Brooks High School Wins on Wheeler

Alabama duo catches 13-12 on a jig

The Brooks High School duo of Karsten Rotten and Mason Hunt, both of Killen, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Wheeler Lake Open presented by YETI.

According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their limit targeting rocky bottoms with a green-pumpkin-colored jig near the dam.

A field of 43 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Ingalls Harbor. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top four teams on Wheeler Lake that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship:  

  1st:     Brooks High School, Killen, Ala. – Karsten Rotten and Mason Hunt, both of Killen, Ala., five bass, 13-12

  2nd:    Cedar Bluff High School, Cedar Bluff, Ala. – Colin McCullough, Cedar Bluff, Ala., and Justin Hamlin, Fort Payne, Ala., five bass, 12-10

  3rd:     Union County High School, Blairsville, Ga. – William Harkins and Logan Anderson, both of Blairsville, Ga., five bass, 12-1

  4th:     Sylvania High School, Sylvania, Ala. – Riley Johnson, Henegar, Ala., and Drake Casey, Sylvania Ala., five bass, 8-15

Rounding out the top 10 teams:

  5th:     Fairview High School, Fairview, Ala. – Levi Harris and Bryar Chambers, both of Cullman, Ala., five bass, 8-10

  6th:     Tuscaloosa County High School, Northport, Ala. – Kole Key and Logan Hicks, both of North Port, Ala., five bass, 8-2

  7th:     Tuscaloosa County High School, Northport, Ala. – Austin Sullivan, Northport, Ala., and Christian Boyd, Berry, Ala., five bass, 7-12

  8th:     Fairhope High School, Fairhope, Ala. – Mason Guinn and Emilie Ann Eastman, both of Fairhope, Ala., five bass, 7-7

  9th:     Sylvania High School, Sylvania, Ala. – Dawson Campbell, Henegar, Ala., and Andrew Smart, Pisgah, Ala., four bass, 7-3

  10th:   Helena High School, Helena, Ala. – J.C. Sivley and Skyler Stevens, both of Helena, Ala., five bass, 6-13

Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Wheeler 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.