Peoria Takes Rend Lake Open
Illinois school grinds it out near the dam
The Peoria High School duo of Connor Jacob of Peoria, Illinois, and Samuel Smith of Dunlap, Illinois, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Rend Lake Open.
According to post-tournament reports, Jacob and Smith caught their fish throwing square-billed crankbaits near the Rend Lake dam.
A field of 18 teams battled through heavy rains and competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Wayne Fitzgerrell Sailboat Landing. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top team on Rend Lake that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship:
1st: Peoria High School, Peoria, Ill. – Connor Jacob of Peoria, Illinois, and Samuel Smith of Dunlap, Illinois., five bass, 10-4
Rounding out the top 10 teams:
2nd: Roanoke-Benson High School, Roanoke, Ill. – Logan Gastman and Brayden Blunier, both of Roanoke, Ill., five bass, 8-0
3rd: Nashville Community High School, Nashville, Ill. – Conner Wolters and Tanner McFeron, both of Nashville, Ill., four bass, 7-2
4th: McCracken County High School, McCracken County, Ky. – Allen Everett, Kevil, Ky., and Sarah Morehead, Paducah, Ky., three bass, 6-2
5th: West Frankfurt Community High School, Frankfurt, Ill. – Cole Levanti and Brendan Johnson, both of West Frankfurt, Ill., two bass, 6-1
6th: Nashville Community High School, Nashville, Ill. – Lilly Taft, Hoyleton, Ill., and Grant Pedtke, Nashville, Ill., three bass, 6-0
7th: Mount Vernon Township High School, Mount Vernon, Ill. – Lane Deichman and Tanner Shaw, both of Mount Vernon, Ill., two bass, 5-10
8th: McCracken County High School, McCracken County, Ky. – Hunter Valerius and Austin Braboy, both of Paducah, Ky., three bass, 4-12
9th: Pinckneyville Community High School, Pinckneyville, Ill. – Rayce Baker, Pinckneyville, Ill., and Terry Davis, Coulterville, Ill., two bass, 4-1
10th: Red Bud High School, Red Bud, Ill. – Brier Longley, Prairie du Rocher, Ill., and Ethan Mudd, Red Bud, Ill., one bass, 3-1
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Rend Lake Open 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.