The Seminole Junior Anglers were represented in one of the largest and most prestigious high school tournaments in the nation this past month, the B.A.S.S National Championship. This tournament was a culmination of 350 of the nation’s best high school teams on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. The team of Dylan Westhelle and Joey Bloom represented the Seminole Junior Anglers, and were well prepared to compete against the top teams in the nation. The team arrived early to take full advantage of the practice days prior to the tournament, and worked to figure out if deep-water ledge fishing or shallow fishing were going to be the best methods of catching the fish for the tournament. The anglers worked tirelessly for the week prior to the tournament, spending long days on the water that consisted of grueling heat, and stingy fishing conditions.
After a strong practice, the team was ready for day one of the two day tournament. The team was able to grind out 4 keepers on day 1 which was a strong showing compared to the rest of the field. The team came to the scales after day 1 with a solid bag of 11.03lbs, which was good enough for 26th place. Day 2, the all important cut day, brought similar fishing conditions. Dylan and Joey were able to get 4 keeper bites weighing in 9.13lbs at the scales. With a two day total of almost 21lbs, it was good enough for the team to complete the tournament in an outstanding 22nd place. Dylan and Joey were also the highest finishing team representing the state of Florida, and hope to return next year for another chance at the national championship. Thank you to our sponsors and supporters who helped make it possible for these eight anglers to take part in this tournament, and most importantly to the boat captains who made the journey from Florida to Kentucky with their boats to allow these kids to fish.
We are already kicking off our 2018-2019 season, and see what is to come from our new and returning anglers this year. Thank you to all of our sponsors, including Instant Insurance for sponsoring this article and allowing us to share the accomplishments and experiences of these high school anglers.
