Performance Profile: Zackery Seal, Stetson Blaylock

Teen anglers Zackery Seal and Stetson Blaylock are taking it up a notch

Kids are often abundant at bass tournament weigh-ins, mingling wide-eyed among the sport’s most famous pros.

Zackery Seal and Stetson Blaylock aren’t like most kids.

Usually, they’re carrying sacks of bass and heading to the scales.

Already seasoned tournament fishermen, the two 17-year-olds plan to take their games to the next level this year, competing as co-anglers on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.

“I can’t wait to do it,” said Zackery, a high school junior who lives in Eldred, Pa. “I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like.”

Blaylock, who lives in Benton, Ark., is also eager to compete against the nation’s best co-anglers.

“It’s going to be awesome,” he said excitedly. “There’s never a dull moment in those big tournaments.”

The two young guns have plenty in common, from their drive to make it to competitive bass fishing’s top levels to their impressive starts in tournament fishing.

Stetson, or “Stets” as his friends sometimes call him, was just 9 when he entered his first tournament.

“We fished out of a flat-bottomed boat and finished third,” said Stetson, who fished the local tournament with a family friend.

Zackery was 12 when he entered a junior club tournament.

“I won,” he said. “And right then I was hooked.”

Their initial performances set a tone for what was to come. In the past few years both young men have built stout tournament resumes that include impressive finishes in local, club and junior tournaments. They kept that momentum once they turned 16 and entered FLW Outdoors tournaments.

In his first 13 FLW Outdoors tournaments, Stetson already has two top – 10 finishes, including a runner-up finish in a Wal-Mart BFL tournament at Lake Hamilton last September.

Arguably Stetson’s most impressive tournament was his 11th-place finish in May 2004 on Kentucky Lake, one of the two Wal-Mart FLW Tour events in which he fished.

Fishing as a co-angler in the Everstart Series Northern Division in 2004, Zackery put together the kind of solid season many veteran anglers strive for. Anchored by a 14th-place finish on Lake Erie, he finished sixth in the point standings and qualified for the EverStart Series Championship.

“I love fishing with the adults,” said Zackery, who plans to pursue a career as a pharmacist in addition to tournament fishing. “They’re so competitive, and I learn so much.”

Stetson also said fishing from the back of the boat is giving him a solid foundation for becoming boater/pro, a move he hopes to make soon.

“I want to fish as a co-angler for a couple of years so I can learn the lakes better,” he said.

While both Stetson and Zackery are pursuing sponsorship opportunities, most of their support so far has come from family and friends.

Stetson, for example, travels to most tournaments with his uncle, Anthony Wright, or friend and tournament angler Jeremiah Kindy of Benton, Ark.

Stetson’s parents and maternal grandparents also have helped him with expenses, and recently they helped him buy a used Ranger bass boat.

Zackery travels to tournaments with his dad, Gregg, who fishes as a pro on the EverStart Series. His mom and sister try to come along to as many tournaments as possible.

“It’s been a good thing for our family life,” Gregg Seal said. “We’re going to be there for him as long as we can, but he knows that it’s really up to him.

“He’s the man.”

Stetson and Zackery both realize their success ultimately will depend on their performances.

Zackery’s attitude after zeroing on the first day of the EverStart Series championship reflects another important trait he and Stetson share: confidence.

“I’m going to go out there tomorrow and catch them,” he said.

That’s exactly what he did, catching two nice bass and jumping to a 22nd-place finish.

Kindy said Stetson also has the right attitude.

“He’s got the confidence,” Kindy said. “You’ve got to know you can win, and he knows he can catch them.

“I think he’s going to be one of the biggest names out there in five or 10 years.”

That’s Stetson’s hope, too.

“I love competing against the best bass fishermen in the country,” said Stetson, who finished his home schooling a year early so he could spend more time fishing. “It’s what I want to do.”

And what both he and Zackery hope to be doing for a long time.