For additional information, please contact:

KHSAA: Michael Barren at 859.299.5472 or mbarren@khsaa.org

FLW: Scott Ellison at 270.205.6864 or scott.ellison@flwfishing.com

SAF/TBF: Randy Sullivan at 580.716.4261 or randy@federationangler.com

Kentucky High School Athletic Association Regional Registration Now Open for Fishing

 Registration will run THROUGH April 22

LEXINGTON, KY (February 4, 2019) – Registration for teams participating in the April 27 Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) bass fishing regionals is now open. All registrations will take place at www.highschoolfishing.org.

To enter, teams must be members of an approved high school fishing team at a KHSAA member school. Students wanting to participate at schools that have not yet authorized a bass fishing team should contact their athletic director.

• Region 1 will fish Lake Barkley out of Kuttawa Harbor Marina located at 1709 Lake Barkley Drive in Kuttawa, KY, on Saturday, April 27
• Region 2 will fish Lake Cumberland out of Halcomb’s Landing located East of Wolf Creek Dam on US 127 Jamestown, KY 42629 , on Saturday, April 27
• Region 3 will fish Green River Lake out of Green River Lake State Park located at 179 Park Office Road in Campbellsville, KY, on Saturday, April 27
• Region 4 will fish Cave Run Lake out of Stoney Cove Recreational Area located at 1969 KY-86 in Salt Lick, KY, on Saturday, April 27

Each school can enter up to and including six boats for regional competition. Each boat must be entered separately and include the names of the two anglers who will start the day fishing out of the boat (each boat is allowed up to four anglers, with only two fishing at any given time). The name of the boat captain who will operate the boat for the students while on the water must also be provided at the time of entry. The names of any substitute anglers or boat captains will be recorded at the registration/rules meeting for each regional.

Boat takeoff position will be determined by random computer draw and will be assigned at the rules meeting for each event.

Click here to view the region your school belongs to, and click here to register.

Click here to view the KHSAA bass fishing rules. These rules pertain only to KHSAA events.

Click the links provided below to download regional information packets:

• Region 1
• Region 2
• Region 3
• Region 4

The KHSAA bass fishing state championship hosted by Calvert City, KY, will be held Friday and Saturday, May 10-11 on Kentucky Lake out of Kentucky Dam Marina.

Contact Michael Barren, KHSAA at mbarren@khsaa.org; Scott Ellison, FLW at scott.ellison@flwfishing.com; or Randy Sullivan, SAF/TBF at randy@federationangler.com with any questions.

###

PONCA CITY, OK (Nov. 27, 2018) – The Bass Federation’s Student Angler Federation (SAF) announced today the 2019 High School Fishing schedule, including forty-two SAF High School Fishing State Championships, three SAF High School Fishing Challenge\Open tournaments, 15 Bass Pro shops FLW High School Fishing Opens, eight state high school athletic association sanctioned tournaments and the pinnacle event in all of high school fishing the High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship which has already been announced for 2019, 2020, 2021 and are listed as well.

In 2018, across all SAF sanctioned events there were more than 30,000 participants in the SAF High School Fishing program. For 2019 just between TBF and FLW events they will have 67 tournaments in which to compete plus hundreds of other SAF sanctioned events.

“As the founders of the National High School fishing movement back in 2007, we have seen it grow and expand rapidly since our first High School Fishing World Finals in 2010 and are proud to have FLW as our partners in providing more fishing opportunities for more high school students than anyone else in the world,” said TBF President Robert Cartlidge. “Together we will continue to provide more and better opportunities for our young people wherever we can.”

To that end SAF announced today that not only will the top 10% of each TBF and/or FLW State Championship Challenge or Open event earn a spot in the National Championship and ALL SAF members world-wide are eligible to compete in the High School Fishing World Finals just like in past years where TBF and FLW offered up over $150,000 in College scholarship and prizes in 2018.  New advancement opportunities and details where announced for top High School anglers who win a SAF state championship and are 16 years old or older.

