COLUMBUS, Miss. (March 13, 2017) – The West Point High School duo of Jordan Camp and Matthew Bagwell, both of West Point, Mississippi, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the 2017 FLW High School Fishing Mississippi Open tournament at Columbus Pool in Columbus, Mississippi. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.

 

A field of 29 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Columbus Marina in Columbus. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top two teams on Columbus Pool that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:

1^st:          West Point High School – Jordan Camp and Matthew Bagwell, both of West Point, Miss., five bass, 13-1

2^nd:         North Mississippi Student Anglers – Hunter Nanney, Dumas, Miss., and Jake Kimbrough, Smithville, Miss., five bass, 11-13

Rounding out the top 10 teams was:

3^rd:          West Point High School – Katie Wilson and Dylan Doss, both of West Point, Miss., five bass, 11-13

4^th:          New Life Christian Academy – Joshua Rush and Aaron Williams, both of Laurel, Miss., five bass, 11-11

5^th:          Smithville High School – Landon McMellon, Greenwood Springs, Miss., and T.J. Edwards, Tremont, Miss., five bass, 11-11

6^th:          Hamilton High School – Houston Vaiden and Tucker Welch, both of Hamilton, Miss., five bass, 10-6

7^th:          Smithville High School – Daniel McAfee, Amory, Miss., and Marietta Guthery, Smithville, Miss., four bass, 8-14

8^th:          St. Martin High School – Brandon Morano and Paul Swan, both of Ocean Springs, Miss., five bass, 8-8

9^th:          Hatley High School – Blake Duncan and Auston Ballard, both of Smithville, Miss., four bass, 8-3

10^th:        West Tennessee Bass Anglers – Cameron Massey, Somerville, Tenn., and Austin Sherrod, Eads, Tenn., four bass, 7-13

In order to break the tie between the second- and third-place teams, FLW tournament officials adhered to FLW High School Fishing Rule No. 17, which states that ties are to be broken first by total number of fish for the tournament, total number of live fish, the earliest entry for the tournament and finally by lottery.

Complete results from the event can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The 2017 FLW High School Fishing Mississippi Open 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 High School Fishing National Championship. 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 high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 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 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. 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.

About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.