One of the beautiful things about being a high school student is you’re young enough to dream, and old enough to begin chasing those dreams. 30 teams of high school anglers from across the state took a step towards the dream of fishing professionally at the B.A.S.S. Nation Florida High School Series State Championship. The event, hosted by Camp Mack, took place June 21st and 22nd on the Kissimmee Chain. The chain has been producing big stringers in recent weeks, and competing teens hoped to capitalize on the hot bite.
George Jenkins High School anglers Cole Schmucker and Bradley Cullaton found a decent bite on day 1, taking the lead with a 17.31-pound, 5 bass limit. The G.J.H.S. anglers caught their day 1 bag by flipping jigs in grass and buggy whips.
Brett Stevens and Clayton Taylor of Lake Gibson High School caught 16.47 pounds to claim the 2nd place spot.
Austin Thompson and Hunter Watson of the Marion County Bassmasters sat in 3rd place with 14.43 pounds.
Matthew Bedenbaugh and Kyle Stafford, also from George Jenkins High School, caught 5 bass weighing 14.03 pounds to land in the 4th spot.
Haines City High School anglers Chris Cooper and Hunter Boykin rounded out the Top 5 with a 13.78-pound limit.
A 17-pound difference between 1st and 30th is not exactly a big cushion when you’re fishing the Kissimmee Chain. Competing anglers found that out on day 2, as 3 of the Top 5 fell out of the Top 5. Haines City High anglers Chris Cooper and Hunter Boykin, who sat in 5th place on day 1, also finished in 5th place after 2 days. Their day 2 limit of 14.36 pounds gave them a 2-day total of 28.14 pounds.
Tyler Woolcott and Parker Meadows of Spruce Creek High School made the biggest jump on day 2, moving from 12th to 4th place overall. On day 1, they weighed a 10.13-pound limit, but more than doubled that on day 2 with a 20.96-pound limit, giving the S.C.H.S. team 31.09 pounds over 2 days.
George Jenkins High anglers Matthew Bedenbaugh and Kyle Stafford caught a 17.94-pound limit on day 2, helping move them from 4th to 3rd, giving them 31.97 pounds for the weekend.
Hunter Adrian and Chandler Cornelius, also of George Jenkins, caught 13.11 pounds on day 1, putting them in 6th place. They moved up the leaderboard on day 2 with a 19.54-pound limit. Their 2-day total of 32.65 pounds held the top spot of the leaderboard for most of the weigh in, but ended up falling short to Kyle Tomlinson and Brad Cook of Forest High School. The F.H.S. anglers sat in 7th place on day 1 with 13.01 pounds, but they found the type of fish the Kissimmee Chain is known for on day 2, bringing in a 27.40-pound, 5 bass limit. Fish weighing 7.31 pounds, and 7.75 pounds, respectively, anchored their day 2 bag. Tomlinson and Cook’s 2-day total of 40.41 pounds wowed the crowd gathered at Camp Mack as they claimed the championship trophy.
Tomlinson and Cook caught their fish alternating between Gambler Bait’s Forty Niner EZ Swimmer paired with a Duz-It swimbait hook, and Gambler’s Burner Worm, also paired with a Duz-It swimbait hook, around various cover.
Kyle Stafford holds up his 8.98-pound Big Bass
The top 2 teams will have the chance to compete in the B.A.S.S. Nation High School Series National Championship, held on Kentucky Lake, July 16th-19th. The National Championship will feature 96 teams from school across the country. Those high school teams will be competing for scholarship money and merchandise. The National Championship will be televised on ESPNU.
Congratulations to all the teams who participated in the event. A special thanks goes out to all the people who volunteered their time and efforts into making this event happen. Without people willing to invest in programs to keep our youth on the water, the sport we all love so much will start to fade away.
If you’d like to get involved for next season, or would like more information on how to start a club at your school, contact State Youth Director Jeff Brooks at 561-271-0252 or visit http://www.floridafederationnation.com/youth.php.
