LAKEPORT, Calif. (May 20, 2019) – The Lake County High School Fishing Club duo of Cooper Goff and Nathan Phillips, both of Kelseyville, California, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 23 pounds, 9 ounces to win the 2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Clear Lake Open.
A field of 53 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted by and launched out of Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina in Lakeport. In FLW and TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top five teams on Clear Lake that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Cooper Goff and Nathan Phillips, both of Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 23-9
2nd: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Sheldon Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., and Sam West, Fort Bragg, Calif., five bass, 19-14
3rd: Vista Del Lago High School, Folsom, Calif. – Christopher Gritts and Westly Gritts, both of Folsom, Calif., five bass, 19-3
4th: Anzar High School, San Benito County, Calif. – Michael Alaga, Aromas, Calif., and Brandon Delbridge, Tracy, Calif., five bass, 18-7
5th: Lodi High School, Lodi, Calif. – Kyle Mann, Lodi, Calif., and Cole Koenig, Woodbridge, Calif., five bass, 17-12
Rounding out the top 10 were:
6th: Alhambra High School, Alhambra, Calif. – James Alderman and Ryan Beaty, both of Martinez, Calif., five bass, 17-10
7th: Nor Cal Junior Bass Club – Gavin Eberhart and Evan Funk, both of Palo Cedro, Calif., five bass, 17-8
8th: Buchanan High School, Clovis, Calif. – Josh Poore and Brendan Holden, both of Clovis, Calif., 17-0
9th: Vista Del Lago High School, Folsom, Calif. – Hunter Jacobson, Orangevale, Calif., and Brennon Sharp, Folsom, Calif., five bass, 16-8
10th: Yuba Sutter Fishing Club – Brian Lopez, Yuba City, Calif., and Jake Keithly, Lakeport, Calif., five bass, 16-2
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Clear 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 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 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 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, and YouTube.
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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