With the end of the 2018-2019 season rapidly approaching, many of the anglers are still vying for National Championship births in the Florida BASS Nation Tournament Series. On April 7th, the teams competed in the final B.A.S.S. Southern Regional Event held on Lake Okeechobee. More than 70 teams from around the state competed out of Scott Driver Park on the north end of the lake. With it being the final regional event, this was the last opportunity for teams to qualify for the national tournament through the South Region.
The team of Bryce Dimauro and Davis Dimauro solidified a trip to nationals, as well as a Team of the Year of the South Region and a fantastic 2019 season by coming away with a huge victory in the event, weighing in a five bass limit for just over 26lbs. With the first-place win, the team now has the opportunity to win overall team of the year for the State of Florida in the State Championship held on Lake Toho on May 4th-5th. The team of Dylan Westhelle and Joey Bloom battled technical issues with their boat first thing in the morning to come back and finish 3rd, weighing in 22.64lbs. Zach Temperly and Will Grace also had a solid 6th place finish, weighing in 16lbs.
The B.A.S.S. season is now down to the final State Championship event. Teams who have yet to qualify for the National Championship still have the opportunity to qualify with top finishes on Lake Toho to earn their spot to Kentucky Lake in August.
Before the B.A.S.S. State event, the top Seminole Junior Anglers teams will switch their focus to an upcoming rivalry tournament on April 13th. The 4th Annual North vs. South Tournament, held on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, will have 6 teams from Seminole Junior Anglers along with 6 teams from Osceola Anglers representing the “North” of Kissimmee versus 12 teams representing the “South”. We will have complete results from the event in next month’s article.
We also have some exciting news to share regarding one of our anglers. Dylan Westhelle, a Senior from Seminole High School, was selected to represent the State of Florida as an “All-State” angler. He was one of two anglers selected from the State of Florida for this honor and is now in the running to be named a High School Fishing All-American. We congratulate Dylan on all of his accomplishments and look forward to keeping you posted on his progress and road to becoming an All American.
Thank you to all who all that support our organization including Portside Marine, Rothrock Marine, Down To Fish, Bully Dog, Casting for Kids, and Orlando Coastal Angler Magazine. Thank you to our supporters, boat captains, and sponsors including Instant Insurance of Sorrento, FL who sponsors this article to share the accomplishments of the next generation of anglers.
