Alabama Bass Federation and Decatur Morgan County Tourism hosted the 2024 TBF District 4 National Semi-Finals Tournament 7-8 September 2024. Alabama and Mississippi anglers and co-anglers merged at Lake Wheeler, Ingall’s Harbor, Decatur AL. Tournament waters for the event was restricted to the waters of Lake Wheeler, launching out of Ingall’s Harbor.

Following two days of competition Angler Chad Sykes of Alabama was the winning angler with a total weight of 24.14.  Blake Duncan of Mississippi finished second with a weight of 24.07. Third place angler was Kyle Glasgow of Mississippi with 24.04 followed by Johnathan Harris of Alabama with 24.04. Roy Galbraith of Alabama rounded out the top five of the anglers with a weight of 23.12.

Co-Angler Matthew King of Alabama claimed top honors of the co-anglers with a weight of 20.13.  With a weight of 19.04 Todd Dalrymple of Alabama finished second place of the co-anglers. Joesph Batton of Alabama with 18.07 was third, followed by Dennis Sandoval of Alabama with 16.11. Stuart Vitollo of Alabama finished fifth with 16.06 and Chris Marshall of Mississippi with 14.08 finished in sixth place.

Anglers Chad Sykes of Alabama and Blake Duncan of Mississippi will advance to the 2025 TBF National Championship Tournament to be scheduled during the spring of 2025.

Also qualifying to advance to the TBF 2025 National Championship Tournament are Co-Anglers Matthew King of Alabama and Chris Marshall of Mississippi.

The 2024 Junior World Championship was held in Anderson, South Carolina on Lake Hartwell at Green Pond Landing.

The JWC is the oldest Youth program still running in the United States today.  The Bass Federation founded and started the Junior program in 1994, and it still runs strong in 2024. For thirty years providing the youth an opportunity to get out on the water and compete just like any other circuit out there.

With many changes in the past few years, the Bass Federation has permitted multiple avenues for the younger students to qualify. We are very excited about the new format that was rolled out at this year’s Annual Junior World Championship. The Bass federation looks forward to the growth in numbers that will come in the future. With that growth this will allow the Bass Federation to be able to take the venue to just about any destination desired.

Not only do we hold the Junior World Championship annually for the younger students to come and compete this is also when the Bass Federation holds its annual Leadership conference and President’s meetings.

Each state holds an annual state qualifier for advancing their top junior teams and we have also initiated the ability for approved Sanctioned Youth trails to have the ability to advance their top Junior teams as well.

Both students on each team must both be in the 8^th grade or less and cannot have started the 9^th grade prior to competing in the JWC they qualified for.

The Junior World Championship is a 3-day event with the first 2 days as Divisional Qualifiers. Every team competing must qualify from their state to come and compete. Once the JWC tournament has started the Junior teams from each division are battling it out for the title of Division Champions on those first 2 days.

Not only do the 5 Divisional Champs advance to the Championship Day but as a reward to those divisions who are actively growing in numbers, we allow the Divisional Champion plus 2 other teams to advance from the biggest division represented. So as a reward the biggest division sends its top 3 teams.

The next 2 biggest divisions also send their division champion team plus a second team from each of those Divisions to the final day Championship. Giving the next 2 biggest divisions the ability to advance their top 2 teams.

And the last two Divisions with the smallest numbers are only permitted to advance the Division Champion team from each.

This allows the top 9 teams from the first 2 days of competition from the 5 divisions advancement into the Final Championship Day.

Now to create a more level playing field like that of a conventional advancement by weight tournament we then take the next five heaviest weights from the qualifying first 2 days and they also advance and compete in the Final Championship Day. This gives us 14 teams advancing either by Divisional qualifiers or by overall weights from the first 2 days of competition.

Like the High School World Finals on Thursday after the qualified teams have all been announced we then hold a Lucky Dog drawing and advance one lucky team and allow that team to advance and compete for the Junior World Champion Title as well.

This year’s Junior World Championship with predicted afternoon thunderstorms and rain proved not to be the case. Overcast skies and light winds with a bit of rain in the AM hours on day 2 actually provided the teams with some great conditions while out on the water.

72 qualified teams took to the field on Wednesday in pursuit of a 3 fish limit. Besting the entire field on Day one was Rayah and Julianna Thoin from the Eastern Division weighing in at 8 pounds and 13 ounces, giving the All-Female Junior team the lead.  This also gave the New Hampshire team a respectful lead in their division.

Second Place team hailing from the Northern Division from Indiana was Sam Elliott and partner Myles Motsinger with a weight of 8 pounds and 3 ounces. The Indiana team proved to be a force to be reckoned with throughout the remainder of the event. 

The third-place team from day 1 was the Southwest Iowa team of Collin Nore and Holden Devore.  The pair from the new TBF Iowa program weighed in on day one with 7 pounds and 13 ounces. Placing them in Second overall from the Northern Division. 

