DECATUR, Ala. (Oct. 1, 2018) – The Brooks High School duo of Karsten Rotten and Mason Hunt, both of Killen, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Wheeler Lake Open presented by YETI.

According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their limit targeting rocky bottoms with a green-pumpkin-colored jig near the dam.

A field of 43 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Ingalls Harbor. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top four teams on Wheeler Lake that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:

1st:     Brooks High School, Killen, Ala. – Karsten Rotten and Mason Hunt, both of Killen, Ala., five bass, 13-12

2nd:    Cedar Bluff High School, Cedar Bluff, Ala. – Colin McCullough, Cedar Bluff, Ala., and Justin Hamlin, Fort Payne, Ala., five bass, 12-10

3rd:     Union County High School, Blairsville, Ga. – William Harkins and Logan Anderson, both of Blairsville, Ga., five bass, 12-1

4th:     Sylvania High School, Sylvania, Ala. – Riley Johnson, Henegar, Ala., and Drake Casey, Sylvania Ala., five bass, 8-15

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

5th:     Fairview High School, Fairview, Ala. – Levi Harris and Bryar Chambers, both of Cullman, Ala., five bass, 8-10

6th:     Tuscaloosa County High School, Northport, Ala. – Kole Key and Logan Hicks, both of North Port, Ala., five bass, 8-2

7th:     Tuscaloosa County High School, Northport, Ala. – Austin Sullivan, Northport, Ala., and Christian Boyd, Berry, Ala., five bass, 7-12

8th:     Fairhope High School, Fairhope, Ala. – Mason Guinn and Emilie Ann Eastman, both of Fairhope, Ala., five bass, 7-7

9th:     Sylvania High School, Sylvania, Ala. – Dawson Campbell, Henegar, Ala., and Andrew Smart, Pisgah, Ala., four bass, 7-3

10th:   Helena High School, Helena, Ala. – J.C. Sivley and Skyler Stevens, both of Helena, Ala., five bass, 6-13

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

The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Wheeler Lake Open presented by YETI was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.

In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.

Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.