In 2019 the winners of ALL SAF State Championships who are 16 years old or older (one or both team members) will be offered a High School TBF Living The Dream package, a TBF sponsorship for a year to include: fully paid ADULT TBF\FLW competitor membership, Advancement opportunity to represent their home state in a TBF National Semi-Finals as a co-angler, with fully paid entry fees! From there, the sky is the limit, they could qualify for the TBF Federation National Championship, then to the BFL All-American or if they can earn a boater spot along the way possibly even the Forrest Wood CUP!  All while fishing through their home state High School Championship and their home state TBF Federation, Additionally, FLW will place the winning team (16 years old or older) from the National Championship held in conjunction with the 2019 World Finals directly into the BFL All-American.

www.highschoolfishing.org

2019 10^th Annual High School World Finals / National Championship:

June 18-22                   Pickwick Lake                                                                                         Florence, Ala.

2020 11^th Annual High School World Finals / National Championship:

June\July TBA             Upper Mississippi River                                                                         LaCrosse, WI.

2021 12^th Annual High School World Finals / National Championship:

June TBA                     Lake Hartwell                                                                                          Anderson, SC.

2019 Season SAF High School Fishing State Championships:

Feb. 2                           Florida State Championship – Harris Chain                                          Tavares, FL.

Feb. 2                           Texas State Championship – LBJ                                                         Marble Falls, TX.

Feb 16                          South Carolina State Championship – Santee Cooper                        Summertown, SC.

Feb 23                          Alabama State Championship – Lay Lake                                            Columbiana, AL.

Feb 23                          North Carolina State Championship – Shearon Harris lake                New Hill, NC

March 2                        Virginia State Championship – Lake Gaston                                        Bracey, VA

March 3                        Georgia State Championship –Lake Lanier                                          Gainesville, GA.

March 16                      Utah State Championship – Sand Hollow Lake                                    St. George, UT

March 17                      Missouri State Championship – Lake Of The Ozarks                          Osage Beach, MO.

March 24                      Louisiana State Championship – Toledo Bend                                     Many, LA.

March 30                      Kentucky State Championship – Lake Cumberland                             Somerset, KY.

March 30                      Mississippi State Championship – Fulton, Tenn. Tom Waterway    Fulton, MS

March 30                    Kansas State Championship – Lake Melvern, KS

April 7                          Illinois State Championship – Clinton Lake                                           Weldon, IL.

April 13                         Arizona State Championship – Lake Havasu                                       Lake Havasu City, AZ.

May 4                           Tennessee State Championship – Kentucky Lake                               Birdsong, TN.

May 4                           West Virginia State Championship – Sutton Lake                                Sutton, WV

May 5                           Oklahoma State Championship – Lake Eufaula                                   Eufaula, OK

May 11                         Arkansas State Championship – Lake Ouachita                                  Hot Springs, AR.

May 11                         Oregon State Championship – Columbia River                                    Cascade Locks, OR

May 18                         Ohio State Championship – Ohio River                                                Gallipolis, OH

May 19                         Washington State Championship – Moses Lake                                  Moses Lake, WA.

June 1                          Tri-State Championship (Conn., Mass., R.I.) – Connecticut, Rvr.       Hartford, CT

June 1                          Indiana State Championship – Brookville Lake                                    Brookville, IN

June 29                        Michigan State Championship – Devil’s Lake                                       Lenawee Co, MI

July 13                          South Dakota State Championship – Roy Lake                                   Eden, SD

July 14                          Quad State Championship (PA, DE, MD, NJ.) – Chesapeake Bay    NE Maryland Park

July 14                          Ontario Canada Provincial Championship – Georgian Bay                 Waubaushene, ON

July 28                          Wisconsin State Championship – Pool 8 only                                      LaCrosse, WI

July 28                          Iowa State Championship – Pool 8 only                                               LaCrosse, WI

August 10                     Minnesota State Championship – Mississippi Pools 4-5                     TBA

Sept. 16                        New York State Championship – Lake George                                    Ticonderoga, NY

October 27                   Colorado State Championship – Lake Pueblo                                      Pueblo.CO

TBA                              California State Championship – Pending Permits

TBA                              New Hampshire State Championship – Pending Permits

TBA                              Idaho State Championship – Pending Permits

TBA                              Nebraska State Championship – Pending Permits

TBA                              Maine State Championship – Pending Permits

TBA                              Vermont State Championship – Pending Permits

2019 SAF High School Fishing Challenges\Open Events:

March 10                      Lake Hartwell Early Bird Challenge                                                       Anderson, S.C.

