Evinrude 10 year coverage

North Carolina, South Carolina Face Off in District 2 National Semi-Final Event on Lake Murray

The South Carolina Bass Federation hosted the 2017 TBF National Semifinal District 2 event November 4-5 on Lake Murray in Chaplin, S.C.  The Forrest Wood Cup Pros were among the many visitors to the legendary Lake Murray this year.  A lake that consistently boasts successful tournaments and heavy weights was in its transition stage, however, which made fishing tough for the NSF anglers.  Although the weights were down, 52 boats brought the fight to Lake Murray for state bragging rights, deeper payouts, trophies, Ranger Cup and Evinrude contingencies plus coveted spots in the 2018 Federation National Championship.

A total of $18,440 with 118.5% payback was awarded in cash and prizes.  The top ten boaters and co-anglers divvied up $11,700 in total cash payback, not including the $500 Ranger Cup award and the $1,000 Evinrude E-tec award for the winning boater (if he/she runs a 2012 or newer Etec Evinrude).

The new format pays back 100% of the entry fees, 75% to the top 20% of the field, 10% to the state federations and 15% to the TBF Federation National Championship.

After two days of competition, David Kneece from Gilbert, S.C. would be named the 2017 National Semi-Final Champion boater.  Kneece took the lead on day one with 13.16 pounds.  He topped that with 12.95 pounds on day two for 26.11 total pounds for the win.  He received a $2,600 payday and will advance to the national event representing his state.

Second place boater, Brian Fritts, will also advance to the national contest as the top North Carolina boater.  Fritts finished just .10 pounds behind Kneece with a tournament total of 26.01 pounds.  He walked away with a $1,510 paycheck.

The National Semi-Final Champion co-angler was Preston Rikard of Lexington, S.C., coming out of third to take the title.  Rikard weighed 16.63 total pounds, earned $1,300 for his win and will advance to nationals representing his state

The second place co-angler, also narrowly missed it in a close battle for first.  North Carolina’s, David Ford, had a two day total of 15.34 pounds to advance to the national championship.

In one of the closest state pride battles, South Carolina would come out on top for the District 2 State Pride Award with 82.97 pounds to North Carolina’s 79.31 pounds.  The award is determined by adding the weights of the top four boaters and co-anglers from each state selected prior to the event.

Ranger Cup Winner – Joey Sabbaga

The National Semi-Finals format rolled out last year replacing the divisional events and state team line-ups.  TBF anglers can now advance to a close-to-home NSF event in one of two ways.  Active state clubs can advance their top two anglers, in addition, the top 10% of state event participation or a minimum of 12 anglers per state qualify, whichever is greater.  The new format has been highly successful with state participation and membership up across the nation.

The event went well thanks to the South Carolina Bass Federation for hosting, as well as, TBF’s Sponsors: FLW, Ranger, Cabela’s, Lowrance, MinnKota, Humminbird, Evinrude, Berkley and Power Pole.

 

District 1 Hosts National Semi-Final Event on Lake Eufaula

Florida and Georgia Advance Anglers to Nationals

 

The Georgia Bass Federation hosted the 2017 TBF National Semifinal District 1 event November 4-5 from Lakepoint State Park on Lake Eufaula.  Anglers were met with picture perfect weather during practice, water temperatures in the low to mid 70’s and a lake 2-3 feet below full pool.  Weather kept calm and clear through the event with a slightly foggy morning on day two.  Forty-one boats launched on Lake Eufaula water to fish for state bragging rights, deeper payouts, trophies, Ranger Cup and Evinrude contingencies plus coveted spots in the 2018 Federation National Championship.

A total of $14,920 with 121% payback was awarded in cash and prizes.  The top eight boaters and co-anglers in the 41 boat field divvied up $9,225 in total cash payback, not including the $500 Ranger Cup award and the $1,000 Evinrude E-tec award for the winning boater (if he/she runs a 2012 or newer Etec Evinrude).

The new format pays back 100% of the entry fees, 75% to the top 20% of the field, 10% to the state federations and 15% to the TBF Federation National Championship.

After two days of competition, Georgia boater, Brent Tullis, bested the boater field to be named the 2017 National Semi-Final Champion boater.  Tullis had five fish limits both days for 10.28 pounds and 18.50 pounds to make his tournament total 28.78 pounds.  Tullis received a $2,310 payday for his win and he’ll represent Georgia at the national event.  He also earned the $500 Ranger Cup award for being the highest finishing Ranger Cup qualified angler.

The National Semi-Final Champion co-angler was, Edward Fry, from Florida who caught five fish on day one and three on day two for 19.01 total pounds.  Fry earned $1,155 for his win and will advance to nationals representing the state of Florida.

Other NSF anglers advancing to the 2018 Federation National Championship are top Florida boater, A.J. Willequer, who had 18.06 pounds and top Georgia co-angler, Ray Edelen, who had 17.09 pounds.