On day 2, there was a slight delay getting started due to scattered showers and overcast skies giving the anglers a few less minutes for the day. The shorter day did not hinder the teams with their weights though.

Adding the previous days catch would prove to be a game changer for several teams. After the dust had settled with combined weights the overall leader was John Fint and Beckett Bryan securing the team with the Southern Division Championship and giving the team a clear path to the Junior World Championship on Friday. John and Beckett had 6 pounds and 4 ounces on day one and adding to that a 11 pound 6 ounce bag of fish giving them the overall lead plus the title of Division Champions. The pair also had the biggest fish of the entire tournament weighing in at 8 pounds and 1 ounce. 

Day 2 second place overall leaders and securing the team with the Division title for the Northern Division went to Sam Elliot and partner Myles Motsinger from Indiana. The Northern Division Champion team had 8 pounds and 3 ounces on day 1 and then on day 2 they had 6 pounds and 14 ounces securing the Northen team a shot at the Junior World Champion Title. 

Day 2 third Place overall team hailing from the Central Division was the Louisiana team of Nate Sylvestri and Hinton Carroll. The Northeast Louisiana anglers had 5 pounds and 5 ounces on the first day and followed up on day 2 with 9 pounds and 3 ounces gaining the Central team the Division Champions trophy.

Day 2 the fourth place team our all-female team from the Eastern Division was from New Hampshire Rayah and Julianna Thoin leaders of day 1 with 8 pounds and 13 ounces and on day 2 they weighed in at 5 pounds and 10 ounces. The Lady Anglers were crowned the Eastern Division Champions and were off to compete for the Junior World Champion Trophy and Title.

Day 2 the fifth place overall team all the way from the Western Division from Phoenix, Arizona had an overall weight of 13 pounds and 12 ounces. Wyatt Massey and Leland Pageler weighed in 4 pounds and 9 ounces on day 1 and then came back to the scales on day 2 with a great day weighing 9 pounds and 3 ounces securing the Arizona Anglers the Western Division champion Title.

2024 JWC Championship Friday

Once again Anderson South Carolina and Visit Anderson didn’t fall short on hosting the 2024 Junior World Championship. The team at Green Pond Landing came through with flying colors lights are on, fires are lit and everything is on go at Green Pond Landing. Anderson County’s Fire departments daily visit Flying Old Glory with their 150-foot ladder truck was a site to see each day with the singing of the National Anthem that started the takeoff daily. The Bass federation would also like to extend a huge shout out to the Dept of wildlife and fisheries biology team for their support and help with the daily weigh-ins helping to provide for a more than 94% live fish release throughout the event.

The final Championship Friday was set with the field cut down from 72 boats to now only fifteen teams that have advanced and will go out in order by heaviest weights competing for the prestige Title of Junior World Champions.

Fishing proved to be a bit tougher as the winds had died down with calmer waters and clear skies that brought on the South Carolina heat. 1:45p.m. all teams had been successfully checked in on time and may the best weight of the day bring us a 2024 Junior Champion Team.

The West Tennessee team of Katie Bailey and partner Jacob Moody would be topping the scales and besting the field with 8 pounds and 2 ounces on the Championship Friday gaining the team the crown of Junior World Champions landing the coed team with a $6,000 dollar scholarship, $3,000 per student. Congratulations to the Tennessee Anglers on a job well done winning the 2024 Junior World Championship. The second-place runner up team from the Northern Division was Sam Elliot and Myles Motsinger from Indiana giving way to the 2024 Junior Champion team by only one ounce Elliot & Motsinger weighed in 8 pounds and 1 ounce. The northern Division team won a $2,000 dollar scholarship, $1000 per angler and the team let us know they would see us in the High School scene next year.

Our third-place team on Championship Friday went to the Central Division team from Louisianna representing Calvary Baptist Academy, Brooks Beaty and Caleb Coburn. The Louisiana anglers had 7 pounds and 6 ounces. The third-place team took home a $1,000 scholarship, $500 per angler. 

Congratulations to the entire field this year for qualifying for the 2024 Junior World Championship in Anderson, SC and hats off to the Top 15 teams that advanced and competed on the JWC Championship final day. All 15 teams making it to the Final day each won a scholarship. A total payout of $15,000.00 dollars in scholarships for this year’s anglers.

For a complete set of results please CLICK HERE.  For more photos CLICK HERE.

LIVE!

LIVE  Weigh in July 24-26, 2024 at 2:00pm ET  Anderson, SC

For LIVE feeds &  Daily Results CLICK HERE

15^th Annual High School Fishing World Finals & National Championship heads to Anderson, SC June 19-22 on Lake Hartwell

 Pinnacle High School Event In The World Offers Millions In Scholarships & Prizes.

