By Steve Weisman
Outdoor EditorFor the third consecutive year, the top high school teams and the top Junior teams in grades 3-8 converged on the Okoboji Chain of Lakes to compete at the SAF/TBF High School Bass Fishing Iowa State Championships, sponsored by the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club and Strike King. The numbers broke all previous records with 60 high school teams and 19 in the Junior division.
Held this past Saturday, April 19, the teams launched at the Emerson Bay boat ramp at 6;30 a.m., and returned in flights beginning at 2:30 p.m. After a week of tough pre-fishing conditions with strong winds, Saturday dawned with high skies, a light northwest wind and good fishing conditions.
According to SAF director Bob Harris, “After the tough conditions earlier in the week, it was nice to have a good fishable day for these teams! They definitely deserved a break. We actually kicked off the festivities last evening (Friday) at Oak Hill Outdoor with our rules meeting and regular season award ceremony. We certainly appreciate Oak Hill offering its facility for us. The venue has the perfect outdoor (hunting and fishing) atmosphere with lots of room to hold the high school anglers, their boat captains, along with any family members.”
On the line was the chance for up to six teams to join the already season-long 10 teams that had already qualified for the 2025 High School Fishing World Finals at Grand Lake, Grove, OK., along with two teams for the Junior Division.
A battle in both divisions
Teams in both divisions put on quite a show with 35 high school teams bringing five-fish limit weights to the scales, while 9 teams in the Junior division brought five-fish limit weights to the scales.
In the High School division, the team of Grant Nore and Evan Powell from the Iowa Youth Fishing League (Grimes/Norwalk) won the title with a five-fish limit weight of 26.31 pounds, along with the big fish of the day, a 6.55 pounder. They outdistanced the runner-up team Brentyn Hoover and Lucas Bose from the Southwest Iowa Fishing Team (Anita/Underwood) with their five-fish limit weight of 20.87 pounds. Meanwhile, the third place team of Allie Wheelock and Kael Moore from the Cedar Falls Fishing Team (Waterloo/Cedar Falls) brought a five-fish limit weight of 18.44 pounds to the scale.
Quality fish were the name of the game with eight fish weighing over 5.45 pounds. A total of 225 bass were brought to the scales averaging 2.38 pounds.
The Junior division teams also brought quality fish to the scales with the top team of Brayden Stennhoek and Lane Lewis from the Iowa Youth Fishing League Jr. Club (Indianola/West Des Moines) with a five-fish limit weight of 17.22 pounds, including the biggest bass of the tournament with a 6.70 pounder. Second place and a five-fish weight of 15.44 pounds went to the team of Walter Louk and Leon Pauley from the Central Iowa Student Angler & Southwest Iowa Fishing Team, respectively (Jefferson/Harlan). The third place team of Jessa Miller and Carter Clancey from the Northwest Iowa Jr. Bass Team (Spirit Lake/Melvin) brought in a five-fish weight of 13.85 pounds. A total of 52 bass were brought to the scales in the Junior division.
The 2:30 p.m. weigh-in mirrored the major bass tournaments with a trailer and stage with teams bringing their fish up to the official scale. Teams were brought to the weigh-in area in flights. A PA system was used to announce weights with everything livestreamed on the Southwest Iowa Fishing Team Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/swifishingteam/?locale=eu_ES). Interested viewers can go to page and see the results.
A true team effort
While the fishing partners are a big part of the team, a truly important part of success in this team format is the leadership of boat captain/mentor, who provides the boat and captains the boat. Harris says, “None of this would be possible without their investment of money, time and emotional support for our youth. These mentors have such a positive impact on their ‘youth partners.’ Not only are they learning about the ups and downs of fishing, but it’s also about learning integrity and sportsmanship as they work to solve the fishing patterns and the changes that are constantly occurring, just like the problem solving they do in real life.”
Harris reflected on the success of the tournament. “Everything went so well. The weather cooperated, the fish cooperated…what else can you ask for! I’d also like to thank all our sponsors and volunteers for making this a truly special day for our anglers and boat captains. I’d like to especially mention the efforts of the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club (IGLFC). They were extremely important in helping make this event happen. It is obvious through their efforts that the IGLFC has a mission of investing in the youth of our state. I’d like to also thank the local community for welcoming us and helping make sure we had everything we needed!”
