Young Leads TBF Junior World Championship

Kentucky state champ paces the pack on day one at Lake Hamilton
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Hunter Young paced the field with an 8-pound, 12-ounce limit taken on topwaters. Photo by Dan Johnson. Angler: Hunter Young.
August 21, 2015 • Dan Johnson • Archives

Kentucky’s Hunter Young worked the “ceiling” with a vengeance to sack a five-bass limit weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces and claim the overall lead on day one of the 2015 The Bass Federation Junior World Championship on Arkansas’ Lake Hamilton. The event is being held in conjunction with the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita.

“My day went pretty well, even though I lost a few fish that cost me more weight than what I had,” he says.

Young, of Melbourne, says a PH Custom Lures Crazy Ace topwater plug accounted for all of his fish.

“It darts under the water and walks at the same time,” he says about the Cray Ace.

Conditions were ripe for a topwater bite, with overcast skies all morning and the storied impoundment in a calm mood.

It didn’t hurt that relatively cool weather has dropped the water temperature from the 90s into the 70s in recent days, putting Hamilton’s bass in a more aggressive frame of mind.

Young’s catch topped the field of 40 young bass anglers, who range in age from 11 to 15 years old.

The youths qualified for the prestigious event through TBF state federation tournaments. States are divided into six divisions, and the top angler from each division today advances to Saturday’s final shootout to square off for the title of world champion and a $2,500 scholarship. The top anglers will be recognized on the Forrest Wood Cup stage at Bank of the Ozarks Arena at 4:45 p.m. CT Saturday.

“I’m fired up for tomorrow,” Young grins. “I want to go back and catch the ones I lost today.”

 

Top Anglers by Division

Central: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., five bass, 6 pounds, 2 ounces

Louisiana's Colby Miller took top honors in the Central Division.

 

Eastern: Max Dispoto, Watertown, Conn., four bass, 5 pounds, 2 ounces

Arkansas' Hunter Davis and Connecticut's Max Dispoto tackle one of Lake Hamilton's many man-made structures.

 

Mid-Atlantic: Tyler White, Oak Hill, W.Va., five bass, 8 pounds, 11 ounces

Tyler White of West Virginia caught the day's second largest stringer, an 8-pound, 11-ounce limit, and topped the Mid-Atlantic Division.

 

Western: Brayden Liebe, Kelso, Wash., three bass, 3 pounds, 6 ounces

Northern: Maxwell Trotter, Decatur, Ill., three bass, 3 pounds, 11 ounces

Southern: Hunter Young, Melbourne, Ky., five bass, 8 pounds, 12 ounces

Hunter Young paced the field with an 8-pound, 12-ounce limit taken on topwaters.

 

For complete results, visit BassFederation.com.

 

More Details

A total of 60 bass weighing 84 pounds, 11 ounces crossed the stage on day one. Big bass of the day was a 3-pound, 9-ounce beauty caught by Griffin Fernandes of McCordsville, Ind.

The action concludes Saturday with takeoff scheduled for 6:30 a.m. and weigh-in beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Clarion on the Lake Boat Ramp, 4813 Central Ave., Hot Springs, Ark.

The no-entry-fee Junior World Championship is produced by a partnership between The Bass Federation and FLW.

For details, contact TBF National Headquarters at 580.765.9031.