The premier High School Fishing event in the world is headed to Anderson South Carolina on Lake Hartwell June 19-22. The 15^th Annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship dual event already have over 400 teams from around the world signed up for this wildly popular event. SAF member teams from most US States and multiple foreign counties such as Canada, Zimbabwe, and South Africa are expected to attend and compete for a share of the richest prize pool in all of bass fishing which will offer up an eye-popping 3 million dollars plus total in prizes and scholarships all done with NO entry fees.

“We are very proud to be working with the TBF/SAF and hosting the High School World Finals and National Championship at Green Pond Landing, Lake Hartwell and Anderson County!” Stated Neil Paul Executive Director of Visit Anderson. “The future in bass fishing is our high school anglers and we look forward to hosting the anglers and their families in our community. Our team at Anderson County has worked extremely hard to ensure that we continue to be a destination for bass fishing. Green Pond Landing, a nationally recognized facility, and Lake Hartwell, a Top 100 Bass Lake in America, will once again provide our guests with a Championship Experience!”The student anglers pay no entry fee to compete in this one-of-a-kind dual event, the World Finals portion is the granddaddy of all national High School events, and where the bulk of the prizes and scholarships are awarded, it is also the most difficult to win. The World Finals is open to any SAF member in the world, so everyone attending will be competing in the World Finals. At the same time on the dual-stage, the top 10% of High School teams from all SAF sanctioned events including MLF Open events nationwide in the preceding 12 months are qualified to compete in a national championship event with its own set of prizes and scholarships that will top $500,000. So those National Championship qualified teams are entered into both events and have a chance at both prize pools all in one trip.

A high school team consists of 3 people to a boat, 2 High School anglers, and their adult boat Captain / Coach, no high school angler may fish alone. Add in all the families and friends for both anglers in the boat will push the expected attendance to roughly 3000 people connected to this week-long event.

“We are excited to be heading back to Anderson, SC.” Stated The Bass Federation’s President/CEO Robert Cartlidge. The community rolls out the red carpet for these anglers and they have a great time in Anderson, it is a fan favorite with state-of-the-art facilities, a great fishery, and many things for the families to do while in the area, our anglers love it.”

Since the very beginning of the high school fishing program neither TBF /SAF nor our partners in fishing at MLF, who was among the first to join our Student Anglers Federation (SAF) movement and grow it side by side with us, requires any entry fees for our regular High School events nor do we pay cash to kids at High School events. It is always prizes & scholarships. The result has been the explosion we currently see in high school fishing participation nationwide, it all adds up to a good wholesome experience for the kids and their families.”

From the Student Angler Federation standpoint as the founders of the national level High School fishing movement, high school fishing is not about being the next “pro angler” or getting sponsor patches on your shirt. Those all may or may not be by-products but the National High School fishing program was started for 3 simple reasons. First, to get youth into the outdoors with clean family fun, to live, learn in, and learn to respect the outdoors. SAF’s purpose is to use fishing to get kids outdoors with adult mentors and family with the intent of not just educating them about common sense, manners, and ethics, but about math, science, and language arts and why those are important to fishing yes, but also to life in general.  Secondly, SAF wanted to provide post-secondary education opportunities. Not just college, but trade/tech school too, as our country was built by and still needs trades and skilled craft people. College is not for everyone, especially in today’s college world. Education opportunities are what SAF is promoting.  Three, SAF did not want the HS program to be about money, which is the reason why there are no entry fees and no cash paid to student anglers under this program all awards are prizes and scholarships.

The unique format of this dual event is credited with making it so successful and it was developed with feedback from the parents and families over the last decade. In a competitive arena as there is just no way around travel for the anglers, staff, and partners. It is expected in fishing, no different than national HS stick and ball leagues, cheer or dance team championships, or any other high school sports. The two events are conducted together as a dual event not just to save travel costs and vacation time but to make it a true family vacation where many HS teams can travel together, have fun, and any youth from any background anywhere has a chance to come and earn a life-changing educational opportunity if they can. All while experiencing the comradery of an event this size where lifetime friendships are made.

The popular four-day High School Fishing World Finals and National championship combined event format is a very unique structure where all anglers compete for three days in a format with a second chance round, much like any other double elimination High School sport. It is designed to keep everyone competitive and in the game until the final day cut. For full details, check out HighSchoolFishing.org. You can get your club affiliated with SAF and compete!  All TBF, SAF and MLF High School Fishing events are no entry fee events. To register, anglers only need to be a member of the Student Angler Federation (SAF) which is a mere $25 per year and includes competitor SAF and MLF memberships. It is as easy as completing the online registration at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The event is filmed for national television on the Pursuit Channel and other Networks. LIVE coverage will run daily on www.HighSchoolFishing.org  and Facebook www.facebook.com/hsfishing

About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is 100% 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 and proud “Partners In Fishing” with MLF. TBF, our affiliated state federations, and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth, and conservation events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for 5 decades. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing movement in 2006 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.