Losee and Tweite Claim SAF High School Fishing National Championship,
31 Teams Move On to World Finals Grand Finale on Saturday

June 26, 2020—Stoddard, WI—Limit catches, lead changes and burly bass were the rule of the day three of the Student Angler Federation (SAF) 2020 High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship dual event.

Downpours of Biblical proportions didn’t dampen the spirits of 312 teams from 39 states fighting for a share of more than $3.2 million in scholarships and other prizes in the two events.

Running June 24-27 on Pools 7, 8 and 9 of the Mississippi River, the no-entry-fee championships are hosted by La Crosse, Wisconsin, and produced by SAF under The Bass Federation (TBF) umbrella with the support of coalition of 19 sponsors and FLW Outdoors.

Take-offs and weigh-ins are being held at Stoddard Ramp on the Wisconsin side of Pool 8. Teams are allowed to bring their best three bass to the scale each day.

The SAF High School Fishing National Championship was decided today, with the top 10 teams from Thursday’s weigh-in fishing for the national title. The remaining competitors from the national championship field fished in the World Finals’ second-chance round.

Day two leaders Lawson Losee and Kooper Tweite of Riceville, Iowa, were last to weigh in of the top 10, and rocked the stage with an 11-pound, 2-ounce limit. Anchored by a 5-pound, 8-ounce kicker, the catch catapulted them to victory with a 30-pound, 4-ounce three-day total weight.

“This is amazing,” said Losee. “Early on we were joking about winning. But after leading the second day, we talked and said we can really do this. We came out, caught some big fish and now we’re national champions. It’s awesome.”

“We went into the day expecting maybe 9½ or 10 pounds and came in with the second-biggest bag of the tournament, it’s phenomenal,” added Tweite. “It was a great day of fishing.”

All three days, the team locked down to Pool 9 to find unpressured bass. The strategy paid off handsomely, producing an 8-pound, 12-ounce day one basket and 10-pound, 6-ounce day two limit.

Heading into the World Finals finale tomorrow, they see no reason to change course. “Same game plan,” Losee smiled. “And we still have a honeyhole we haven’t touched since practice.”

Losee and Tweite’s National Championship win earned them a trio of scholarship options: a 4-year, $120,000 scholarship offer to Simpson University on the shores of legendary Clear Lake in Redding, California; an $80,000 4-year scholarship to Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky; and a $10,000 cash scholarship from FLW to any college or trade school of their choice.

“We definitely have a lot to think about,” said Tweite.

Rounding out the HSF National Championship’s top 5 were:

2nd: Trey McKinney, Zachary Martin, 28-07
3rd: Jace Anderson, Braydon Harcrow, 26-07
4th: Ryan Thomas, Cole Holloway, 26-00
5th: Ransom Boone, Russell Moore, 25-14

World Finals Recap
In World Finals action, all teams battled for coveted spots in tomorrow’s grand finale. The teams were split into two groups: the top two squads from each state fished the World Finals semi-finals, while the remaining teams competed in a second chance round.

The top 10 semi-finalist teams and next 10 finishers from both groups will fish tomorrow, along with the top 10 teams from the National Championship and the winners of a “Lucky Dog Last Chance Wildcard” drawing open to one team not already qualified. All weights will be zeroed to give everyone a fresh start.

Tucker Veronee and Landon Gramling of Lakeston, South Carolina, sacked an 11-pound, 9-ounce limit of largemouths to top the semi-finals ranks. They say the Mississippi River is dramatically different from their Lake Murray home waters. “It’s not even close to the same,” Veronee laughed. “Murray has hardly any grass and it’s lots of main lake point fishing.”

“I grew up near Santee-Cooper, which has a lot of grass and trees, so that’s very similar to here and helps us a bit,” Gramling added. “We also fish a lot of rock structures back home, and there’s some of that here.”

They report consistent bites throughout the tournament but admitted that this morning was a little concerning. “We started off with small bites and 5 pounds before 7:30, then struggled until noon,” said Veronee. “Then we ran across one spot where everything changed. We were pretty excited after that.”

