MOUNT IDA HIGH SCHOOL WINS TBF/FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON PICKWICK LAKE
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FLORENCE, Ala. (July 5, 2017) – The Mount Ida High School duo of Hunter Davis and Tyler Allenbrand, both of Mount Ida, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 23 pounds, 10 ounces to win the 2017 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama with a three-day total of 53-6. The win earned the team trophies, the title of national champions and each angler a $5,000 scholarship to their college of choice.
A field of 142 teams competed in the event, which launched from McFarland Park in Florence. The Mount Ida duo won by a 1-pound, 14-ounce margin over the second place team of Cal Culpepper and Mason Waddell from Georgia’s Harris County High School, who weighed in a three-day total of 51-8.
Coached by professional Bassmaster Elite Series angler Mark Davis, Hunter’s father, the youngsters from Arkansas fished two different areas to amass their heaviest stringer of the tournament. The younger Davis and Allenbrand were dragging ¾-ounce Strike King football jigs and Strike King Menace Grub trailers (green pumpkin) slowly across the bottom.
The top 10 teams on Pickwick Lake finished:
1st: Mount Ida High School, Mount Ida, Ark. – Hunter Davis and Tyler Allenbrand, both of Mount Ida, Ark., 15 bass, 53-6, $10,000 Scholarship
2nd: Harris County High School, Hamilton, Ga. – Cal Culpepper, Hamilton, Ga., and Mason Waddell, Waverly Hall, Ga., 15 bass, 51-8
3rd: North Mississippi Student Anglers – Hunter Nanney, Dumas, Miss., and Jake Kimbrough, Smithville, Miss., 15 bass, 50-11
4th: Fannin County High School, Blue Ridge, Ga. – Dalton Tankersley, Morganton, Ga., and Zack Nicholson, Epworth, Ga., 15 bass, 47-9
5th: Obion County Central High School, Troy, Tenn. – Blake Robb, Martin, Tenn., and Cody Gregory, Troy, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-1
6th: Tulsa Bass Club, Tulsa, Okla. – Taylor Hamburger, Tulsa, Okla., and Hunter Harrison, Jones, Okla., 14 bass, 42-4
7th: North Forsyth High School, Cumming, Ga. – Glenn Worley, Dawsonville, Ga., and Paul Marks, Cumming, Ga., 15 bass, 42-3
8th: Oviedo High School, Oviedo, Fla. – Fisher Omans and Steven Steinard, both of Oviedo, Fla., 11 bass, 35-1
9th: East Rowan High School, Salisbury, N.C. – Hunter Harwood, Gold Hill, N.C., and Paiton File, Salisbury, N.C., 12 bass, 32-0
10th: Arkansas Student Angler Federation – Cade Gartman and Jay Morgan, both of Trumann, Ark., 10 bass, 29-9
Complete results for the remaining teams and photos from the event can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.
The 2017 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship was a two-person (team) no-entry fee event for students in grades 7-12. The tournament featured the top anglers from the 2017 TBF High School Fishing State Championships and Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open events.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.