The TBF’s motto is Youth-Conservation-Fishing, and with the recent outbreak of High School Tournament Fishing they have really drawn some attention and support from anglers far and wide.
The TBF has started the High School fishing league with the intention of making it the biggest youth initiative ever and they passed that with flying colors. Almost 200 high school student’s show cased their talents at the inaugural high school event held last July on Lake Dardanelle. The top prize was a $4,000/yr renewable scholarship to Bethel University along with a spot on the college’s fishing team. This year’s prize has not been announced but is expected to be much better than last year’s, which was already amazing.
The TBF has also come out with the State Championships that are being held in each state around the country (with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii). The tournament prize is a qualification in the regional high school event which is held in conjunction with the Regional Collegiate Championship. The winning team will be awarded a brand new Ranger Bass Boat to use during the tournament along with paid travel expenses, and state tournament jerseys. Anglers who complete the online quiz component involving boater safety and conservation will be lined up with contingency prizes presented by their state’s Wildlife and Fisheries. Prizes include Cabela’s inflatable life vests, hats, and multi-tools.
The first event this year was on Caddo Lake, Louisiana February 25-26. The remaining state tournaments are expected to be finished by June. If you have not signed up for your states tournament and would like to do so, you can go to www.bassfederation.com and sign up. Both the Dardanelle and State Championship events require no entry fee, but do require a $25 fee collected for FLW and TBF dues.
I encourage you to sign up soon because these are events of a lifetime.
Tight Lines,
JP Kimbrough
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