Myers, Swede Lead High School Championship
Arkansas prep stars ahead by 2 pounds, 5 ounces
Student anglers were met with tough conditions as they set out on Table Rock Lake to compete in the 2016 TBF/FLW Student Angler Federation High School Fishing National Championship. Weather predictions called for sun and a light breeze with a high temperature near 70 degrees, an ideal situation for sight-fishing for bedding bass. At takeoff, however, the air temperature was in the upper 50s, the sky was covered by a solid sheet of clouds and the wind was gusting out of the southeast at 15 mph. Essentially, the weather never changed throughout the day.
The less-than-perfect conditions in round one were expected to result in some light bags of fish showing up for the weigh-in at Port of Kimberling Resort & Marina. When the 12 teams of young anglers crossed the stage with their catch, though, parents and fans were surprised and pleased with the results. Mixed bags of largemouth and smallmouth bass were among the four limits brought to the scale.
The day-one leaders are Arkansas seniors Chase Myers and Cole Swede of Anvil Jaw Bass Club in Little Rock. They brought five fish to the scale weighing in at 15 pounds, 5 ounces. The two made a long run up the James River to catch their fish.
“We still have a lot of spots we found in practice we didn’t even hit today,” Myers says. “I hope the weatherman is wrong again tomorrow because the wind is helping us out there.”
The two anglers, representing the Southern Conference, were targeting water with surface temperatures in the upper 50-degree range.
2. Daniel Hechler and Cole Wessner, Cincinnati Colerain High School, Ohio – 13-00
Sophomore Daniel Hechler and senior Cole Wessner from Cincinnati Colerain High School in Ohio claimed second place with a five-bass limit that weighed 13 pounds. They represent the Central Conference.
Hechler reported making a 20-mile run up one of the river arms to exploit the pattern he and Wessner discovered during practice.
“Our pattern has held up, and we have areas for both sunny and cloudy conditions,” notes Wessner. “I think we have a good chance of bringing in another limit.”
“The big fish are biting later in the day where we are fishing,” reveals Hechler.
3. Tyler Matthews and Blake Stephenson, Clarks High School, Georgia – 11-11
Currently in third, the team of Tyler Matthews and Blake Stephenson are the standard-bearers for the Southeastern Conference. They presented four bass at the scale that weighed 11 pounds, 11 ounces. The pair found bass moving toward the shoreline in preparation for the spawn, prompted by warmer water.
“We found water up to 64 degrees today,” Matthews told the weigh-in crowd. He graduated from Clarks High School in Evans, Ga., in June, 2015 and is fishing in his last high school tournament. Stephenson is currently in eighth grade in Evans.
The top five teams will compete again on Saturday. They will then travel to Rogers, Ark., to weigh their catches on stage at the Walmart FLW Tour event being held on Beaver Lake.
The rest of the field:
Fourth Place, Daelyn Whaley and Carter McNeil, both of Abbeville, S.C., representing the Southeastern Conference and Abbeville Panthers, 11 pounds, 4 ounces.
Fifth Place, Zeke Gosset, Pell City High School, Cropwell, Ala., and Ryan Shields, Hazelgreen High School, New Market, Ala., representing the Southeastern Conference, 11 pounds, 2 ounces.
Sixth Place, Tristan Thomas, East Hall High School, Lula, Ga. and Dakota Crumley, Viking High School, Alto, Ga., representing the Southeastern Conference, 10 pounds, 4 ounces.
Seventh Place, James Ingram and Chase Gallaway, Heber Springs High School, Quitman, Ark., representing the Southern Conference, 9 pounds, 9 ounces.
Eighth Place, Kyler Fugate, Lake City High School, Rathdrum, Idaho, representing the Western Conference, 6 pounds, 15 ounces.
Ninth Place, Eric Glenn and Nathan McPherson, Berkeley High School, Bonneau, S.C., representing the Southeastern Conference, 5 pounds, 3 ounces.
10th Place, Colin Steck and Nate Lorenz, Waunakee High School, Waunakee, Wis., representing the Central Conference, 4 pounds, 2 ounces.
11th Place, Ryan Kusmit and Anthony Ferraiolo, North Branford High School, Northford, Conn., representing the Northern Conference, 3 pounds.
12th Place, Cade Gordon, Benton High School, Bossier City, La., representing the Southern Conference, 1 pound, 14 ounces.