TBF-2017JWC-D2-Post

Prince Reigns At 2017 TBF/FLW Junior World Championship

Camden, S.C.—Aug. 12, 2017—Syler Prince conquered a tough bite and hard-fishing field of the nation’s top youth anglers to win The Bass Federation’s 2017 Junior World Championship August 11-12 on South Carolina’s Lake Wateree.

The no-entry-fee event featured 11- to 15-year-old state champions from 36 state federations and offered more than $10,000 in prizes and scholarships.

On day one of the two-day event, which was timed to coincide with the FLW Forrest Wood Cup, held on nearby Lake Murray, the youths fished against anglers from their own TBF divisions for a chance to advance to Saturday’s final round. Competitors were paired with another contestant and an adult boat captain, who piloted the boat but didn’t fish.

Lake Wateree provided the perfect proving ground for the would-be Junior World Champions. The 13,700-acre reservoir offered plenty of elbow room and a variety of fish-holding cover and structure, ranging from shoreline vegetation to docks, bridges and offshore sweet spots. Adding to the challenge, the lake’s legendary largemouth bass population played uncharacteristically hard to catch.

Prince, of Palatka, Florida, started strong by winning the Southern Division with two bass for 4 pounds, 4 ounces. “Today went really well,” he said after the weigh-in. “I didn’t miss any fish. I did what I wanted to do. I had the bites that I needed and I got it done.”

The Mid-Atlantic Division’s Jeremy Toler of Oceana, West Virginia, sacked day one’s heaviest weight with three bass for 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Next was Dalton Smith of Brandon, Mississippi, who won the Central Division with two bass for 4 pounds, 14 ounces.

In the Western Division, Matagi Faavale of Coalville, Utah, advanced with one bass weighing 3 pounds, 1 ounce. Reece Fisher of Westfield, Indiana, landed a lone bass weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces to win the Northern Division, while Nicholas Frumkin of Lincoln, Massachusetts, topped his Eastern Division rivals with one bass weighing 1 pound, 14 ounces.

Weights were zeroed on day two, giving all contestants a fresh start in the finals.

Prince threw a topwater popper along a seawall early in the day to pick up one bass, then targeted weedy main-lake banks on a softbait strategy that had carried him on day one.

“I tried other presentations, but it turned out flippin’ the grass was what I needed to do,” he said, explaining that his go-to rig included a green pumpkin-colored, crawdad-style bait with a ½-ounce tungsten weight, bobber stop, bead and a flippin’ hook.

“I put my head down and just kept fishing,” he added. “I basically never sat down except for the boat ride.”

The approach paid off with three more bass for a total weight of 8 pounds, 14 ounces—enough for Prince to claim the coveted JWC crown. “This is great, it feels awesome!” he said of the win, which earned him a $3,000 scholarship to the school of his choice.

Winning the national title is a major accomplishment, but Prince has no plans of resting on his laurels. In fact, he hopes the feat becomes a one of many memorable milestones in a much longer bass fishing career.

Currently in seventh grade, the talented 12-year-old looks forward to high school and collegiate fishing competitions. And considering that other TBF junior anglers have gone on to compete on the FLW Tour and in the FLW Forrest Wood Cup, Prince’s student angler achievements could be just the beginning.

Final official TBF standings for the division winners (listed with day-two catch) are:

1. Syler Prince, Florida, Southern Division, 8 pounds, 14 ounces (4)
   2. Jeremy Toler, West Virginia, Mid-Atlantic Division, 3 pounds, 10 ounces (2)
   3. Nicholas Frumkin, Massachusetts, Eastern Division, 1 pound, 8 ounces (1)
   4. Dalton Smith, Mississippi, Central Division, 0-0
   5. Reece Fisher, Indiana, Northern Division, 0-0
   6. Matagi Faavale, Utah, Western Division, 0-0

A total of 7 bass weighing 14 pounds came to the TBF scale at scenic Clearwater Cove Marina on day two and were released back into the Wateree system.

The JWC finale capped a week of prefishing and other fun activities for the competitors and their families. Adding to the excitement, all participants had the opportunity to participate in a TBF Junior Champions’ parade across the FLW Forrest Wood Cup stage in Columbia.

The annual TBF Junior World Championship is produced by a partnership between The Bass Federation and FLW Outdoors. Sponsors include Cabela’s, Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Berkley, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Minn Kota and Humminbird.

For details, visit bassfederation.com or call TBF National Headquarters at (580) 765-9031.

