The Seminole Junior Anglers are excited to continue their season as we near the three-quarter mark of the season. Their first event since the holiday break was held on the Butler Chain of Lakes on January 20th. This event encompassed teams from not only the Seminole Junior Anglers, but other teams from throughout the Central Florida area, including the Osceola Anglers and the Highland County Anglers. The team of Joey Bloom and Dylan Westhelle came away victorious weighing in a solid limit of fish. Their weight of 14.42lbs was a strong performance on a tough day. The 2nd place team for the event was that of Jake Hutcheson. Despite his partner not being able to attend the tournament, he was able to bring 12.72lbs to the scales. Both teams gained valuable points towards Team of the Year, and one of the allexpense paid spots to the World Finals.
The next event was the B.A.S.S. event held on February 3rd and 4th out of the City Boat Ramp in Palatka on the St. Johns River. This twoday event had teams competing for the Team of the Year trophy from all over the State of Florida. The Saturday series event brought tough conditions for the anglers. Over half of the field of 80 boats did not weigh in a fish. However, the team of Steven Steinard and Brandon Simmons came home in third place weighing in a limit of fish that came to the scales at 12.12lbs. The Sunday tournament brought the same tough conditions with the added element of rain and wind. The team of Bloom and Westhelle weathered the storms and were able to bring home a fourth-place finish, weighing in 13.34lbs. Both teams gained valuable Team of the Year points for the B.A.S.S. Series and came home with Shimano rods and reels. The tournament that comes next is the Central Florida High School Event held on Lake Toho out of Big Toho Marina on February 17th, followed by the FLW State tournament being held February 25th out of Palatka, once again on the St. Johns River. The following B.A.S.S Event will be held on March 10th and 11th out of Sneads, FL on the shores of Lake Seminole. This will be a test for a lot of the teams who have never traveled this distance for a tournament. As you can see the anglers have a busy next few months.
We would also like to take the time to congratulate one of our former anglers, Bobby Bakewell. He competed in the B.A.S.S. Southern Open on Lake Toho as a Co- Angler and came away with a second place finish. Thank you to our season and tournament sponsors, and Instant Insurance sponsoring this article allowing the accomplishments of this next generation of anglers to be shared with the Central Florida community
