CROSSLAKE, Minn. (June 4, 2018) – The Elk Mound High School duo of Cole Steinhorst and Blaze Todd, both of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Whitefish Chain Open presented by YETI tournament. The win advanced the team to the 2018 High School Fishing National championship, held June 26-30, on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.

According to post-tournament reports, the duo fished docks using white- and black and blue-colored swimbaits.

A field of 96 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Moonlite Bay in Crosslake. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top nine teams on the Whitefish Chain of Lakes that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:

1^st:          Elk Mound High School, Elk Mound, Wis. – Cole Steinhorst & Blaze Todd, both of Elk Mound, Wis., five bass, 15-14, $400

2^nd:         Brainerd High School, Brainerd, Minn. – Leana Ruggles and Lexus Ruggles, both of Brainerd, Minn., five bass, 15-12

3^rd:          Pequot Lakes High School, Pequot Lakes, Minn. – Grant Loge, Breezy Point, Miss., and Ryan Foty-Helmer, Pequot Lakes, five bass, 15-7

4^th:          St. Michael-Albertville High School, St. Michael, Minn. – Tyler Suchla and Brant Lewis, both of St. Michael, Minn., five bass, 15-4

5^th:          Brainerd High School, Brainerd, Minn. – Wyatt Cronin and Austin Neyens, both of Brainerd, Minn., five bass, 15-4

6^th:          Pequot Lakes High School, Pequot Lakes, Minn. – Dylan Semler, Merrifield, Minn., and Hunter Wendt, Pequot Lakes, five bass, 14-9

7^th:          Catholic Central High School, Burlington, Wis. – Jacob Bigelow, Cecil, Wis., and Bailey Bleser, Burlington, Wis., five bass, 14-7, $400

8^th:          St. Michael-Albertville High School, St. Michael, Minn. – Haley Peterson and Courtney Jenniges, both of St. Michael, Minn., five bass, 14-1

9^th:          Becker High School, Becker, Minn. – Jon Novak and Jacob Novak, both of Clear Lake, Minn., five bass, 13-15

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

The 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Whitefish Chain 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 2018 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2017 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.