The Shoals Youth Bassmasters fished Wheeler Lake out of First Creek on May 30. The youth club, the oldest and largest active B.A.S.S. Youth club in the U.S., had a good turnout for their first tournament of the 2015 season. Fifty-nine club members participated in the club’s first tournament of 2015.
Shoals Youth Bassmasters winners from each age division. SYBM photo
The conditions were a little less than perfect with hot temperatures, only a slight wind and overcast sky. However, the young bass anglers brought in some impressive bags of bass to the scales. The heaviest bag
Hayden Smith with his dad Jason holding bass they boated. SYBM photo
in all divisions was a hefty 18 lbs. 1 oz. weighed by Hayden Smith. Smith also had the big fish of the tournament, a 5 lb. 1 oz. largemouth bass. The second heaviest bag from all divisions was 13 lbs, 11 oz. brought to the scales by Ty Cobb.
The club members fish in one of three divisions; ten years of age and younger, eleven to fifteen year olds and a sixteen to eighteen year old division. The Shoals Youth Bassmasters fish from 7AM to 11AM. Here are the results from the May 30 tournament:
10 and under group
1st Place Hayden Smith, 18 lbs. 1 oz.
2nd Place Troy Bates, 9 lbs. 9 oz.
3rd Place Peyton Davidson, 8 lbs. 9 oz.
4th Place Hudson Dunkin, 8 lbs. 8 oz.
11 to 15 age group
1st Place Ty Cobb, 13 lbs. 11 oz.
2nd Place Hunter Tyler, 12 lbs. 5 oz.
3rd Place Garrett Gibbs, 10 lbs. 10 oz.
3rd Place Jared Sparks, 10 lbs. 10 oz. (tie broken with big fish Gibbs 4lbs 15oz)
16 to 18 age group
1st Place Jonathon Peters, 10 lbs. 14 oz.
Jason Smith shows club members how to “fizz” a bass. SYBM photo
2nd Place Logan Peden, 9 lbs. 13 oz.
3rd Place Anna Grace England, 7 lbs.
Hayden Smith had the big fish for the tourney with a 5lb. 1oz. largemouth.
Richard Laxson, director of the Shoals Youth Bassmasters, said, “We are educating our youth in more than fishing. For example, at the First Creek tournament, the young anglers were shown how to ‘fizz’ bass to relive the pressure in the fish’s air bladder.” Deflating the fish’s bladder dramatically increases the bass’ survivability.
