Bass Tournament History Made On Seminole

On Jan. 23, history was made on Lake Seminole as the Georgia High School Association held its first-ever bass tournament. The event drew an impressive 120 boats filled with two-man teams from every corner of the state as anglers battled for a chance to qualify for the state championship that will take place on May 8 at Lake Lanier.

“We were really pleased and excited about the turnout for the event on Seminole, and based on the participation level, the future of high-school bass fishing looks bright in Georgia,” said Kevin Giddens, associate director of the GHSA.

The largest sack at the first GHSA tournament was a hefty 25.15-lb. bag caught by Bainbridge Bearcats team members Bowynn Brown and Shane Dill.

“Bass fishing has really grown in the collegiate world the past few years, and now it’s transitioning over as a serious high-school sport. It’s amazing that there are several colleges out there handing out more fishing scholarships than for football.”

For a one-time registration fee of a modest $25 per angler, students can fish four qualifier tournaments spread out across the state for a chance to fish at the state championship on Lanier.

“You can fish one event or all four,” said Kevin. “The top-15 finishing teams at each qualifier earn a spot to fish the championship, and for each additional 10 boats over 100 boats, we give an additional spot,” said Kevin.

Since 120 boats participated at Lake Seminole, 17 teams qualified for the State Championship, with several big limits of fish being weighed in. The largest sack was a hefty 25.15-lb. bag caught by Bainbridge Bearcats team members Bowynn Brown and Shane Dill.

“We decided to fish a shallow-water pattern, targeting areas of scattered hydrilla in about 5 feet of water,” said Bowynn. “Me and Shane were able to do a bunch of culling and managed to get into some really good fish. The GHSA put on an awesome event, especially for it to be the first one ever. We were proud to be a part of it and thankful for the opportunity.”

For those interested in learning more about GHSA fishing, information is available on the GHSA website where you can find rules, results and other info.

The tournament series continues on Feb. 13 as student anglers will battle it out on West Point Lake for another chance to get a coveted spot into the state championship.