Howard & Chavez on top in first event of it’s kind for B.A.S.S. in North Carolina

Tournament bass fishing has seen a lot of changes over the years. Most importantly, in my opinion, we’ve seen the doors open for younger generations to compete under the same formats as the pros. The introduction of collegiate bass fishing saw some amazing growth. Who would have ever thought the concept would soon trickle down into the high school level, where not only can these young adults battle it out on the football field on Friday nights, they can now go face to face with other area schools on the water as well. The concept of high school fishing competition is slowly catching on. Some states already recognize it as a sanctioned high school sport. Others are gaining momentum with more and more schools showing interest. North Carolina is one of those states gaining momentum.

The Angler’s Choice North Carolina High School Open Series, operating under the North Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation umbrella held its inaugural event October 26, 2013 on Kerr Lake near Henderson, NC. This was the first of four tournament events that will allow these young anglers to accumulate points that will be used to determine the top two teams that will advance to the B.A.S.S. High School Championship. The format requires two high school anglers to pair up for each event, catch and weigh their five largest fish at days end, and earn points based on their finishing order. The two teams with the highest scores after the four events will represent North Carolina at the National Championship.

Ethan Howard and Chris Chavez got off to a great start in their quest for the championship by winning the Kerr Lake event with a five fish limit tipping the scales at 11.75 lbs. Howard also landed the Bass Pro Shops lunker of the event with his 3.90 kicker. Taking the second position was the team of Owen Smith and Roman Fontaine with 5.90 lbs. The duo of Quinton Carwell and Zach Greene nailed down the third spot with 5.45 lbs. Grabbing the fourth spot with 4.80 lbs was the pair of Raymond Lines and Andrew Johnson. Rounding out the top five included the team of Bobby Bauer and Jacob Keever with 4.20 lbs.

Complete results can be found by clicking here.

The next scheduled event will take place 11/30/13 on Lake Norman. A complete schedule is listed below. For more information on how your school can start its own High School team or for more information on these upcoming events contact Bob Bauer at 336-972-0393.