June 30, 2025 – GROVE, Okla. — Oklahoma high school fishing teammates Colson Hayes and Cade Shaffer of Owasso made history this weekend, securing the highest-ever finish by an Oklahoma team at the 16th Annual Student Angler Federation High School World Finals on Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees.
Facing a field of nearly 400 boats from around the world, the odds were long — even by their own estimation. “We honestly thought it was a long shot,” said Hayes. But a massive Day 2 catch of 15 pounds, 2 ounces — the biggest single-day bag of the tournament — turned their underdog story into a legitimate championship run.
After weighing in 10 pounds, 9 ounces on Day 1, Hayes and Shaffer catapulted up the leaderboard with their standout Day 2 performance. Their momentum carried into Day 3, where they remained steady under pressure, landing 10 pounds, 12 ounces — enough to finish 8th overall and qualify for the final-round 31-team World Championship shootout.
“The fish weren’t where we expected them to be on Day 3,” said Hayes. “But we scrambled and adjusted. We didn’t panic — we’ve been in that spot before.”
On the final day, the duo made a gutsy call. “I called an audible on the way to our starting spot,” Hayes said. “Something told me to try a point we hadn’t fished all week.” That instinct paid off, delivering over 8 pounds by 8:30 a.m., including a 4-pound, 8-ounce largemouth caught by Shaffer.
By day’s end, they added 12 pounds, 15 ounces to their total, finishing with over 48 pounds and capturing 2nd place in the world championship — the best finish by any Oklahoma high school fishing team in the event’s history.
Along with global recognition, Hayes and Shaffer earned two championship trophies and were awarded college scholarship offers totaling $337,000.
“This format allows for a lot of strategies, but we just decided to fish our guts out every day,” Hayes said. “Once we made Saturday, we left it all on the water. We didn’t hold back, and we’re proud of what we accomplished.”
The result cements Hayes and Shaffer among the elite ranks of high school bass fishing and marks a major milestone for Oklahoma’s presence in the sport on a national and international level.
