TBF
WHAT ’ S MAKING NEWS IN THE BASS FEDERATION
By Dan Johnson
PRINCE WINS JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Syler Prince conquered a tough bite and hard-fishing field of the nation ’ s top youth anglers to win The Bass Federation ’ s 2017 Junior World Championship ( JWC ) Aug . 11-12 on South Carolina ’ s Lake Wateree .
The no-entry-fee event featured 11- to 15-year-old state champions from 36 state federations and offered more than $ 10,000 in prizes and scholarships .
On day one of the two-day event , which coincided with the Forrest Wood Cup on nearby Lake Murray , the junior anglers fished against competitors from their own TBF divisions for a chance to advance to Saturday ’ s final round . Each angler was paired with another contestant and an adult boat captain , who piloted the boat , but didn ’ t fish .
Lake Wateree provided the perfect proving ground . The 13,700-acre reservoir offered plenty of elbowroom and a variety of fish-holding cover and structure , ranging from shoreline vegetation to docks , bridges and offshore sweet spots . Adding to the challenge , the lake ’ s largemouth bass uncharacteristically played hard to catch .
Prince , of Palatka , Fla ., started his bid for the title by leading the Southern Division with two bass weighing 4 pounds , 4 ounces .
“ Today went really well ,” he said after the day-one weighin . “ I didn ’ t miss any fish . I did what I wanted to do . I had the bites that I needed , and I got it done .”
Meanwhile , the Mid-Atlantic Division ’ s Jeremy Toler of Oceana , W . Va ., sacked day one ’ s heaviest weight with three
A strong second day spent flipping grass pushed Syler Prince to the top of the Junior World Championship .
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FLWFISHING . COM I OCTOBER 2017