A growing network of competitive bass fishing programs is giving young people an opportunity to earn scholarship money for college. In competitive bass fishing, contestants attempt to catch the heaviest freshwater fish within a set time.
The final round of a prestigious high school bass fishing tournament took place on a Saturday morning in August, according to a recent report from The New York Times. Caige Bragg, an 18-year-old from Alabama, participated in the event along with 213 other contestants at Paris Landing State Park in Buchanan, Tennessee.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” played. Then the boats took off across Kentucky Lake, a 184-mile stretch of water where the day’s winner would be determined by the weight of a few fish. Bragg headed south, traveling about 10 minutes to a spot he knew could deliver.
Eight hours later, he was back at the marina with his answer: three bass in a mesh bag.
Together, they weighed 11 pounds, three ounces — heavy enough to make Bragg the winner of the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship. His catch brought home more than a title; Bragg won a boat worth $25,000 and a $5,000 college scholarship.
“I just love fishing for bass, to be honest,” he said in an interview with the Times. “There’s always a puzzle every time. It’s kind of like chess.”
Fishing has grown beyond a weekend hobby. It offers a chance to compete and earn money. Organized bass tournaments have roots going back nearly 60 years, per the Times .
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