THE BASS FEDERATION
COLORADO WINS JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
CODY MILLER AND RYAN STEINHOFF , representing the TBF of Colorado and the Southern Colorado Jr . Bass Club , came out swinging on day one of the TBF Junior World Championship on Ohio ’ s Mosquito Lake . The two junior anglers settled into sixth place overall with 7 pounds , 10 ounces after the scales cleared on day one . They covered lots of water and utilized multiple baits to do their damage .
The everchanging weather conditions each day threw the Colorado duo a curveball on day two , though . They searched hard for bites and only had two for the entire day . By bringing only two fish to the scales , Miller and Steinhoff were certain their tournament was finished . As luck would have it , those two fish were the right ones : That pair of keepers was enough to earn them the division champs spot for the Western Division and secured their spot in the third and final day .
Ryan Steinhoff and Cody Miller
After a short night of sleep , weights were zeroed and division champions from all five Federation junior divisions took the field for the final day in search for the Junior World Champions title .
Miller and Steinhoff took to the banks for the first portion of the day with no success ; they soon moved out to deeper water , but still came up empty .
At about 11 o ’ clock , they decided to move to a point where they had some success earlier in the week . With such a slow bite , the team decided to slow down with a Yamamoto Senko and picked up their first keeper fishing some shallower water along the inside edge of a point . That proved to be a winning move , as Miller and Steinhoff had one of the best days of fishing they ’ d ever experienced . Cast after cast , the duo hooked up with solid fish after solid fish to the tune of about 15 keeper bass , upgrading ounces at a time until the day was done .
When the dust had settled and the scales locked in , Miller and Steinhoff had 10 pounds , 6 ounces in their bag , a trophy in their hands and a college scholarship offer on the table .
The young anglers thanked their Colorado Youth Director ( Sam Heckman ), Colorado TBF President Rod Allen , and Steve Way , who served as their boat captain for the event . Without all the help from the Colorado TBF and its members believing in them , it could not have been possible , the duo said .
Miller and Steinhoff also gave credit for the win to their home state , which prepared them well for the adverse weather and fishing conditions . They also thanked their parents for allowing them to compete in the TBF Junior program and TBF for offering a junior program that is open to all junior anglers who are 15 and younger .
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FLWFISHING . COM 73