gift Card for their efforts.

There were forty-four limits of fish brought to the scales and one hundred-eleven teams brought one or more fish up to be weighed. Just over 833 pounds of fish were turned in at the scales and not one single fish perished.  The Kentucky Game and Fish Release truck took all the fish and released them safely back into the water to be caught again another day.  The most popular baits of the day were definitely a spinnerbait and a crawfish-colored crankbait.  Other baits used were a topwater, jig, Ned-rig, Alabama Rig, and a jerkbait.

To see all the results from this event please visit www.highschoolfishing.org.  All the numerous photos are already posted on our Student Angler Federation (SAF) High School Fishing Facebook page for your viewing pleasure.

As a side note, for everyone around the Lake Cumberland area, there is going to be a two-day BIG BASS Tournament on Lake Cumberland on April 17^th and 18^th at Conley Bottom Ramp.  It is an Open event for all to fish.  The entry fee is $125 per person, per day or $200 gets you an entry for both days.  You may have up to three people in your boat and the top prize is Guaranteed $10,000 for the biggest bass of the weekend.  There will be a total of four sessions each day that anglers can weigh one fish in each of those sessions and prizes and monies will be paid out according to the number of entries for the event.  Then there will be an overall category for the three biggest fish of the entire event with lots of great prizes and monies.  There will be a BBQ meal and music on Friday, April 16^th at Conley Bottom Marina to kick off the weekend event.  If you are a registered contestant, your meal is FREE.  There will be a Drawing for a Houseboat Getaway Weekend as well as other fun things during the event.  This event is being hosted by Monticello-Wayne County Tourist Commission and Monticello-Wayne County Chamber of Commerce.  For more information, Rules and details please visit www.NorthAmericanBassChallenge.com