sponsors and other partners – including
FLW, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats and
Evinrude – joined the conference,
thanking TBF members for their efforts
to protect and promote America’s fish-
ing heritage.
Numerous awards were handed out
to states that grew during the past year,
along with Lowrance Excellence in
Marketing and Gold State Presidents
awards for top-performing chapters.
Cartlidge also introduced two new
TBF national staff employees: National
Youth Programs Manager Joey Bray
and his wife, Karen Bray, who will work
in the national office and be full-time by
year’s end.
Election News
In TBF Board of Directors news,
Cartlidge was re-elected to a two-year
term as TBF President, CEO and
Chairman of the Board. Oklahoma Bass
Federation President Don Linder was re-
elected to a two-year term on the board,
and new board member Jim Sparrow
(sitting Alabama Bass Federation presi-
dent) was elected to his first term,
replacing the late David Daniel.
Overall, it was an exciting week at
the JWC and the State Leadership
Conference, suggesting big things to
come for TBF in the future.
TOLLE, HALE CROWNED HIGH SCHOOL FISHING
WORLD FINALS CHAMPIONS
T
a 17-pound, 12-ounce limit. Their 23-pound, 9-ounce day-four
he TBF/FLW Student Angler Federation (SAF) hosted the
limit put them atop the leaderboard for good.
ninth annual High School Fishing World Finals June 26-30
Coming in second were Gerald Brumbaugh and Hunter
on Pickwick Lake out of Florence, Ala. Jeremy Tolle and
Klotz of the Central High School Dragons in Martinsburg, Pa.
Garrett Hale from Kiefer High School in Kiefer, Okla., brought
The team had a final-day limit of 19 pounds, 14 ounces.
in the winning limit of bass – 23 pounds, 9 ounces – on the final
“We started out throwing a drop-shot the first day, but we
day to claim the coveted World Finals title, scholarships and
found out that it really caught small fish, then switched to a
prizes. They earned a four-year scholarship award worth
spoon and a big Carolina rig, and that really seemed to get the
$28,000 per year to Bethel University, the top-ranked college
big largemouths out of the bunch,” Brumbaugh says.
fishing program in the country. In addition, the champions each
“You really just had to grind it out, work the baits slow and
received a $250 Cabela’s gift card, World Finals trophies tower-
trust the Carolina rig,” Klotz adds. “And you really had to work
ing nearly 6 feet tall, 50-inch flat-screen TVs and more.
that spoon hard.”
“It’s still crazy. It’s almost like it hasn’t set in yet. Every time
In third place, Cort Walker and Lawson Tilghman from the
I look at the trophy it just blows my mind away,” says Tolle.
Hardin County High School Tigers in Savannah, Tenn., were
Tolle and Hale battled from far back in the pack on day one
awarded a four-year scholarship worth $20,000 per year to
all the way to the top to claim the title.
Bethel University for being the second-highest-finishing
“I’m pretty ecstatic. I’m still on cloud nine right now,” Hale
Junior/Senior eligible team with 17 pounds, 8 ounces. As fate
says. “On the way home we just kept talking about it and redo-
would have it, they already had eligible scholarships to Bethel,
ing it over the whole week. It was crazy because we didn’t even
so they passed the award to fourth-place finishers Luke McHan
think we had a chance. But, on the way home the part that set
and Blake Cobb of the Fanning County High School Fishing
in was that the decisions we made were the right ones.
Club from Blue Ridge, Ga. McHan and Cobb weighed a 17-
“We took it serious; we really wanted to make it happen,”
pound limit.
Hale adds. “But it was also kind of like a joke at the same time,
Fifth place went to Jerren Gieske and Austin Clanton from
because there were 384 boats. Our main goal was making day
the Lawrence County Wildcats in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., for their
four and just trying to get to the top 31. I guess everything went
16-pound, 3-ounce limit.
right for us.”
“I’ve been around fishing my whole adult
life, and I was really blown away with the tour-
nament,” boat captain Jeff Tolle adds. “I
thought that TBF, FLW, the sponsors and hosts
rolled out the red carpet for those kids. It was a
great experience. Jeremy’s goal is to become a
collegiate angler, and I think this event really
helped get him ready for what it’s going to be
like. I thought the prizes for college were really
cool, as was the recognition given the anglers
and talking to them on stage.”
The Oklahoma high-schoolers sacked a
13-pound, 6-ounce limit on day one to land in
54th. They climbed into a tie for 30th on day
two with three fish for 9 pounds, which put
them at 22 pounds, 6 ounces and got them
into the day-three field as one of the top two
teams from their state. With weights zeroed
World Finals champions Garrett Hale (left) and Jeremy Tolle.
to start day three, they moved up to 12th with
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