The Bass Federation (TBF) and FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, will host the Alabama State High School Championship and a Student Angler Federation (SAF) High School Fishing Open on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama, May 9. The tournament will be held in conjunction with the Walmart FLW Tour event on Lake Eufaula, and will offer high school anglers the chance to meet some of the country’s top bass anglers and experience the intensity of the Walmart FLW Tour while testing their own bass-fishing skills against their peers.
The Alabama State High School Championship is a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12 and is open to any team in the state of Alabama. The Lake Eufaula Open tournament is open to students from any state. Registration for anglers and their coach, who will provide and drive the boat from which they compete, is open online at HighSchoolFishing.org. Participation is free for all SAF Members. Students who are not yet SAF members will pay a $25 membership fee that includes eligibility to fish SAF tournaments at no charge; insurance coverage for students and their bass-fishing club, school and volunteers; advancement opportunities from local and state events to national events offering scholarships; a digital subscription to FLW Bass Fishing magazine; access to free online fishing education courses; and much more.
High School Anglers will take off from Lakepoint Resort State Park located at 104 Lakepoint Drive in Eufaula, Alabama, at 7 a.m. Saturday. The weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. Teams should register online at HighSchoolFishing.org or a $25 late-registration fee will apply to those who register on-site. Complete tournament details can be found at the HighSchoolFishing website.
For more information about this rules, registration and tournament logistics contact the TBF National Youth Director Mark Gintert at (580) 716-4251.
The top 10 percent from each TBF/FLW state championship field will advance to a High School Fishing conference championship along with the top 3 teams from each of the six 2015 High School Fishing Opens that coincide with the 2015 Walmart FLW Tour. 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 2016. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
“High School Fishing provides students with a connection to their schools and an opportunity to explore their passion for the outdoors in a new and exciting way,” FLW Vice President of Operations Dave Washburn said. “It allows students to apply science, technology, engineering and math skills acquired in the classroom in a real-world scenario that is unique in high school athletics. It’s a win for the students, a win for the schools and a win for the future of fishing and conservation in the United States.”
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all SAF members nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2014 High School Fishing World Finals, held on Lake Dardanelle in Russelville, Ark., on July 15-19. At the 2013 World Finals more than $40,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded. Visit HighSchoolFishing.org for details.
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 and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2015 over the course of 240 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