Gramling noted that scoring a scholarship tomorrow would be a major boost to his future. “If I want to go to college, I’ll either need a scholarship or have to get student loans, so this would be huge for me,” he said.

A 10-pound, 10-ounce limit propelled Mitch Johnson and Austin Sears of Dayton, Ohio, into Saturday’s finals. “Last year we were 9 ounces out of making the final cut in the World Finals on Pickwick Lake, so this feels really good,” said Johnson.

Accustomed to fishing Lake Erie, they quickly learned the ropes of fishing the river’s shallow grass and current, and have high hopes for day four. “The first spot we had in practice really turned on today,” added Sears. “I believe we can get the same weight or more tomorrow.”

Charlie Wright and Carter Hietala of Becker, Minnesota, scored a 10-pound, 6-ounce limit to punch their ticket to Saturday’s showdown. Although the Mississippi meanders near their central Minnesota homes, they admit the river is a different world farther north.

“We’ve fished farther downstream in Pool 4 before, though,” Wright noted. “During practice we looked for spots similar to areas that have produced for us on those waters.”

“On day one the bass just weren’t having any of it though,” Hietala added. “We switched everything up on day two and it worked out. We did the same thing today and was really slow, with only five keepers. But they were the right ones.”

Hamburg, Arkansas’ Ben Brockwell and Austin Fleming brought a 10-pound, 4-ounce limit to the stage to make the cut. “Early on we were fishing around different spots and got lucky finding one little pocket where we stumbled into fish and caught ‘em pretty quick,” said Brockwell. “Maybe we can get them again tomorrow.”

“This fishes a lot like our home waters on the Ouachita River,” Fleming said. “The Mississippi is a lot shallower and harder to get around, but otherwise it fishes the same. This is awesome and we’re glad to be here.”

Adding to the day’s fun, SAF officials presented Jeremy Toler of Wyoming County, West Virginia, with an honorary high school diploma on stage. “I missed my graduation back home to come and fish the World Finals,” said Toler, who donned a cap and gown for the ceremony. “This was a nice surprise.”

About SAF
Created to promote education through fishing and foster a love of the outdoors among high school students, SAF offers a variety of educational, conservation, community service components. SAF’s competitive venues include regional, state and national events culminating in the High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship. Launched by TBF in 2010, the World Finals is the world’s largest open high school bass tournament.

All SAF members are eligible to compete in the World Finals, while National Championship contenders qualify through state championships.

“The format of these events was designed by parents and coaches to give every high school angler in America an equal chance to win a life-changing scholarship,” said TBF President and CEO Robert Cartlidge. “The system levels the playing field and eliminates local teams from dominating an event.”

The day three weigh-in was presented by Rapala and Sufix, which presented competitors with RapTech Performance Wear caps and spools of Sufix Advance and Siege high-performance fishing lines. Spectators on site and online were treated to a total of 671 bass weighing 1,652 pounds, 3 ounces crossing the scale in the SAF’s proven catch-and-release format. Big bass was a 5-pound, 8-ounce beauty brought in by Lawson Losee and Kooper Tweite, who received a pair of Lew’s high-performance baitcasting reels for their efforts.

World Finals action continues Saturday with a 6 a.m. takeoff, and the day four weigh-in starts at 1:30 p.m. For complete results, day four qualifiers and details, visit HighSchoolFishing.org.

SAF sponsors include: Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Booyah, Cabela’s, Eagle Claw, Evinrude, FacultyOfFishing.com, Favorite Fishing, FishLab, FLW, Lews, MotorGuide, Move U Performance Apparel, Pursuit Channel, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Seaguar, Shimano, Strike King, Sufix, and VMC.

June 25, 2020—Stoddard, WI—Competition was fierce today among the scores of young anglers battling for a share of more than $3.2 million in scholarships and other prizes in the Student Angler Federation (SAF) 2020 High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship.

Running June 24-27 on Pools 7, 8 and 9 of the Mississippi River and hosted by La Crosse, Wisconsin, the dual event features 312 two-person teams from 39 states. Take-offs and weigh-ins are being held at Stoddard Ramp on the Wisconsin side of Pool 8.

