Oklahoma Student Angler Federation Wins Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open Presented by YETI
GROVE, Okla. – The Oklahoma Student Angler Federation duo of Owen Williams, Afton, Oklahoma, and Easton Hitt, Bella Vista, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open presented by YETI.
A field of 68 teams competed in the no-entry-fee tournament, which launched from Grove City Ramp at Wolf Creek Park. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
According to the post-tournament report, Williams and Hitt caught their fish flipping ledges and docks on the lower end of the lake using green-pumpkin-colored, football-headed jigs.
The top six teams on Grand Lake that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Oklahoma Student Angler Federation – Owen Williams, Afton, Okla., and Easton Hitt, Bella Vista, Ark. five bass, 14-5
2nd: Ketchum High School, Ketchum, Okla. – Austin Chandler and Ty Bishop, both of Ketchum, Okla., five bass, 12-7, $600
3rd: Vinita High School, Vinita, Okla. – Tyler Lake and Jesse Woodward, both of Vinita, Okla., five bass, 10-12
4th: Rogers County Bass Anglers – James Cagle and Jordan Gotcher, both of Claremore, Okla., five bass, 10-8
5th: Mannford High School, Mannford, Okla. – Charley Williams and Joseph Case, both of Mannford, Okla., five bass, 9-1
6th: Jenks High School, Jenks, Okla. – Jake Peck, Tulsa, Okla., and Garrison Snedon, Jenks, Okla., four bass, 8-7
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
7th: Deer Creek High School, Oklahoma County, Okla. – Lane Whitsell and Davis Greaud, both of Edmond, Okla., five bass, 8-6
8th: Branson High School, Branson, Mo. – Skyler McGrath, Branson, Mo., and Keegan Barber, Reed Spring, Mo., two bass, 7-10
9th: Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Okla. – Michael Reiss and Max Klein, both of Broken Arrow, Okla., four bass, 7-9
10th: Rogers County Bass Anglers – Dakota Page, Catoosa, Okla., and Bryce Page, Claremore, Okla., three bass, 7-2, $200
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Grand Lake Open presented by YETI was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
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