August 25                     Minnesota Challenge\Open – Lake Bemidji                                          Bemidji, MN.

2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens:

Feb 9                            Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Lake Seminole                                      Bainbridge, GA.

Feb 23                          Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Sam Rayburn                                       Zavalla, TX.

March 2                        Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Lake Guntersville                                 Guntersville, AL.

March 3                        Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Lake Mead                                            Las Vegas, NV.

April 6                           Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Lake Texoma                                        Pottsboro, TX.

April 13                         Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Lake Cumberland                                 Burnside, KY.

April 27                         Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Smith Mountain Lake                           Huddleston, VA.

May 19                         Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Clear Lake                                            Lake Port, CA

June1                            Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Chesapeake Bay                                  Edgewood, MD.

July 20                          Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Mississippi River                                  Wabasha, MN.

Sept 7                           Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Lake Erie                                               Sandusky, OH.

Sept.21                         Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Arkansas River                                     North Little Rock, AR.

Sept. 29                        Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – California Delta                                     Bethel Island, CA.

Oct 19                           Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Lake of the Ozarks                               Osage Beach, MO.

Nov 2                            Bass Pro Shops FLW Open – Lake Hartwell                                        Hartwell, GA.

2019 State Athletic Association Events: (Qualified teams only)

March 2                        GICAA Georgia State Qualifier – Lake Lanier     Gainesville, GA

March 16                      GICAA Georgia Championship – TBA                                                  TBA

May TBA                      KCAA Championship – TBD                                                                  TBD

May 18                         IHSA Illinois State Championship – Carlyle Lake                                 Carlyle, Ill.

April 27                         KHSAA Reg 1 Regional Championship – Lake Barkley                      Kuttawa, Ky.

April 27                         KHSAA Reg 2 Regional Championship – Lake Cumberland               Somerset, Ky.

April 27                         KHSAA Reg 3 Regional Championship – Green River Lake               Campbellsville, Ky.

April 27                         KHSAA Reg 4 Regional Championship – Cave Run Lake                  Morehead, Ky.

May 10-11                    KHSAA Kentucky State Championship – Kentucky Lake                    Calvert City, Ky.

Additional SAF events are being added for the latest events line up, visit HighSchoolFishing.org.

Complete rules are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com

Registration for the 2019 season opens January 3rd, 2019.  For SAF High School Fishing State Championships, each team must compete in the state in which their school is located. Teams from all states can compete in FLW High School Fishing Open tournaments and SAF High School Fishing Challenge events. Entries for State Championships and Challenge events should be made at HighSchoolFishing.org or by calling TBF at (580) 765-9031 and entries for Opens should be made at FLWFishing.com or by calling FLW at (270) 252-1000. There is no limit to the number of teams accepted into a tournament from each school or club.

All FLW and TBF High School Fishing tournaments are free to enter. The tournaments are two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and open to any SAF-affiliated high school club.

Student Angler Federation Announces New Layout For the High School Fishing World Finals And National Championship

Building off a record 2018 High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship where nearly 400 teams from across the globe competed, The Bass Federation’s Student Angler Federation (SAF) and our partners in fishing at FLW announced today a new strategically aligned three-year schedule.