Day 1 of the TBF / FLW Junior World Championship is in the books story\Pictures and video will be posted soon.   Full results are posted HERE stay tuned for more!

weigh in pics CLICK HERE

Final Day Weigh in

Day 1 weigh in below

Division Champs Advance To Final Round Of 2017 TBF Junior World Championship

Camden, S.C.—Aug. 11, 2017—The Bass Federation’s 2017 Junior World Championship kicked off today on South Carolina’s Lake Wateree as the top junior anglers from 36 state federations around the country battled for berths in Saturday’s final round.

Timed to coincide with the FLW Forrest Wood Cup, which is currently running on nearby Lake Murray, the no-entry-fee Junior World Championship is open to youths ages 11 to 15 and offers more than $10,000 in prizes and scholarships.

Lake Wateree is well known for its largemouth bass fishery and scenery, but the 13,700-acre reservoir challenged the young contestants to dial in productive patterns amidst a backdrop of high water and mostly calm, overcast conditions.

To further test the field’s fishing skills, the day was shortened by a 1½-hour fog delay as tournament officials held take-off until it was safe to let the JWC armada head for the fishing grounds. Competitors were paired with another contestant and an adult boat captain, who piloted the boat but didn’t wet a line.

Competition was fierce, as only the top angler from each TBF division would advance to the finals for a shot at the national JWC crown.

Making his second JWC appearance, Jeremy Toler of Oceana, West Virginia, paced the pack with three bass for 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Toler topped the Mid-Atlantic Division and was excited to fish in the finals, though he acknowledged he had to grind out a long day to get there.

“It was really slow today, it’s a really tough bite,” Toler said. “I got all three of my fish around midday. Hopefully I can go back out and do it again tomorrow.”

Dalton Smith of Brandon, Mississippi, won the Central Division with two bass for 4 pounds, 14 ounces. He noted that his day started strong, then tapered off when conditions changed. “The first two hours I had three bites and two of them were keepers,” he said. “But when the sun came up and the wind started blowing it slowed down.”

A veteran competitor making his fourth JWC appearance, Smith was in great spirits and hoping a fast start tomorrow morning could fuel a run up the leaderboard. “I feel good,” he said. “I’m calm and relaxed. Tomorrow I think I can catch two or three keepers early and go from there.”

Syler Prince of Palatka, Florida, punched his golden ticket to the finals by besting the Southern Division with two bass for 4 pounds, 4 ounces. “Today went really well,” he said. “I didn’t miss any fish. I did what I wanted to do. I had the bites that I needed and I got it done.”

In the Western Division, Matagi Faavale of Coalville, Utah, advanced with one bass weighing 3 pounds, 1 ounce. “It feels great, this is my third year and first time getting this far,” he said. “The fishing was tough today, but I dug in deep. I missed a couple and got the last one.”

As for Saturday’s grand finale, Faavale may make a few minor tweaks, but overall plans to keep his strategy the same. “It’s going to be a tough game,” he predicts. “Whoever wins is going to deserve it.”

Reece Fisher of Westfield, Indiana, sacked a lone bass weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces to win the Northern Division. “It feels pretty amazing,” he beamed seconds after walking off the TBF stage, which was ringed by a throng of cheering fans and family members.

“I can’t believe I actually won the division,” he continued. “I didn’t practice at all and had little in the way of a game plan going into today. I fell back on fishing woody cover similar to what I have back home in Indiana.”

While elated, Fisher wasn’t overly confident the pattern would carry him through day two. “I’m kinda nervous about tomorrow because I only had one bite,” he explained. “I’m going to change some things up. I’ll try to get a topwater bite going and focus on docks.”

Nicholas Frumkin of Lincoln, Massachusetts, topped his Eastern Division rivals with one bass weighing 1 pound, 14 ounces.

Though he claimed divisional honors, Frumkin felt his catch could have been even better. “It was pretty tough, I lost a couple fish,” he said. On the positive side, the ones that got away provided a plan of attack for the finals. “I’m going back to those spots and try to get the fish I missed,” he confided.

The action continues tomorrow at Clearwater Cove Marina, with take-off set for 6:30 a.m. and final weigh-in for 1:30 p.m. Weights will be zeroed, giving the entire field a fresh start in the finals. Adding to the excitement, at 4:30 p.m., all contestants will participate in a TBF Junior Champions’ parade across the FLW Forrest Wood Cup stage in Columbia.

The annual TBF Junior World Championship is produced by a partnership between The Bass Federation and FLW Outdoors. Sponsors include Cabela’s, Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Berkley, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Minn Kota and Humminbird.

For details, visit bassfederation.com or call TBF National Headquarters at (580) 765-9031.