ANDERSON, S.C. (Oct. 27, 2025) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) High School Fishing team of Justin Gilpin and Dalton Green, representing the Devildog Anglers from Travelers Rest, South Carolina, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces to win the MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open on Lake Hartwell Presented by Columbia PFG in Anderson, South Carolina.

A field of 65 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted by Visit Anderson. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10% of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The six teams that advance to the 2026 High School Fishing National Championship are:

1st:          Devildog Anglers, Travelers Rest, S.C. – Justin Gilpin and Dalton Green, five bass, 12-14
2nd:        Gaffney High School, Gaffney, S.C. – Cole Hicks and Scott Varner, five bass, 12-9
3rd:        Laurens District 55 High School, West Laurens, S.C. – James Pinson and Owen Satterwhite, five bass, 11-3
4th:         Triangle Bass Club, N.C. – Nathan McCoy and Levi Stanley, five bass, 10-15
5th:         Cartersville High Fishing Team, Cartersville, Ga. – Britton Alery and Owen Wiggins, five bass, 10-10
6th:         Central High School, Carrollton, Ga. – Wyatt Harmon and Jonah Yates, five bass, 10-8                          

Rounding out the Top 10 teams were:

7th:         Central High School, Carrollton, Ga. – Hunter Dickinson and Case Payton, five bass, 10-7
8th:         Greenbrier High School Bass Club, Evans, Ga. – Evan Beard and Tyler Wilson, five bass, 10-5
9th:         Devildog Anglers, Travelers Rest, S.C. – Ben Buczkowski and Holt Gonzales, five bass, 9-10
10th:      Chapman High School, Inman, S.C. – Matthew Bicknell and Carson Harrell, five bass, 9-9

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% of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters 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, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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 20 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.