High School Fishing Championships Headed for Illinois

B.A.S.S. has announced dates and locations for high school fishing events – a discipline of the sport that is growing rapidly.

The Midwestern Open will take place May 17 on Lake Springfield out of Springfield, Ill.
 
The 2015 Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship will be held on Kentucky Lake, July 22-25, in conjunction with the 2015 Junior Bassmaster Championship, which will be held on Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake, on July 24-25.
 
“Our High School program continues to grow at an exponential rate,” said Hank Weldon, B.A.S.S. High School tournament manager. “We expect a considerably larger field in this year’s championship. And, when you add in ESPNU cameras and the fact that we’re fishing one of the best lakes in the country, it should be a really exciting event.”
 
The week’s events are made possible by a joint effort of three hosts, Carroll County, Paris-Henry County Alliance and Bethel University.
 
“We are excited to once again be working with our great partners at B.A.S.S., Henry County Alliance and Bethel University to bring the 2015 Costa Bassmaster High School Championship back to North West Tennessee,” said Brad Hurley of Carroll County.
 
This is the second year in a row that the national championship will be held on Kentucky Lake.
 
“We are thrilled to host the Costa Bassmaster High School Championship at Paris Landing on beautiful Kentucky Lake,” said David Hamilton, CEO of the Henry County Alliance. “Kentucky Lake is one of the top lakes for bass fishing, and these high school anglers are excited to return to Kentucky Lake to compete for the national championship title.”
 
The full field will compete on Days 1 and 2, after which the field will be cut to the Top 10.
 
On July 24, the Top 10 will take the day off while the remainder of the Top 50 moves over to Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake to compete in a one-day last chance shootout for two more spots back in the National Championship field. The last-chance weigh-in will be held in downtown Huntington, Tenn.
 
Then on July 25, the newly appointed Top 12 will compete on Kentucky Lake to crown the 2015 high school national champions. The final day championship weigh-in will take place at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tenn.
 
“We’re very excited to be chosen as the location and host community again this year,” said Gary Mason of Bethel University. “We’re looking forward to seeing all the young anglers come down and have a good time and looking forward to possibly recruiting some of those great young anglers to fish for the bass team at Bethel University.”
 
The Junior Bassmaster Championship is unlike any previous junior championship because it will be a team format. The event will be comprised of teams — varying from ages 7 to 13 — from each state within the six B.A.S.S. Nation divisions.
 
“We wanted to offer each state’s junior program a chance to advance to a national tournament,” Weldon said. “We are fully committed to expanding our youth fishing initiatives, and we’re extremely excited for an opportunity to continue to grow the sport with the 2015 Junior Bassmaster Championship.”
 
Competitors will compete on Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake on July 24-25. The Junior Championship anglers will weigh in with the High School anglers on Day 1 in downtown Huntingdon and then on Day 2 at Bethel’s campus.
 
For more information on how to get involved in the B.A.S.S. High School Nation or the Junior Bassmaster Championship, visit Bassmaster.com.

About B.A.S.S.: B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing. 

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.