KHSAA to add Bass Fishing

[Lawnboy13]

Interested in getting my kids some advantages in this sport. Any recomendations for summer camps or personal trainers?

 

Here's one for the equipment to use. :lol:

[sweet16]

Something about all of this bothers me. For instance, who pays for the boats? Who pays for the rod/reel/pole/tackle? Are sponsors going to pay for this stuff, or will it be a sport only played by those who can afford their own bass boat? Not going to catch much fishing from the banks of lakes/rivers.

 

A fellow teacher asked me the other day, "are we getting a bass fishing team?" I said, "who has a boat for this?" the reply was "I didn't think of that".

[spindoc]

You have to be a licensed driver to operate a boat. So, frosh won't be the wheel men now will they. I don't think you'll see any 7th grade prodigy, unless they're passengers.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Based on the press conference video posted on the KHSAA webpage, the state bass fishing tournament will be held at the Land Between The Lakes area during the Bluegrass Games in early May. I looked up the Bluegrass Games website, and found the following for the tournament:

 

High School Fishing

May 5

Kentucky Lake

 

To register, visit HighSchoolFishing.org

 

The event is open to all ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th grade students, including home schooled students. The entry fee for the BGSG High School Fishing Championship is $25 per student ($50 per two-person team), which includes:

 

• A one-year Student Angler Federation membership

• A digital subscription to FLW Bass Fishing magazine

• Insurance coverage while competing in SAF tournaments

• Insurance coverage for SAF club hosted tournaments (including the option to add your school as additionally insured)

• Discounts on FLW clothing and eligibility to win great prizes in the monthly FLW Giveaway at FLWOutdoors.com

• Discounts on Coast Guard approved boater safety courses at BoaterExam.com (using promo code FLWFISH)

 

Students fish as two-person teams in all SAF and FLW High School Fishing tournaments and are accompanied on the water by their coach or a volunteer. Only largemouth, spotted, redeye or smallmouth bass that meet the tournament’s size requirements may be weighed in. The winning team in each State Championship, Conference Championship and the National Championship is determined by the heaviest five-bass catch. Each team’s coach or volunteer supplies a boat.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Illinois' high school bass fishing program was mentioned several times in the KHSAA press conference. Assuming they use Illinois' championship rules as a model (I'm assuming they'd be similar, since apparently there is a national high school championship), it appears that fishing from a boat is mandatory, and only an adult coach/captain can drive the boat. Each boat has a two participant "team", and that team turns in up to five fish total at the end of day weigh-in. The captain can only assist in actual "fishing" by helping with netting, and that's ONLY if there is just a single team participant on the boat. Also, no trolling allowed, no live bait allowed, and tournaments are all catch and release. Dead fish require a 1/2 pound deduction.