Jasper, Tx- Feb. 7- February bass fishing in East Texas can mean only a couple of things, the pre-spawn fish are heavy and hungry. Stumbling upon the right place at the right time during this time of the year can produce some huge bags of fish and memories that will last a lifetime. Just ask the Jasper HS team of Hunter Martindale and Chase Webb, who brought in the largest sack of fish that has ever been weighed at an SETX event, 25.48 lbs! The Jasper team of 8th graders, captained by Craig Martindale, have always managed to catch a few fish and get themselves some very respectable SETX finishes, but nothing could have prepared them for the day they had last Saturday as they participated in the second of five tournaments on the Ford/Skeeter SETX HS Fishing Association Trail. Their story and others below:

1st Place- 25.48 LBS- Hunter Martindale and Chase Webb- Jasper HS- After a very average practice day on Friday, boat captain Craig Martindale felt pretty good about his team being able to run their Nitro/Mercury up just north of the 147 bridge to fill a limit pre spawn Rayburn bass, but was not very confident in the size of the fish. “We felt pretty good about getting five fish today, but it took everything lining up perfect to be able to do what those kids did today, it was a textbook pre spawn pattern and we just happened to hit it just right” said the very humble Martindale. Webb and Martindale threw Carolina rigged zoom brush hogs on Castaway rods loaded with Seaguar fluorocarbon to 9-12 foot of water to fill their live wells by 8:30. The bag was anchored by a 9.41 LB behemoth that “did not take too kindly to a net”, said Martindale. The team would like to thank all of the sponsors who support the Jasper HS Team and Ms Stephanie Martindale for all of her help with the Jasper team.

2nd Place- 19.86 LBS- Jacob Knight and Brennan Johnson- Huntington HS- Focusing on two primary spots around the 147 bridge area, boat captain Bobby Knight was able to get his team on some quality fish, including a 7.16 LB bass to anchor a nearly 20 LB bag. “ We had two spots in the 6-7 foot range, one about 150 yards long”, said Knight. “Jacob and Brennan threw red Excalibur one knockers to gather their largest 5 fish”, continued Knight. The team even had to overcome some battery problems and some small “netting issues” during the day, but a near 20 LB bag will always put a smile on everyone’s faces at the end of the day. The team would like to thank God for the opportunities he has given them, along with Mr John BaNatta, Kris Hunt, their parents, LEWS and the rest of the SETX sponsors, and finally, the SETX board for their hard work.

3rd Place- 17.43 LBS- Devin Prine and Mason Marie- Buna HS- When their initial morning spot found 4 boats already on it, the team from Buna had to make some quick decisions. Those decisions paid off in a big way when boat captain Nathan Prine decided to hit some spots he had found just last year. “Last year, I caught some pretty good fish on those spots and I thought we would give them a shot”. “We knew pretty quick that the quality we needed was there”, continued Prine. Devin and Mason threw Alabama rigs and Carolina rigged Senko’s into 20-22 foot of water to gather their creel, which was anchored by a 6.39 Rayburn monster. They wished to thank the Buna HS team sponsors of West LTD and SE Cable Construction, along with team advisor Mr. Ted O’Dell for all of his help.

The rest of the top ten are as follows:

4th place- Caleb Desormeaux-Trey Frederick- 16.01 LBs- Hamshire Fannett

5th place- Ty Moorhead-Seth Moorhead- 15.77 LBS- Jasper

6th place- Cody Brabham-J.T. Stutzman- 15.75 LBS- Kirbyville

7th place- Cody Riley-Hayden Standford- 14.88 LBS- Chester

8th place- Colton Fountain- Jared Williams- 14.82 LBS- Kirbyville

9th place- Jacob Talley- Madison Mills- 14.43 LBS- Lumberton

10th place- Kagen Nevills- Bayley Rowland- 14.39 LBS- Hudson

B.A.S.S. HS Open- March 14th- Toledo Bend. Please see team advisor for details.

The next SETX event is scheduled for March 28th- Sam Rayburn

With the backing of sponsors like South Texas Ford Dealers Association and Skeeter Boats, the SETX HS Fishing Association has emerged as the largest HS fishing trail in the country. A huge thank you goes out to the SETX HS Fishing Association Sponsors for 2014-2015: These are the companies that make all of this possible for the kids of Southeast Texas. Please thank them at every opportunity and support these businesses whenever posssible because they support the kids of SETX.

Lews, Costa Del Mar, Coastal Field Services, Academy, Lowrance, Rattletrap, Gopher Industries, West LTD, Bass King Clothing, Kick N Bass, Clark Reehm and the Elite Angler Academy, Lake Fork Tackle/Rod Sox, Gator Guards.

For full results or more information about our sponsors, please visit www.setxhighschoolfishing.com or visit or face book page at https://www.facebook.com/setxhighschoolfishing

Story submitted by Jet Donovan