The Graham High School duo of cousins Rocky and Tanner Jordan brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the 2016 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Ohio State Championship on Alum Creek Reservoir. The win earned the team trophies, the title of state champions and advanced the team to the High School Fishing Central Conference championship on the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, on September 23-24.
“We used black and blue jigs most of the day concentrating on timber in the back of creeks and bays,” said Rocky a sophomore at Graham High School.
“It was a slow grind and we caught just about one fish every hour, which enabled us to cull a few times,” added Tanner, a freshman.
Nineteen teams competed in the event, which launched from Alum Creek State Park in Columbus.
The top two teams on the Alum Creek Reservoir that advanced to the Central Conference championship were:
1st: Graham High School, Columbus, Ohio – Rocky Jordan and Tanner Jordan, five bass, 11-13
2nd: Field High School/Carlisle High School, Mogadore/Carlisle, Ohio – Kody Whitaker and Abigail Shade, four bass, 8-14
Rounding out the top five teams were:
3rd: Bishop Hartley High School, Columbus, Ohio – Colten Didion and John Hutson, four bass, 8-12
4th: Coshocton High School, Coshocton, Ohio – Tanner Ward and Ethan Woodie, four bass, 8-5
5th: Fayette High School, Fayette, Ohio – Zach Rand and Austin Hall, three bass, 7-7
The 2016 Ohio State High School Fishing Championship was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12. The top 10 percent from each TBF/FLW state championship field will advance to a High School Fishing conference championship along with the top three teams from each of the seven TBF/FLW High School Fishing Opens held this season. The top 10 percent of each conference championship field will then 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 2016 High School Fishing World Finals. At the 2015 World Finals more than $20,000 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.
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 2007 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing.
By: Mark Gintert, TBF Youth Director