The Georgia Bass Federation made the final sweep with the District 1 State Pride Award with 90.57 pounds.  The award is determined by adding the weights of the top four boaters and co-anglers from each state selected prior to the event.

The National Semi-Finals format rolled out last year replacing the divisional events and state team line-ups.  TBF anglers can now advance to a close-to-home NSF event in one of two ways.  Active state clubs can advance their top two anglers, in addition, the top 10% of state event participation or a minimum of 12 anglers per state qualify, whichever is greater.  The new format has been highly successful with state participation and membership up across the nation.

The event went well thanks to the Georgia Bass Federation that ran the event and all the support from TBF’s sponsors; FLW, Ranger, Cabela’s, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Evinrude, Berkley and Power Pole.

 

2018 TBF, FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

NEWS RELEASE

 

TBF, FLW ANNOUNCE 2018 HIGH SCHOOL FISHING SCHEDULE

MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 9, 2017) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) and The Bass Federation (TBF) announced Thursday the 2018 High School Fishing schedule, including 29 Student Angler Federation (SAF) High School Fishing State Championships, 24 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens, seven state high school athletic association sanctioned tournaments and three SAF High School Fishing Challenge tournaments, plus the most anticipated events of the year, the High School Fishing National Championship and World Finals on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.

“High School Fishing is the perfect recruitment, retention and reactivation program,” said FLW President of Operations Kathy Fennel. “Since its introduction in 2010 with the inaugural High School Fishing World Finals, we’ve seen how effective it is at getting new anglers and lapsed anglers on the water while retaining existing anglers who often serve as mentors for school teams. You need to look no further than the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation that shows an 8 percent increase in fishing participation since 2011 to see the program’s effectiveness. While several factors undoubtedly play into this growth, High School Fishing is certainly a leading contributor. We are creating a whole new generation of anglers and providing them with a connection to their schools and the outdoors.”

The more than 20,000 anglers that participated in the TBF/FLW High School Fishing program this year will have 72 tournaments in which to compete in 2018.

“As the sport’s leading youth organization, we are proud to have FLW as our partner in providing more fishing opportunities for more high school students across North America than anyone else,” said TBF President Robert Cartlidge. “Together TBF and FLW are laying the foundation on which our sport will continue to build, and we look forward to another incredible season working with schools from New York to California and into Canada to provide unprecedented opportunities for students and their families.”

2018 High School Fishing World Finals/National Championship:

June 26-30                   Pickwick Lake                                                                                              Florence, Ala.

 

2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens:

Jan. 13                           Lake Mitchell Open                                                                                     Clanton, Ala.

March 3                         Columbus Pool Open                                                                                 Columbus, Miss.

March 10                       Douglas Lake Open                                                                                    Kodak, Tenn.

March 17                       Truman Lake Open                                                                                     Warsaw, Mo.

April 7                            High Rock Lake Open                                                                                Lexington, N.C.

May 5                             Mississippi River Open (Wis.)                                                                   La Crosse, Wis.

May 12                           Lake O’ the Pines Open                                                                             Jefferson, Texas

May 13                           Clear Lake Open/Calif. State Championship                                        Lakeport, Calif.

May 20                           Smith Mountain Lake Open                                                                      Huddleston, Va.

June 3                            Whitefish Chain Open                                                                                Crosslake, Minn.

June 9                            Raisin River Open                                                                                       Monroe, Mich.

Sept. 8                           Rend Lake Open                                                                                         Whittington, Ill.

Sept. 15                         Kentucky Lake Open                                                                                  Gilbertsville, Ky.

Sept. 22                         Raystown Lake Open                                                                                 Hesston, Pa.

Sept. 29                         Wheeler Lake Open                                                                                    Decatur, Ala.

Oct. 6                              Lake Monroe Open                                                                                     Bloomington, Ind.

Oct. 13                           Lake Murray Open                                                                                      Prosperity, S.C.

Oct. 20                           Grand Lake Open                                                                                        Grove, Okla.

Oct. 27                           Mosquito Creek Lake Open                                                                      Cortland, Ohio

Nov. 3                            Dale Hollow Lake Open                                                                             Burkesville, Ky.

Nov. 10                          Ouachita River Open                                                                                  West Monroe, La.

Nov. 17                          Lake Hamilton Open                                                                                  Hot Springs, Ark.

Dec. 8                            Lake Seminole Open                                                                                 Bainbridge, Ga.

Dec. 15                          Lake Okeechobee Open                                                                            Clewiston, Fla.

 

2018 SAF High School Fishing State Championships:

Feb. 10                          Georgia State Championship – West Point Lake                                 LaGrange, Ga.

Feb. 24                          Florida State Championship – St. John’s River                                     Putnam County, Fla.

March 10                       Texas State Championship – Lake Palestine                                       Flint, Texas

March 24                       Louisiana State Championship – Cross Lake                                       Shreveport, La.

March 31                       Kentucky State Championship – Lake Cumberland                            Somerset, Ky.

