THE BASS FEDERATION Edited by Mason Prince
CLEPPER , FORD CLAIM HIGH SCHOOL FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
The Bass Federation ( TBF ) has been putting on the High School Fishing National Championship and World Finals for 13 years , and for the first time ever , a female student angler walked away with the top prize .
Pickwick Lake played host in late June to the 2022 High School Fishing National Championship , which featured 200 boats from student anglers all over the country . With that large of a field on any impoundment of the Tennessee River , it ’ s really anyone ’ s tournament to win . With over 43,000 surface acres and an abundance of options to fish , Pickwick provided the field plenty of room to find productive areas .
But one team found its best spot on Day 1 and didn ’ t stray from there for the rest of the tournament : the winning team of Fallon Clepper and Wyatt Ford .
“ We stayed on our juice the entire time ,” Ford admitted . “ That was the only spot we consistently caught fish over 2 pounds , so we figured we would try to win it all and stay there all day .”
Ford and Clepper hail from Lake Creek High School in Montgomery , Texas , and led wire-to-wire over the three-day event , totaling nine bass for 39 pounds , 9 ounces ( each team was limited to weighing in three keepers per day ).
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 91