The Trumann High School duo of Jay Morgan and Jackson Darr, both of Trumann, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 8 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Hamilton Open by a near 5-pound margin.
According to post-tournament reports, the Wildcat duo caught their fish flipping a jig and throwing a white swimbait.
A field of 20 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commision-Hulsey Hatchery Access in Hot Springs. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top two teams on Lake Hamilton that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Trumann High School – Jay Morgan and Jackson Darr, both of Trumann, Ark., five bass, 15-8
2nd: Rogers County Bass Anglers – Dakota Page, Catoosa, Okla., and Bryce Blue, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 10-14
Rounding out the top 10 were:
3rd: Bauxite High School, Bauxite, Ark. – Brody Jacks, Tull, Ark., and Kanon Harmon, Benton, Ark., five bass, 10-13
4th: Scotts Hill High School, Scotts Hill, Tenn. – Chase Milholen, Lexington, Tenn., and Jaxon Sullivan, Reagan, Tenn., five bass, 9-7
5th: Henryetta High School, Henryetta, Okla. – Connor Bullard and Quinton Story, both of Henryetta, Okla., five bass, 9-1
6th: Calvary Baptist Academy, Shreveport, La. – Jackson Gregory, Shreveport, La., and John Kyle Pearce, Frierson, La., five bass, 8-12
7th: Alpha Anglers of Atascocita – Maverick Winford and Dustin Walters, both of Humble, Texas, five bass, 7-14
8th: Jessieville High School, Jessieville, Ark. – Beau Browning and Braxton Shifflett, both of Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 7-2
9th: Central Arkansas Youth Fishing Association – Andrew Bean and Anthony Bean, both of Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 6-14
10th: Fountain Lake High School, Hot Springs, Ark. – Milachi Thornton, Lonsdale, Ark., and Evan East, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 6-8
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The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Hamilton 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. 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: Drew Aspinwall, FLW Fishing
