Kiefer High School Wins Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Oklahoma Open on Grand Lake
GROVE, Okla. – The Kiefer High School duo of Grayson Hudson of Kiefer, Oklahoma, and Gunnar Francis of Glenpool, Oklahoma, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces to win the 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Oklahoma Open tournament on Grand Lake. The win advanced the team to the 2018 High School Fishing National championship, held June 26-30, on a fishery yet to be revealed.
According to post-tournament reports, the Kiefer duo caught their fish using black and blue-colored jigs that were custom-made by their boat captain, Shane Francis. Despite the windy conditions they reported catching six keepers, fishing deep and shallow, with the majority of their fish coming shallow.
A field of 74 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the 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.
The top 7 teams on Grand Lake that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Kiefer High School, Kiefer, Okla. – Grayson Hudson, Kiefer, Okla., and Gunner Francis, Glenpool, Okla., five bass, 12-15
2nd: Kiefer High School, Kiefer, Okla. – Garrett Hale, Kiefer, Okla., and Jeremy Tolle, Bixby, Okla., five bass, 11-8
3rd: Henryetta High School, Henryetta, Okla. – Bo Adams and Logan Hall, both of Henryetta, Okla., four bass, 10-11
4th: Braggs High School, Braggs, Okla. – Carter Miller, Braggs, Okla., and Brodey White, Gore, Okla., five bass, 10-7
4th: Rangers County Bass Anglers – James Cagle and Jordan Gotcher, both of Claremore, Okla., five bass, 10-7
4th: Noble High School, Noble, Okla. – Brycen Soliday and Jaxon Windsor, both of Noble, Okla., four bass, 10-7
7th: Round Rock High School, Round Rock, Texas – Will Davenport and Cody Buerkie, both of Round Rock, Texas, five bass, 9-13
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
8th: Topeka Capital City Bass Hogs – Brock Bila, Overland Park, Kan., and Thomas Heinen, Topeka, Kan., five bass, 8-14
9th: Neosho High School, Neosho, Mo. – Trevyn Couch, Joplin, Mo., and Luis Barrett, Neosho, Mo., three bass, 8-13
10th: Grove High School, Grove, Okla. – Case Marsh, Grove, Okla., and Nate Sauer, Vinita, Okla., four bass, 8-11
Complete results from the event and photos of the top five teams can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Oklahoma 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 High School Fishing National Championship. 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 high school bass tournament, the 2018 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2017 World Finals more than $60,000 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 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 258 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. 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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