March 31                       Kansas State Championship – Wilson Lake                                         Russell, Kan.

April 7                            Mississippi State Championship – Tenn. Tom Waterway                   Columbus, Miss.

April 8                            Illinois State Championship – Clinton Lake                                           Weldon, Ill.

April 14                          Virginia and North Carolina State Championships – Kerr Lake        Henderson, N.C.

April 28                          New Hampshire State Championship – Lake Winnipesaukee         Gilford, N.H.

April 29                          South Carolina State Championship – Lake Murray                           Prosperity, S.C.

April 29                          Tennessee State Championship – Kentucky Lake                              Birdsong, Tenn.

May 5                             Idaho State Championship – C.J. Strike Reservoir                              Mountain Home, Idaho

May 6                             Arkansas State Championship – Lake Dardanelle                              Russellville, Ark.

May 12                           Ohio State Championship – Alum Creek Reservoir                             Columbus, Ohio

May 13                           California State Championship/Clear Lake Open                                Lakeport, Calif.

May 19                           Alabama State Championship – Lake Neely Henry                            Gadsden, Ala.

May 20                           Iowa State Championship – Mississippi River                                      Davenport, Iowa

May 27                           Oklahoma State Championship – Fort Gibson Lake                           Wagoner, Okla.

June 2                            Tri-State Championship (Conn., Mass., R.I.) – East Brimfield Lake  Sturbridge, Mass.

June 2                            Indiana State Championship – Brookville Lake                                    Brookville, Ind.

June 17                         Minnesota State Championship – Mille Lacs Lake                              Isle, Minn.

July 7                             South Dakota State Championship – Lake Henry                                TBD

July 8                             Quad State Championship (Pa., Del., Md., N.J.) – TBD                       TBD

July 21                           Nebraska State Championship – Missouri River                                  Niobrara, Neb.

July 28                           Michigan State Championship – Gull Lake                                           Kalamazoo, Mich.

Aug. 5                            Wisconsin State Championship – Bay of Green Bay                           Oconto, Wis.

Sept. 16                         New York State Championship – Great Sacandaga Lake                  TBD

 

2018 SAF High School Fishing Challenges:

Feb. 18                          Lake Hartwell Early Bird Challenge                                                        Anderson, S.C.

June 24                         New England Challenge – Lake Winnipesaukee                                 Gilford, N.H.

Sept. 16                         Minnesota Open Challenge (Walleye) – Lake Bemidji                       Bemidji, Minn.

 

2018 State Athletic Association Events:

March 17                       GICAA Georgia State Championship – TBD                                         TBD

May 20                           IHSA Illinois State Championship – Carlyle Lake                                Carlyle, Ill.

April 21                          KHSAA Kentucky Regional Championship – Lake Barkley                               Kuttawa, Ky.

April 21                          KHSAA Kentucky Regional Championship – Lake Cumberland      Somerset, Ky.

April 21                          KHSAA Kentucky Regional Championship – Green River Lake       Campbellsville, Ky.

April 21                          KHSAA Kentucky Regional Championship – Cave Run Lake           Morehead, Ky.

May 11-12                     KHSAA Kentucky State Championship – Kentucky Lake                   Calvert City, Ky.

 

Additional SAF High School Fishing State Championships are being added. For the latest SAF High School Fishing State Championship and Challenge tournament schedule, visit HighSchoolFishing.org.

Complete rules are available at FLWFishing.com and HighSchoolFishing.org.

Registration for the 2018 season opens December 4, 2017, for the Lake Mitchell Open. Registration for all other events will begin Jan. 3, 2018. For SAF High School Fishing State Championships, each team must compete in the state in which their school is located. Teams from all states can compete in FLW High School Fishing Open tournaments and SAF High School Fishing Challenge events. Entries for State Championships and Challenge events should be made at HighSchoolFishing.org or by calling TBF at (580) 765-9031 and entries for Opens should be made at FLWFishing.com or by calling FLW at (270) 252-1000. There is no limit to the number of teams accepted into a tournament from each school or club.

All FLW and TBF High School Fishing tournaments are free to enter. The tournaments are two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and open to any SAF-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams competing in each event held prior to June 10 will advance directly to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship, held in conjunction with the pinnacle event in all of High School Fishing, the 2018 High School Fishing World Finals, June 26-30 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama. Qualifiers in tournaments held June 10 or later will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing National Championship awards the winning team a $10,000 scholarship ($5,000 per student).

All SAF High School Fishing members automatically qualify to compete in the industry’s most prestigious high school bass tournament, the 2018 High School Fishing World Finals. At the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals more than $170,000 in scholarships and prizes were offered to 332 teams from 33 states and Canada.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow High School Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and Facebook.com/HSfishing. Visit FLWFishing.com and HighSchoolFishing.org for more information on how to sign up or to start a club at your school.

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 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 258 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa 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. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

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.

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