The North Augusta Fishing Team duo of Kyler McKie and Chad Champy, both of North Augusta, South Carolina, entered the final day of the 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake with a slim lead of just 3 ounces, but after catching a limit of 19 pounds, 12 ounces the duo sealed the deal Saturday with a three-day total of 57-10. The win earned the North Augusta Team the title of National Champions, along with impressive trophies and $10,000 in scholarships ($5,000 each).
“I’m speechless; this probably won’t set in until I get home,” McKie said. “It’s an honor to win this.”
“We really wanted this so bad,” added Champy. “The past few years, Kyler has been working so hard for this, and I’m thankful that he chose me to come with him this year.”
The winners caught their fish on 1/2-ounce black shaky heads. They started day three with Zoom Magnum Trick Worms in plum and red bug, but made a key switch to end the day on a strong note.
“We changed our shaky-head worms later in the day to give the fish a different look,” Champy said. “We ended up catching two keepers to wind up with about 15 minutes left.”
The winners caught most of their fish on a small hump that rose to 9 feet under the surface, with a 30-foot drop-off on the river channel side.
A field of 232 teams competed in the event, which launched from McFarland Park in Florence.
The top 10 teams at the TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake finished:
1st: North Augusta Fishing Team, North Augusta, S.C. – Kyler McKie and Chad Champy, both of North Augusta, S.C., 14 bass, 57-10, $10,000 Scholarship
2nd: George Rogers Clark High School, Winchester, Ky. – Hunter Redman and Avery Brown, both of Winchester, Ky., 15 bass, 57-6
3rd: Gordon Lee High School, Chickamauga, Ga. – Colby Chapman, Lafayette, Ga., and Will Smith, Chickamauga, Ga., 14 bass, 53-1
4th: Fannin County High School, Blue Ridge, Ga. – Luke McHan and Blake Cobb, both of Blue Ridge, Ga., 15 bass, 49-4
5th: Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids, Minn. – Easton Fothergill and Alex Timm, both of Grand Rapids, Minn., 15 bass, 48-11
6th: West Sabine High School, Pineland, Texas – Hunter Muncrief and Landon McCary, both of Pineland, Texas, 14 bass, 48-9
7th: Tennessee Student Angler Federation – Garrett Bartlett, New Market, Tenn., and Henry Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., 13 bass, 41-13
8th: Obion County Central High School, Troy, Tenn. – Cody Gregory, Troy, Tenn., and Thomas Mathis, Union City, Tenn., 15 bass, 41-12
9th: McCracken County High School, Paducah, Ky. – James Harper Burkeen and Ethan Hayes, both of Paducah, Ky., 12 bass, 39-11
10th: Discovery Christian School, Florence, Miss. – Garrett McWilliams, Florence, Miss., and Addison Yates, Pearl, Miss., 11 bass, 33-5
Complete results and photos from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake was a three-day event that saw the entire field of 232 teams compete for two days. The National Championship field was cut to the top 10 for day three and the winner was determined by heaviest three-day cumulative weight. Each member of the winning team received a $5,000 scholarship to the school of his or her choice. The tournament featured the top anglers from the 2018 TBF High School Fishing State Championships and Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open events.
The 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake was hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit 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. For more information visit FLWFishing.com
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
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
