Georgia Magazine - August 2021 - 18

To be eligible for weigh-in, a
fi sh must be a minimum of 14 inches
long. Fish are measured on-site.
Adult boat captains accompany high school
anglers during the tournament to drive the boats
and help with launching and re-trailering.
15 pounds, 12 ounces.
Anderson and Tillman are in their first year on the Appling
team, but Anderson has been fishing with her father for about
four years.
" The hardest part of fishing is getting up so early, " she says
with a laugh. " I've gotten used to it now, and both Presley and I
love being on the water and competing. "
Lewis and Sellars, 16-year-old cousins, have been fishing
together competitively since fifth grade. Their fathers take turns
driving the boat, because the students aren't allowed to operate
equipment.
As one of a handful of female fishing coaches in Georgia,
Jones-Hudson knows that the angler's gender makes no
difference.
" That fish doesn't know who's on the other end of that fishing
pole, and sometimes the girls show more patience than the
boys, " she says with a smile.
The seventh-grade social studies teacher, who grew up
fishing, has coached the Harris County program for eight years,
taking over for parents who started the club.
" We've been fishing other organizations' tournaments all
that time, " she says. " And as of 2019, the last year we competed
because of the pandemic, I have two students on fishing scholarships
attending the University of Montevallo in Alabama. "
A national movement open to all
" Since the Student Angler Federation (SAF) was founded in
2007 with a handful of clubs, we're now sanctioned by 40-plus
states, " says Randy Sullivan, senior tournament director for the
(SAF) and its parent group, The Bass Federation, based in Ponca
City, Okla.
" The competition is fierce, the male and female anglers are
focused, and many colleges are actively looking to recruit the
best of the best for their own teams. Tournaments offer prizes
18 Georgia Magazine August 2021
or sponsor products. Plus, the level of available
scholarships-either from colleges or as part of the
competitions-continues to increase. "
Professional angling is big business; the top pros pull in
large purses in events across the country. But in some ways,
it's a misunderstood sport because it doesn't involve muscle
or brawn.
To the people who scoff at bass fishing as a sanctioned
GHSA sport, coaches, parents and young anglers all have the
same response: Competitive fishing is hard work and requires
discipline, practice and strategy. You have to get up while it's
still dark-no matter what the weather-launch your boat, then
be on the water for five to seven hours, waiting patiently for the
fish to bite. You have to research the body of water you're going
to fish and know when to move to another spot that might yield
more fish.
" You don't have to lift weights or be agile, but competitive
fishing is still physical, " says D.J. Hadden, who coaches and
serves as a boat captain for Greenbrier High School, where his
wife is the head fishing coach. " These kids don't just sit around
watching a bobber in the water. They stand up for hours in their
boats-you can't fish sitting down-and make multiple casts
every minute.
" The only time they get a break is when they're moving
from one fishing hole to another. Otherwise, they're in the heat,
the cold and the rain and doing their best to bring in the
heaviest catch. "
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer living in Flowery
Branch.
For more information about the GHSA's high school bass
fi shing program, visit ghsa.net/bass-fi shing.
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http://www.ghsa.net/bass-fishing
Georgia Magazine - August 2021

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