In the world of bass fishing competition, high schools and colleges all over the country have jumped in with both feet, setting the stage for kids to hone their skills as they gear up for higher levels of competition. One of our local kids, CJ Lockamy, has come out swinging hard and showing that he has what it takes to win!
CJ, of Southport, Florida, recently won the BASS High School qualifier event on Lake Talquin with a whopping final day bag of 22 pounds! On the first day of competition he brought in a solid limit weighing 15 pounds, putting him in 10th place going into the final round.
On day two he landed a solid limit early that included a 5 pounder, but he was convinced it wasn’t enough for the win. As he grinded out the final half of the day, his sound decision making skills put him smack in the middle of a school of large bass chasing shad on a shallow bar. He worked that school of fish for a good part of the day and it paid off. He culled out four of the bass he already had, putting him in position for the win.
While these tournaments are two-man team events, CJ had to compete alone. Besting a field of solo anglers is hard enough in any competition, but trouncing a field of teams the way he did alone, speaks volumes about this young man’s skills.
Just for fun and to show it wasn’t a fluke, CJ paired up with Chris Kincaid for another event on Talquin the following week and took home the win with another 22 pound bag.
CJ plans to one day take his bass tournament competition to the highest levels of the Bassmaster Elites. Soon, he will be competing in major qualifying events like the BASS Opens and FLW events. At 17 years old he has already proven himself to be a serious contender and I’d suggest you keep your eyes on this kid because he can get the job done!
~ Capt. Randy “C-note” Cnota