The no-entry-fee championships are produced by SAF under The Bass Federation umbrella with the support of coalition of 19 sponsors our partners in fishing from FLW Outdoors.

“With virtually the whole field still in the running for millions of dollars of potentially life-changing scholarships to colleges and trade schools, everyone gave it 110 percent today,” said SAF Tournament Director Randy Sullivan. A morning fog delay that cut fishing time in half further fueled the young anglers’ competitive fires.

Lawson Losee and Kooper Tweite of Riceville, Iowa, made the most of their limited fishing time by putting a 10-pound, 6-ounce limit in the livewell. The catch was anchored by a 5-pound, 1-ounce kicker that represented a 3½-pound upgrade. Added to their 8-pound, 12-ounce day one basket, it put them in first place overall with 19 pounds, 2 ounces.

The hefty total was a sweet reward for rolling the dice to make a long run with limited fishing time. “We locked down to Pool 9 so we were only able to fish for about an hour,” said Tweite. “We got six or seven bites, and actually, most of those came within 30 minutes. We didn’t have that many bites today or yesterday, but we found big fish and it paid off.”

Losee said the run to Pool 9 was key to their core strategy for competing against such a large and talented field. “The main reason we locked down was to have our own water and our own fish to work with,” he explained. “Getting away from everybody else is helping us. We saw two boats yesterday and no one else today.”

While it’s still early, the pair are daring to contemplate the impact of taking home top honors and a trade school or college scholarship. “It would be huge,” said Tweite. “We joked about winning it but now that we’re this far, it’s coming alive that there’s a chance. We’d definitely take advantage of the opportunities.”

Trey McKinney and Zach Martin of Marion, Illinois, brought in a 10-pound, 7-ounce limit for an 18-pound, 1-ounce total, fulfilling their goal of making the cut for both the World Finals and National Championship. “It means everything to do this,” said McKinney. “There’s a lot of great anglers and tough competition. It took a lot to get here and we’re just enjoying the experience.”

They said day two’s bite was a bit more challenging, but the quality of the fish was better. “We were covering water and junk fishing,” said Martin. “Covering water and hitting everything that looked good and might hold a bass,” McKinney added.

Day one overall leaders Ryder Mains and Mason Chapman of Kansas City, Kansas, brought in 6 pounds, 4 ounces, slipping to third overall with a 17-pound, 15-ounce total. “The fog delay pushed us back but we didn’t want to risk locking up to Pool 7, so we tried replicating our day one pattern in Pool 8 and it just didn’t come together,” said Mains.

They remained optimistic for their chances tomorrow, however. “If we can get to our fish, they shouldn’t be very pressured and I’m excited,” said Chapman. “It’s awesome to make the cut and hopefully with the rain it will be a good day.”

Conner Chase and Joshua Buller of Springfield, Oregon, applied their knowledge of the Columbia River to rack up a 17-pound, 11-ounce two-day tally. They were elated to move forward in both events but said the experience in itself was more than worth the trip to Wisconsin.

“I love it,” Buller beamed. “It’s awesome to meet new people, fish new water and try new tactics.”

“Even with the Coronavirus this is a great way to see other people and catch fish while following the rules and staying safe,” Chase added, alluding to the comprehensive series of COVID-19 precautions SAF officials implemented to protect participants, spectators and staff throughout the event.

Cole Holloway and Ryan Thomas of Morgan County, Georgia, notched a 17-pound, 10-ounce two-day total in the World Finals and National Championship, buoyed by 8-pound, 15-ounce and 8-pound, 11-ounce limits. The Mississippi River is a different playing field than their Lake Lanier home waters, but the team says their experience on Peach Tree river systems is helping them adjust.

Fishing the title events is also worlds apart from smaller regional tournaments, but Holloway reported their strategy for victory is the same. “Put your head down, block everything out and fish harder than everyone else,” he explained.

