2019 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HEADS TO NORTH LITTLE ROCK
T
Illinois anglers Trey McKinney (right) and James Baker won the
2018 TBF Junior World Championship in Arkansas.
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he 2019 Junior World Championship (JWC) has
been scheduled for Aug. 8-10 on the Arkansas
River in North Little Rock, Ark. It will be held in
conjunction with the 2019 FLW Cup on Lake Hamilton in
nearby Hot Springs, Ark.
The 2019 JWC will be a two-person team event for
anglers under 15 years of age as of Aug. 31, 2019. The
full field will compete for two days, with the tournament
concluding on a third and final cut day consisting of the
top performers from each TBF division. Teams will fish
out of their own boats using their own boat captains.
“We are excited to host the TBF Junior World
Championship in North Little Rock,” says Erica Goss,
sales manager for the North Little Rock Convention &
Visitors Bureau. “We’re ready to show off not only the
great fishing on the Arkansas River, but also the great
hospitality North Little Rock has to offer.”
Besides all the excitement of the competition, an
added benefit of the North Little Rock area is proximity
to amenities. The JWC boat yard and weigh-ins will be
near Wyndham Riverfront, the riverside host hotel.
Anglers can stock up at a large Bass Pro Shops. Plus,
North Little Rock is close enough to attend the FLW Cup
Expo and weigh-ins at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs
after the juniors weigh in. Family, state presidents and
state federation officers will also appreciate the Clinton
National Airport.
“We’re happy to be returning to the state of
Arkansas and to the North Little Rock area, specifically,”
says TBF President and CEO Robert Cartlidge. “We
received some feedback from multiple families last year
that a close airport would benefit moms, dads and
other family members who would like to fly in to watch
their kids weigh in but cannot drive and stay all week
long. Additionally, we hold our
annual state Federation leadership
meetings with all the state
Federation officers at this event,
and many of them fly in. With
excellent fishing on the Arkansas
River in August, North Little Rock
fits the bill to a tee.”
The junior program was started
in 1994 by four state Federations
and has grown into a program that
cultivates the future of the sport. It
is dedicated to young anglers dis-
covering their love for fishing and
the great outdoors.
In fact, many of today’s top pro-
fessional bass anglers started in the
TBF Junior World Championship
circle when they were young,
including Jacob Wheeler (2006),
Shane LeHew (2007 champ) and
Justin Atkins (2008).
For more information about
JWC rules, results and past win-
ners, visit BassFederation.com.
FLWFISHING.COM I SUMMER 2019