Bass Fishing Oct - Dec 2019 | Page 74

TBF LATEST INFO wHaT’s MaKing news in THE BASS FEDERATION pennsylvania’s cicero and snyder win world finals 72 nthony cicero iv and dakota snyder won the 10th annual student angler federation High school fishing world finals on legendary pickwick lake in florence, ala., June 19-22. representing pennsylvania’s elizabethtown High school, the 2019 victors topped a field of 389 teams from 38 states and three countries, including canada and Zimbabwe. Teams were comprised of two anglers and an adult boat captain, pushing the total number of partici- pants to more than 1,160. cicero and snyder fought and fished through three days of qualifying rounds to secure a spot in the final day of competition. all weights were cleared on day four, and the pair sacked up a 16-pound, 6-ounce three- fish limit to seal the deal. anchoring their limit was a 7-pound, 7-ounce beauty that earned Big Bass honors. “it’s absolutely unbelievable,” cicero says. “emotions are running high.” This was the team’s first world finals appearance, and the young anglers not only had a trip of a life- time, but walked away the best of the best. Cicero (left) and Snyder bucked the offshore trend and caught the winning fish up shallow. “it still hasn’t hit me yet; it’s just crazy to think about,” cicero adds. “i’m just ready for the next one. i’m going to try to become a pro. it would be my dream come true.” while many teams chose to ply pickwick’s popular offshore ledge offerings, cicero and snyder played the shallow game. Targeting the Mulberry creek area near Kroger FLWFISHING.COM I FALL 2019