Florida native Chris Lane, 2012 Bassmaster Classic champ, waved goodbye to the Sunshine State in favor of living near the fine fishing in his current hometown, Guntersville, Ala. Bassmaster Elite Series angler Aaron Martens bade farewell to California and put down roots in Leeds, Ala., to enjoy the proximity to some of the country’s finest fisheries.
Bold moves, such as those made by Lane and Martens, are evidence that Alabama is an appealing state for professional anglers and an ideal one for high school students to launch into the competitive side of bass fishing, says Jon Stewart, senior manager of the B.A.S.S. Nation and head of the high school and youth programs.
B.A.S.S. and its partners will host three events in the coming months to offer high school students who are members of high school bass fishing clubs a shot at qualifying for the first ever Bassmaster Classic High School Exhibition in 2014. The event will follow the same format seen in college exhibitions at past Classics with students weighing in their catches on the prestigious Bassmaster Classic stage.
The world championship of bass fishing is scheduled for Feb. 21-23 in Birmingham with fishing on Lake Guntersville. High school teams will fish a different body of water for the exhibition.
First up is the Alabama Games, a three-day Olympic-style event. On June 22, the bass fishing portion will take place on Lake Logan Martin in Pell City. The winning team earns an automatic berth in the 2014 Bassmaster High School Exhibition. B.A.S.S. will be the tournament administrator in association with the Alabama Games event. The cost to enter is $15. Interested anglers can visit the alagames website to sign up.
Another opportunity to participate in the 2014 Classic Exhibition is by winning the 2013 B.A.S.S. High School Invitational, July 20, on Wheeler Lake in Decatur. The event is open to all high school students nationwide whose school has an existing high school bass club. B.A.S.S. encourages students from all states to participate. The tournament will be streamed live on Bassmaster.com and will qualify eight teams or schools for the exhibition. The fee to enter is $30.
Also on the calendar is the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation High School State Championship on Nov. 2. The winning team and the second-place team will advance to the 2014 B.A.S.S. High School National Championship. The winning team also will advance to the 2014 Bassmaster Classic High School Exhibition, as well as the 2014 Southern Divisional Championship, competing as part of the Alabama State team. For details, contact [email protected].
“Young people in Alabama have access to great fisheries year-round,” Stewart said. “A lot of these young people grow up fishing with their dads and granddads on these outstanding lakes. They reach a point where they want to fish with their buddies and peers. It’s fun for them to compete.”
Stewart credits Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association (ASABFA), a grass-roots organization that recruits and promotes development of Alabama’s future anglers, with having established a strong fishing community among high school students in the state.
“We applaud the work done by the ASABFA in involving high school students in the sport of bass fishing,” Stewart said. “They’ve done a great job in creating a strong foundation among students in Alabama, and we believe our program is an excellent complement to that. This offers high school students opportunities in addition to their involvement with ASABFA. It’s another chance for them to get outdoors, compete and enjoy fishing.”
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications – Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times – comprehensive Bassmaster website and ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series,B.A.S.S. Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.
By: Cara Clark, B.A.S.S.