The High School Fishing World Finals is without a doubt, the event that started it all in High School Fishing, it has led to more high school anglers, teams and trails starting up than any other single item. Many anglers can trace their roots to a member participating at the very first world finals held in Arkansas in 2010 or to being one of the first SAF school clubs founded in 2007. From there, the SAF program, backed by TBF and FLW, has grown into the industry leader and the world’s largest and longest running High School Fishing Program. The championship events have offered well over one million dollars in college scholarships and youth prizes since the first World Finals event and has advanced to the point that schools and families need more time to plan attending like most other premier sporting events. To better support that that need, SAF has set up a three-year rotation in a very large sort of “triangle” across the US. Now anglers anywhere in the world can plan travel, raise funds and chart a path to reach the pinnacle in High School Fishing.

First up is June 18-22, 2019 with registration opening up January 3rd. The 2019 High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship will return to the popular Pickwick and Wilson lakes at Florence, Alabama out of MacFarland Park. The facility easily accommodates an event of this size and in 2018 TBF/SAF and their partners in fishing at FLW staged and sent out 392 teams in about an hour each morning with a throngs of industry vendors and spectators at the daily weigh-ins under 12,000 sq ft of tent space.

“Florence Lauderdale Tourism is excited to again be the Host for the 2019 High School World Fishing Finals! We have hosted this tournament for several years, and plan to host it again in the future as it brings a huge economic impact to our community. We look forward to seeing young enthusiastic anglers fishing our beautiful lakes!” Stated Rob Carnegie, President of Florence Lauderdale CVB

In 2020, the Championships will look to a new location in the June/July time frame that any angler would want to fish. It is the bonified fish factory of the Upper Mississippi River at LaCrosse, WI.

“”Explore La Crosse is ecstatic to partner with the Student Angler Federation to host the future of professional bass anglers, the High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship in 2020! The Upper Mississippi River out of the La Crosse area is one of the best bass fisheries in the country with incredible quantities and high quality largemouth and smallmouth bass. La Crosse County not only bolsters great fishing, but also world class fine dining, incredible arts, outdoor recreation in hiking and biking, a variety of attractions, and so much more for the entire family to enjoy during their stay.”

June 2021, will find the Championships on the massive boarder waters between South Carolina and Georgia of Lake Hartwell at Anderson, SC.

“We are very proud to be working with the TBF\SAF and hosting the High School World Finals and National Championship in 2021! The future in bass fishing is our high school anglers and we look forward to the opportunity to host them all in our community. Our team at Anderson County has worked very hard to ensure that we’re a destination for bass fishing with Green Pond Landing, one of the top facilities in America and our fishery, Lake Hartwell, has been named a Top 100 Bass Lake in America for 4 consecutive years! We could not be more excited about hosting the future of our sport right here in Anderson!”

In the competitive fishing arena there is just no way around travel for the anglers, industry staff and partners it is expected fishing is no different than baseball, softball, cheer or dance team championships. Couple that with the fact that few places can accommodate 400 plus teams on the water for a week limits the options. It’s a large event but designed so that as many young anglers as possible can have a chance at the more than $150,000 in scholarships offered each year and to experience the comradery of an event this size where lifetime friendships are made.

“Feedback from the students and families is they understand that travel is a part of it, it is not their favorite part nor is it ours, but they wanted more time to plan, save and raise funds and possibly schedule a vacation a year in advance to prefish someplace new, so we are announcing 3 years in advance. Stated TBF President\CEO Robert Cartlidge. If you can picture a “triangle” of locations paired with a four-year High School career it means that at least 2 out of the 3 years the pinnacle events in all of High School Fishing will be “closer” to everyone no matter what side of the “triangle” you live on.
“Closer” is relative of course but now clubs and families can plan vacations and prepare.”

The popular four-day High School Fishing World Finals and National championship combined event format is a very unique structure where all anglers compete for three days in a format with a second chance round designed to keep everyone in the game until the final day cut. The dual event format saves families money by not having to make two trips to different premier events. For full details, check out HighSchoolFishing.org. You can get your club affiliated with SAF and compete! All TBF, SAF and FLW High School Fishing events are no entry fee events. To register, anglers only need to be a member of the Student Angler Federation (SAF) which is a mere $25 per year and includes competitor SAF and FLW memberships. It is as easy as completing the online registration at HighSchoolFishing.org.

About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for 50 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2007 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.