Local angler Dylan Westhelle won the recent ABA Bass Open Series 2-Day Championship September 9 – 10 on the Harris Chain of Lakes. His two-day total of just over 40 pounds with 10 total bass maintained first place with several pounds heavier than the 2nd place angler. Dylan is no stranger to great finishes on the Harris Chain. Dyland and his team-mate Joey Bloom from Seminole Jr Anglers weighed-in a 5 bass limit for over 29 pounds in an open tournament they won last year on the Harris Chain. His high school partner Joey Bloom won the BLF event on Harris Chain last spring which qualified Joey to move up to the MLF Toyota Series, where he had a very successful year as a rookie.
Local angler Dylan Westhelle won the recent ABA Bass Open Series 2-Day Championship September 9 – 10 on the Harris Chain of Lakes. His two-day total of just over 40 pounds with 10 total bass maintained first place with several pounds heavier than the 2nd place angler. Dylan is no stranger to great finishes on the Harris Chain. Dyland and his team-mate Joey Bloom from Seminole Jr Anglers weighed-in a 5 bass limit for over 29 pounds in an open tournament they won last year on the Harris Chain. His high school partner Joey Bloom won the BLF event on Harris Chain last spring which qualified Joey to move up to the MLF Toyota Series, where he had a very successful year as a rookie.
Both Dylan and Joey are alumni from the Seminole Jr Angler high school fishing program here in Central Florida. Coastal Angler Magazine has been a print and media sponsor since the club’s startup. We have also been involved by providing teams with a captain during these events. It has been a pleasure watching these young anglers grow up and learn how to be a better angler, how to catch fish that other anglers miss, and learn about angler etiquette as well as learning to appreciate what it costs to compete at a high level. This high school fishing program is one of the best in the state, most recently winning the “Club of the Year” title back to back and winning “Team of the Year” several times in the last 7 years. This includes back-toback titles by brothers Davis and Bryce DiMauro. Bryce recently graduated from high school and got a full scholarship to join the fishing team at Bryan College in Tennessee following in his brother Connor DiMauro footsteps.
While this is a small club with less than 10 teams from Orange, Seminole and Volusia Counties, most years their track record for top 20 finishes is better than all the other 350 plus teams in the state. Their program teaches them about commitment, how to prepare for events and the ever-changing weather conditions in Florida and how to work with their teammates to fish their strengths. These young men have learned how to share the info or techniques that are producing bites with their club members to help them catch fish the day of the event. Congrats to Dylan for his big win and a great start to a young and inspiring career! He is a great mentor to the Seminole Jr. Angler program and their current anglers. We all wish him the best of luck in the future!
