Peoria High School Wins Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Rend Lake Open in Illinois
Whittington, Ill. – The Peoria High School duo of Connor Jacob of Peoria, Illinois, and Samuel Smith of Dunlap, Illinois, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Rend Lake Open.
According to post-tournament reports, Jacob and Smith caught their fish throwing square-billed crankbaits near the Rend Lake dam.
A field of 18 teams battled through heavy rains and competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Wayne Fitzgerrell Sailboat Landing. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top team on Rend Lake that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship was:
1st: Peoria High School, Peoria, Ill. – Connor Jacob of Peoria, Illinois, and Samuel Smith of Dunlap, Illinois., five bass, 10-4
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
2nd: Roanoke-Benson High School, Roanoke, Ill. – Logan Gastman and Brayden Blunier, both of Roanoke, Ill., five bass, 8-0
3rd: Nashville Community High School, Nashville, Ill. – Conner Wolters and Tanner McFeron, both of Nashville, Ill., four bass, 7-2
4th: McCracken County High School, McCracken County, Ky. – Allen Everett, Kevil, Ky., and Sarah Morehead, Paducah, Ky., three bass, 6-2
5th: West Frankfurt Community High School, Frankfurt, Ill. – Cole Levanti and Brendan Johnson, both of West Frankfurt, Ill., two bass, 6-1
6th: Nashville Community High School, Nashville, Ill. – Lilly Taft, Hoyleton, Ill., and Grant Pedtke, Nashville, Ill., three bass, 6-0
7th: Mount Vernon Township High School, Mount Vernon, Ill. – Lane Deichman and Tanner Shaw, both of Mount Vernon, Ill., two bass, 5-10
8th: McCracken County High School, McCracken County, Ky. – Hunter Valerius and Austin Braboy, both of Paducah, Ky., three bass, 4-12
9th: Pinckneyville Community High School, Pinckneyville, Ill. – Rayce Baker, Pinckneyville, Ill., and Terry Davis, Coulterville, Ill., two bass, 4-1
10th: Red Bud High School, Red Bud, Ill. – Brier Longley, Prairie du Rocher, Ill., and Ethan Mudd, Red Bud, Ill., one bass, 3-1
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Rend Lake 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 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. 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 open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 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 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.
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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