Final Standings (Listed with day-two catch) :
1. Syler Prince, Palatka, Fla., Southern Division, 8-14 (4)
2. Jeremy Toler, Oceana, W.Va., Mid-Atlantic Division, 3-10 (2)
3. Nicholas Frumkin, Lincoln, Mass., Eastern Division, 1-8 (1)
4. Dalton Smith, Brandon, Miss., Central Division, 0-0
5. Matagi Fa’avale, Coalville, Utah, Western Division, 0-0
6. Reece Fisher, Westfield, Ind., Northern Division, 0-0
bass for 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Next was Dalton Smith of
Brandon, Miss., who paced the Central Division with two bass
for 4 pounds, 14 ounces.
In the Western Division, Matagi Fa’avale of Coalville, Utah,
advanced with one bass weighing 3 pounds, 1 ounce. Reece
Fisher of Westfield, Ind., sacked a lone fish weighing 2 pounds,
2 ounces to lead the Northern Division, while Nicholas
Frumkin of Lincoln, Mass., topped his Eastern Division rivals
with a single bass weighing 1 pound, 14 ounces.
Weights were zeroed on day two, giving all finalists a fresh
start in the championship round.
Prince threw a topwater popper along a seawall early in
the day to pick up one bass, then targeted weedy main-lake
banks with the same soft bait that had carried him through
on day one.
“I tried other presentations, but it turned out flippin’ the
grass was what I needed to do,” he says.
His go-to rig included a green pumpkin crawdad-style bait
with a 1/2-ounce tungsten weight, bobber stop, bead and
flipping hook.
“I put my head down and just kept fishing,” he adds. “I
basically never sat down except for the boat ride.”
The approach paid off with three more keepers for a total
weight of 8 pounds, 14 ounces – enough for Prince to claim
the coveted JWC crown.
“This is great. It feels awesome,” he said after being
crowned the champ. The title earned him a $3,000 college
scholarship.
Winning the JWC is a major accomplishment, and Prince
hopes the feat constitutes one of many memorable mile-
stones in a bass fishing career that’s just beginning.
Currently in seventh grade, the talented 12-year-old looks
forward to high school and collegiate fishing competitions.
And considering that other TBF junior anglers have gone on
to compete on the FLW Tour and in the Forrest Wood Cup,
Prince’s student angler achievements could be just the
beginning.
Dalton Smith
Matagi Fa’avale
Reece Fisher
Jeremy Toler
Nicholas Frumkin
OCTOBER 2017 I FLWFISHING.COM
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