The D.W. Daniel High School duo of Levi Popham and Colt Popham, both of Central, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 10 pounds, 13 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Dale Hollow Lake Open.
A field of 167 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Dale Hollow State Park Marina. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top 16 teams on Dale Hollow Lake that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: D.W. Daniel High School, Central, S.C. – Levi Popham and Colt Popham, both of Central, S.C., five bass, 10-13
2nd: Russell County High School, Russell Springs, Ky. – Jesse York, Russell Springs, Ky., and Kyle Roy, Jamestown, Ky., two bass, 6-13
3rd: Cumberland County High School, Burkesville, Ky. – John Rush and Jamie Wray, both of Burkesville, Ky., three bass, 5-12
4th: LaPorte High School, LaPorte, Ind. – Jack Schable and Mason Jones, both of LaPorte, Ind., two bass, 5-5
5th: McCracken County High School, McCracken County, Ky. – Allen Everett, Kevil, Ky., and Sarah Morehead, Paducah, Ky., two bass, 4-11
6th: North Lauren High School, London, Ky. – Brayden Bridges and Noah Creech, both of East Bernstadt, Ky., two bass, 4-8
7th: Pike Central High School, Petersburg, Ind. – Jarrett Branham and Colin Leste, both of Pikeville, Ky., two bass, 4-2
8th: Pickens High School, Pickens, S.C. – Jace Ramey, Easley, S.C., and Cameron Weathers, Seneca, S.C., two bass, 4-1
9th: Station Camp High School, Gallatin, Tenn. – Alec Lancaster, Hendersonville, Tenn., Chris Payne, Gallatin, Tenn., two bass, 4-0
10th: Estill County High School, Estill County, Ky. – Chase Rawlins, Ravenna, Ky., and Micah Adams, Irvine, Ky., two bass, 3-10
11th: Casey County High School, Liberty, Ky. – Aaron Cravens, Liberty, Ky., and Mitchell Duggins, Dunnville, Ky., one bass, 3-3
12th: George Rogers Clark High School, Winchester, Ky. – Jonathan Combs and Colby Kerr, both of Winchester, Ky., one bass, 2-15
13th: David Crockett High School, Jonesborough, Tenn. – Gavin Cloutier, Elizabethton, Tenn., and Braxton Boles, Celena., Tenn., two bass, 2-14
14th: Wayne County High School, Jesup, Ga. – Matthew Jenkins and Jaden Koontz, both of Monticello, Ky., one bass, 2-12
15th: Perry County Central High School, Hazard, Ky. – Abby Ison and Jordan Feltner, Slemp, Ky., one bass, 2-9
16th: Rockcastle County High School, Mount Vernon, Ky. – Caleb Williams, Mount Vernon, Ky., and Jaden Carpenter, Crab Orchard, Ky., two bass, 2-8
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Dale Hollow Lake Open 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 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. 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 open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 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. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org
By: Drew Aspinwall, FLW Fishing
