DAYTON, Tenn. (Oct. 21, 2024) – The MLF High School Fishing team of Bill Gaines and Owen Wiggins of Taylorsville, Georgia, representing the Cartersville High Fishing Team, brought five bass to the scale weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces to win the MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open at Lake Chickamauga Presented by Simms.

A field of 37 teams competed Saturday in the no-entry-fee tournament, which was hosted by Fish Dayton – Rhea Economic & Tourism Council. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top three teams that advanced to the 2025 High School Fishing National Championship are:

1st:        Cartersville High Fishing Team, Cartersville, Ga., Bill Gaines and Owen Wiggins, five bass, 17-10
2nd:       Kingston Fishing Team, Kingston, Tenn., Hayden Barnett and Camdyn Cranfill, five bass, 13-6
3rd:       Kingston Fishing Team, Kingston, Tenn., Jackson Daugherty and James Lane, five bass, 12-15

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

4th         Kaneland High School, Maple Park, Ill., JD McBroom and Carter Pjesky, five bass, 12-10
5th         Galatia High School, Galatia, Ill., Brian Gibbs and Mace Ridgeway, five bass, 11-12
6th         Smoky Mountain Anglers, Tennessee, Carson Holbert and Cooper Moon, four bass, 10-3
7th         Alcoa Fishing Team, Tennessee, Tanner Howerton and Ainsley Lynn, four bass, 7-3
8th         Gordon Lee High School, Chickamauga, Ga., Bryson Johnson and Eli Massey, four bass, 6-13
9th         Richland County High School, Olney, Ill., Drake Koester and Jakoby Vandyke, two bass, 6-8
10th      Salem Community High School, Salem, Ill., Peyton Bumgardner and Ben Ryan, two bass, 6-4

Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing presented by Tackle Warehouse tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Tournaments held on or before May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2024 National Championship. Tournaments held after May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2025 National Championship.

The 2025 Abu Garcia High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals events will take place June 25-27, at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. The High School Fishing National Champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2025 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse include: 7 Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.