Hard-fishing brothers Cameron and Hunter Meadows of Norman, Oklahoma, added 8 pounds to their 9.9-pound day one catch for a 17-pound, 9-ounce total in the World Finals. “The short day today hurt us,” said Hunter. “We got fewer bites with less time to fish, but we stuck to our game plan and it ended up working out.” Cameron noted that their 3.11-pound kicker was the first fish in the livewell. “That definitely calmed us down a lot,” he grinned. “Hopefully, we can back it up with some bigger bags the next two days. We’re just going to go out, have fun and try to make it to the final round.”

Tristan Beck and Colson Brust of Carthage, Missouri, sacked an 8-pound, 3-ounce limit for a 16-pound, 12-ounce total. The young guns say a fast-paced attack is helping them overcome the challenges of competing on an unfamiliar system.

“The Mississippi is totally different than our home waters of Table Rock, Stockton and Bull Shoals,” said Brust. “We’ve been focusing on Pool 8 and covering as much water as we can to contact fish,” added Beck. “Today we got about 10 keepers and are going to stick to this program tomorrow.”

Colin McDaniel and Cade Nettles of Stonewall, Louisiana, brought in an 8-pound, 15-ounce limit for a 15-pound, 13-ounce two-day total. “The fog delay limited our fishing time, but the day went well,” said McDaniels. “I feel like we made a pretty good jump. We’re really excited and surprised by the fish we caught, and we’re looking to do it again in the World Finals tomorrow.”

He and Nettles said the mighty Mississippi is making them feel at home. “It fishes a lot like Grand Bayou and Caddo,” said Nettles.

With the weather forecast calling for a change from sunny skies to overcast and rain, the pair is prepared to tweak their game plan accordingly. “We may need to change up some of the baits to draw more reaction bites,” said McDaniels. “We’ll adjust however the fish tell us,” Nettles offered, adding a reverent note of gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the events. “Thank the Lord,” he said. “For us to be able to come here and do this is a real blessing.”

Created to foster a love of fishing and the outdoors among high school students, SAF offers a variety of education, conservation, competitive and community service components.

All SAF members are eligible to compete in the World Finals, while National Championship contenders qualified through a series of state championships. All anglers competed for the first two days, with weights tracked separately for each event.

Everyone will compete in the World Finals on Friday, with weights zeroed for a fresh start. The top two teams from each state will fish the World Finals semi-finals, while the remaining teams compete in a second chance round. The top 10 semi-finalist teams and next 10 finishers from both groups will advance to the World Finals grand finale on Saturday, along with the top 10 teams from the National Championship and the winners of a “Lucky Dog Last Chance Wildcard” drawing open to one team not already qualified.

In the National Championship, the top 10 teams from today’s weigh-in move on to fish for the national title tomorrow, with the remaining competitors fishing the World Finals’ second-chance round.

The day two weigh-in was presented by Shimano, with Shimano’s state-of-the-art SLX DC 150 reels awarded randomly to the competitors. Spectators on site and online were treated to a total of 510 bass weighing 1,136 pounds, 9 ounces crossing the scale in the SAF’s proven catch-and-release format. One-hundred nineteen teams scored limits. Big bass was a 5-pound, 1-ouncer brought in by Lawson Losee and Kooper Tweite, who received a pair of Lew’s high-performance baitcasting reels for their efforts.

Young anglers fishing the events are also enjoying having their exploits showcased to millions of bass fans. Besides worldwide streaming, social media blitzes and national coverage via SAF and FLW Outdoors’ media venues, the dual event is being filmed for national television airing on Federation Angler TV on the Pursuit Channel.

The action continues on Friday with a 6 a.m. takeoff, and the day three weigh-in starts at 1:30 p.m. For complete detail results, visit HighSchoolFishing.org.

SAF sponsors include: Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Booyah, Cabela’s, Eagle Claw, Evinrude, Facultyoffishing.com,  Favorite Fishing, FishLab, FLW,  Lews, MotorGuide, Move U Performance Apparel, Pursuit Channel, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Seaguar, Shimano, Strike King, Sufix, and VMC.