The Gilmer High School fishing club duo of Thomas Chastain and Carter Ott, both of Ellijay, Ga, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces to win the 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Georgia State Championship on West Point Lake.
A field of 62 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Highland Marina in LaGrange. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top six teams on Lake Mitchell that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Gilmer High School, Ellijay, Ga. – Thomas Chastain and Carter Ott, both of Ellijay, Ga., five bass, 15-5
2nd: Troup County High School, LaGrange, Ga. – Drake Reeves and Trayton Gay, both of LaGrange, Ga., five bass, 14-15
3rd: Jackson County Comprehensive High School, Jefferson, Ga. – Sam Holley and Jake Holley, both of Hoschton, Ga., five bass, 14-9
4th: Harris County High School, Hamilton, Ga. – Cal Culpepper, Hamilton, Ga., and Mason Waddell, Waverly Hill, Ga., five bass, 14-0
5th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Tanner Hadden and Cy Casey, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-11
6th: Mount Paran Christian School, Kennesaw, Ga. – Lee Rose Koza and Carter Koza, both of Marietta, Ga., five bass, 11-15
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
7th: Georgia High School Student Angler Federation – Karston Hopson and Cole Hopson, both of Cumming, Ga., five bass, 10-14
8th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Jacob Blumling and Coleman Johnson, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 10-7
9th: North Forsyth High School, Cumming, Ga. – Maddux Walters, Canton, Ga., and Ryan Jackson, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 10-3
10th: Heard County High School, Franklin, Ga. – Chris Carroll and Payton Caldwell, both of Franklin, Ga., five bass, 9-6
The 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Georgia State Championship 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 High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake, in Florence, Alabama, June 26-29. 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 high school bass tournament, the 2018 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship on Pickwick Lake. At the 2017 World Finals more than $60,000 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.
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.
By: Drew Aspinwall, FLW Fishing
