Georgia Magazine - August 2021 - 16

Hooked
on bass fi shing
Newly sanctioned sport is making a diff erence
for high schoolers
Story and photos by Pamela A. Keene
B
ass fishing can change the lives of teens, and team fishing
is now an official competitive sport in Georgia high
schools as of the 2020-21 school year.
" Team bass fishing has so many benefits, especially now
that it's an officially sanctioned sport through the Georgia High
School Association [GHSA], " says Mary Jones-Hudson, fishing
coach at Harris County High School in Hamilton. " From the
possibility of young anglers receiving college scholarships to
requiring participants to keep up their grades, just like any
student who plays GHSA sports, it can help change their futures. "
Jones-Hudson proudly tells the story of a youngster who
was failing classes and was ready to drop out of high school.
" When he found out that he could be part of our fishing
team-but only if he got his grades up and kept them there-it
was amazing to see how he turned his studies and life around, "
she says.
Other adults involved in high school angling agree.
" Fishing really benefits these kids on so many levels, " says
Nick Faulkner, boat captain for teams at Evans High School in
Columbia County and parent of team member Jayden Fisher
Faulkner. " It proves that they don't have to be athletic to be
competitive, and it really helps them socially because they learn
teamwork, discipline and self-confidence. "
High school fishing is open to male and female students
and creates a level playing field for competitors. Schools typically
have three to eight two-person teams that practice and fish
tournaments as a team.
Georgia's first GHSA state championship
The GHSA hosted its first state bass-fishing championship
in May on Lake Lanier. Sixty-six teams from more than 40 high
schools converged at Gainesville's Laurel Park on a Friday afternoon
to prepare for the 6:30 a.m. start the next day. Teams consisting
of two anglers each and their adult boat captains spent
eight hours on the water, returning by 2:30 p.m. to have their
catches weighed. Once the fish are weighed, they're released
back into the water.
16 Georgia Magazine August 2021
From left, Mara Anderson and Presley Tillman from Appling County
High School in Baxley were the top all-female crew out of more
than 60 teams.
A five-fish limit was enforced for each team. Most teams
caught more than that, released the smaller ones and brought
their top five catches in for the official weigh-in. Fish must be at
least 14 inches long to be entered in the competition.
Two teams from Columbia County snagged first and second
place in the championship. Two pounds, 1 ounce separated
the Evans High School team (Jayden Fisher Faulkner and Davis
Madden) from the Greenbrier High team (Tanner Hadden and
Tyler Starkey). The first-place Evans High team's catch totaled 20
pounds, 3 ounces.
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Georgia Magazine - August 2021

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