Libertyville High School Wins Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Illinois Open on Lake Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Libertyville High School duo of Jackson Paden and Joey Bissing, both of Libertyville, Illinois, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces to win the 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Illinois Open tournament on Lake Springfield. The win advanced the team to the 2018 High School Fishing National championship, held June 26-30 on a fishery yet to be revealed.
According to post-tournament reports, the Libertyville High duo caught their fish targeting rock walls and channels near the power plant, fishing in 2 to 5 feet of water with a white spinnerbait and an unnamed crankbait.
A field of 20 teams competed in the no-entry fee, tournament which launched from Lindsay Bridge Boat Ramp in Springfield. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top two teams on Lake Springfield that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Libertyville High School, Libertyville, Ill. – Jackson Paden and Joey Bissing, both of Libertyville, Ill., five bass, 12-10
2nd: Buffalo Grove High School, Buffalo Grove, Ill. – Tyler Christy, Bolingbrook, Ill., and Tyler Lubbat, Wheeling, Ill., five bass, 12-9
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
3rd: Lindbergh High School, St. Louis, Mo. – Grant Nisbet, St. Louis, Mo., and Trey Schroeder, Crestwood, Mo., five bass, 12-2
4th: Plainfield North High School, Plainfield, Ill. – Brennan Kania and Zack Kocovsky, both of Plainfield, Ill., five bass 11-2
5th: Bismarck-Henning High School, Bismarck, Ill. – Ty Coon and Clayton Hill, both of Bismarck, Ill., five bass, 11-0
6th: Peoria High School, Peoria, Ill. – Luke Deiters, Washington, Ill., and Connor Jacob, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 10-15
7th: Porta High School, Petersburg, Ill. – Christopher Nicholas, Petersburg, Ill., and Andrew Gleason, Ashland, Ill., five bass,10-12
8th: Plainfield South High School, Plainfield, Ill. – Michael Bobich and Ryan Park, both of Plainfield, Ill., five bass, 10-8
9th: Lindbergh High School, St. Louis, Mo. – Tim Borawski and Jackson Stephens, both of St. Louis, Mo., five bass, 10-6
10th: Dunlap High School, Dunlap, Ill. – Joe Legate, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 10-2
Complete results from the event and photos of the top five teams can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Illinois Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2018 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2017 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
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 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 258 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. 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.
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 more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
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