Jasper, Tx May 17- Impending thunderstorms, high winds, and water were some of the obstacles Mother Nature threw at almost 340 SETX teams last Sunday as the SETX HS Fishing Association hosted their final qualifying event in the Ford Championship Series presented by Skeeter Boats. "The kids and captains are going to have to overcome a few obstacles today" said SETX President Bryan Thomas. "Our boat captains have a huge responsibility today, but it is days like today when they can really teach our anglers good safety habits on the water. As a kid, you tend to remember days like today more than the others" Thomas continued. Getting off to a good start with the morning bite would be critical for all the teams, because in all likelihood, the mid day and afternoon would see many of them scrambling from the incoming storms and having to fish where they could, not where they want. One thing is for sure, all of our top 3 teams shared a common trait on Sunday, they made the best of a bad situation (high winds) and turned the obstacle into opportunity.
1st Place- 20.01 LBS- Andrew Morris and Hunter Kaemmerling- Hudson HS- Boat Captain John Maddox
The winning team from Hudson proved that adjustments and an open mind during a day of fishing can be quite beneficial. An early morning shad spawn in shallow grass was the primary focus during the early morning hours. The pattern produced a couple of small keepers, but they abandoned it around 9am for another pattern, shallow wood up north, where they quickly filled their limit with some decent fish. Soon after that, the team realized their location left them exposed to the approaching weather system and they had to make another move to gain some protection from the elements. Pulling up on a creek bend and tossing Texas rigged lizards into deeper water proved to be exactly what they needed to cull out a few of their smaller fish. "We thought we had around 18 lbs and felt pretty good about our chances of placing in at least the top 5, but we had no idea that the stinger would bust 20 lbs" said Captain John Maddox. The team is thankful for their win and the opportunity to fish with SETX and wished to thank their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for all of his blessings, and a thank you to all of the SETX crew and sponsors for their hard work.
2nd Place- 17.86 LBS (Big Fish 5.82 LBS)- Lucas Sammons and Trent Wagstaff- Buna HS- Boat Captain Mark Sammons
"If we learned anything today, it was not to be afraid to fish in the wind. The wind was a key factor in just about every single fish the kids caught today", said Boat Captain Marcus Sammons. After launching at Caney Creek, the team from Buna did not go to far to catch fish, but could manage only one small keeper before 8 o clock. Fishing with senko's and frogs, the team decided to make a run to just south of the 147 bridge where they continued on a pattern of smaller fish. "The boys were catching them, just not the size they needed" said Sammons. Around 10 o clock, the team decided to make a short run to just north of the 147 bridge and began catching bigger and culling the smaller fish almost immediately with carolina rigged flukes near grass. Approaching storms quickly had them abandoning this pattern and seeking shelter closer to shore where they continued to catch and cull using frogs in the shallower water. The team wishes to thank the Buna Fishing Team and Mr Ted O Dell for all of his help and the SETX crew and sponsors for all of their hard work.
3rd Place- 17.86 LBS (Big Fish 5.58 LBS)- Bret Herrin and Logan Stapert- Kirbyville HS- Boat Captain Todd Herrin
After an early morning launch at Sandy Creek, the 3rd place team from Kirbyville decided to make the run across an "angry" Sam Rayburn. "It was a rough ride across the lake this morning" said Capt Todd Herrin. We all got sprayed a time or two" he continued. What awaited the team was the kind of day that Sam Rayburn is famous for. "The boys caught 50-60 fish today, they had a blast. They had 5 in the boat within the first hour, including two nice fish back to back" said Capt Herrin. The bite continued for them in the mid lake area til about 11 am when the fish finally slacked off and the approaching storms sent teams running for cover. Herrin reported using U-tail carolina rigged worms and that the credit goes to his wife for the bait choice. "She always catches fish on that worm and I have to give her a little credit for this" said Herrin. The team wished to thank all the sponsors of the Kirbyville Fishing Team, and a big thanks to the SETX crew and SETX sponsors for making this happen.
Rest of top 10
4th Place- 16.09 LBS- Seth and Matthew Martin- Buna
5th Place- 14.72 LBS- Hunter Muncrief and Landen Mccary- West Sabine
6th Place- 14.63 LBS- Brandon Cluck and McGill- Nederland
7th Place- 14.60 LBS- Tyler Thames and Matt Harrell- Lumberton
8th Place- 14.50 LBS- Bailey Bridges and Tyler Ford- Lumberton
9th Place- 14.15 LBS- Hunter Nash and Ranger Phillips- Evans
10th Place- 13.95 LBS- Ben Kelley and Emily Hippler
Top 3 Big Bass
9.15 LBS- Adam Hawthorne and Cody Brunner- Evadale
7.87 LBS- Kaleb Bickham- Warren
6.72 LBS- Brandon Cluck and Mason McGill- Nederland
With the backing of sponsors like the 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.
Lews, Costa Del Mar, Coastal Field Services, Academy, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Rattletrap, Gopher Industries, West LTD, Bass King Clothing, Kick N Bass, Clark Reehm and the Elite angler Academy, Lake Fork Tackle/Rod Sox, and Gator Guards.
For full results or more information about our sponsors, please visit www.setxhighschoolfishing.com or visit our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/setxhighschoolfishing