The Waunakee High School duo of Colin Steck and Nathan Lorenz from Waunakee, Wisconsin, brought four bass to the scale Saturday weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the 2016 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Central Conference Championship tournament on the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The win earned the team the title of Central Conference champions and advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held next spring at a location yet to be announced in conjunction with the TBF National Championship and a Walmart FLW Tour event.
A field of 21 teams from 10 states qualified to compete in this conference championship.
The Waunakee High School duo landed the tournament big fish – a 5-pound, 4-ounce beauty – just 10 minutes into the start of
the event. Catching that fish set the stage for what they hoped would be a repeat win from last year’s Central Conference Championship at Lake Carlyle in Illinois.
“Catching that big fish right off the bat on a crankbait was a huge lift for us,” said Steck, a senior at Waunakee High School.
“We knew we had to grind it out and get more fish to go with him to give us a chance,” added Lorenz, also a senior at Waunakee High.
The pair was able to boat three more fish for a total weight of 8 pounds, 12 ounces, to secure their second straight Central Conference Championship as well as their second trip to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top two teams on the Ohio River that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Waunakee High School, Waunakee, Wis. – Colin Steck and Nate Lorenze, (four bass, 8-12)
2nd: Lawrenceburg High School, Lawrenceburg, Ind. – Hunter Schneider and William Halbig, (five bass, 5-8)
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
3rd: Graham High School, St. Paris, Ohio – Rocky Jordan and Tanner Jordan, (four bass, 5-5)
4th: Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Ill. – Sean Cook and Tommy Zobel, (three bass, 4-14)
5th: Coshocton High School, Coshocton, Ohio – Tanner Ward and Ethan Woodie, (two bass, 3-7)
6th: Union High School, Modoc, Ind. – Austin Tinsman and Evan Patterson, (two bass, 3-5)
7th: Field High School, Mogadore, Ohio – Kody Whitaker and Abagail Shade, (two bass, 1-15)
8th: Brainerd High School, Brainerd, Minn. – Austin Neyens and Tyler Bahr, (one bass, 1-13)
9th: Brainerd High School, Brainerd, Minn. – Caleb Nagel and Ares Soukup, (one bass, 1-5)
10th: Brainerd High School, Brainerd, Minn. – Kyle Bahr and Troy Peterson, (one bass, 1-4)
Complete results and photos from the event can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.
The 2016 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Central Conference Championship was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12. The top 10 percent of each conference championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship, coinciding with the TBF National Championship and an FLW Tour stop in the spring of 2017. 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 2017 High School Fishing World Finals. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded. Visit HighSchoolFishing.org for details.
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 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. 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.
By: Mark Gintert, TBF Youth Director
