The Seminole Junior Anglers are winding down to the end of the season, but the anglers are still battling for the top spots for Team of the Year points within the club. In the last month, the anglers have competed in two exciting events. The first event was the 3rd Annual North vs. South tournament on March 31st on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. This event encompassed teams from not only the Seminole Junior Anglers, but other teams from throughout the Central Florida area, including Osceola Anglers, Highland County Anglers, Bartow High School, Lake Placid High School and Lake Wales High School. This event put the top 12 teams from the North end of the Kissimmee Chain up against the teams from the South end of the chain. The North teams dominated the South teams by weighing in an astounding 175 lbs. to the South’s 129 lbs. The team of Zach Temperly and Mason Metcalf led the way for the Seminole Junior Anglers by weighing in a solid limit of fish. Their weight of 20.95 lbs. was a strong performance and was the 3rd heaviest bag of fish weighed in at the tournament.
Just one week later, the anglers headed south for the two-day Florida B.A.S.S. High School State Tournament held out of Roland Martin Marina and Resort in Clewiston, FL on Lake Okeechobee. The teams were competing for a B.A.S.S. National Championship bid, and the chance to represent the State of Florida on Kentucky Lake in August. They were also competing for scholarship money the teams can use toward their next level of education. The event kicked off on Friday night with a banquet for all the anglers and guests. At the banquet, the team of Joey Bloom and Dylan Westhelle were awarded the 2nd place spot in the Team of the Year race and earned a bid to the National Championship. The event brought windy conditions for the field on Day 1, but the team of Joey Bloom and Dylan Westhelle smashed a 5-fish limit weighing in at 17.55 lbs. and earned them the top spot out of 110 boats. The team of Zach Temperly and Mason Metcalf also had a strong performance Day 1 and sat in 10th place with 12.21 lbs. Day 2 brought better conditions for the anglers, and once again Dylan and Joey brought in another great bag of fish weighing in at 17.85 lbs. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to take the top spot with two other teams weighing in over 20 lbs., however the team would add another solid finish to their resume finishing 3rd overall. Mason and Zach also ended up finishing an awesome 12th place. Both teams went home with scholarship money, and more great memories and lessons learned on Lake “O”.
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.
