King Leads TBF Junior World Championship
CAMDEN, S.C. – Calm conditions served up a tough bite for the young guns competing in day one of The Bass Federation Junior World Championship on Lake Wateree in South Carolina.
Sean King of Villa Hills, Ky., brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces to take the overall lead among the field of youths competing in 11-to-14 and 15-to-18-year-old age groups. King is competing with the older anglers, while James Fields of Anthem, Ariz., tops the 11-to-14-year-old age group with three bass for 6 pounds, 1 ounce.
The youths qualified for this prestigious event through TBF state federation tournaments. States are divided into six divisions, and the top angler in each age group from each division advanced to today’s final shootout, where they will square off for the title of world champions and their share of more than $10,000 in scholarships and other great prizes.
A total of 61 bass weighing 156 pounds, 11 ounces was brought to the scale in the catch-and-release event. The action concludes Saturday with the final weigh-in beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Clearwater Cove Marina. Finalists will then be shuttled to the main stage of the Forrest Wood Cup at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C., for a TBF Junior Angler parade and champions’ presentation at 4:45 p.m.
Finalists
11-to-14-year-olds
Central: Cole Moore, Anacoco, La., two bass, 4-07
Eastern: Stephen Stroz, Shrewsbury, Mass., one bass, 2-02
Mid-Atlantic: Jacob Ferrell, Vernon Hill, Va., two bass, 5-03
Northern: Joe Stolski, Baxter, Minn., 0 bass, 0-00
Southern: Harrison Norman, Covington, Ga., one bass, 3-01
Western: James Fields, Anthem, Ariz., three bass, 6-01
15-to-18-year-olds
Central: Hunter Daniel, Lamar, Ariz., four bass, 10-15
Eastern: Perry Martin, Peru, N.Y., three bass, 7-07
Mid-Atlantic: Caleb Bruss, Bernardsville, N.J., one bass, 3-05
Northern: Steven Sellnow, Watertown, Wis., two bass, 4-08
Southern: Sean King, Villa Hills, Ky., five bass, 14-04
Western: Richard Davey Jr., Richland, Wash., four bass, 12-08
For full results by TBF division, click here.
Tournament Details
The TBF Junior World Championship is produced by a partnership between The Bass Federation and FLW. Sponsors include Chevy, Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Cabela’s, Solar Bat, Berkley, Lowrance and Power-Pole. For details, visit bassfederation.com, or contact TBF National Headquarters at 580.765.9031.