From where will our next generation of outdoors aficionados come? Who are the young people who will share the passion for the outdoors way of life? Mossy Oak embraces not only the hunting, conservation, and land management communities but also promotes fishing with its Elements Agua pattern being the official pattern of Bassmaster and its sponsorship of the Bassmaster High School Series National Championship.
One of Mossy Oak’s core values is to get families into outdoor activities to strengthen the family bond and the love of nature and outdoor sports. Here you’ll learn about the young people competing in high-school bass fishing and their preparation to become the next leaders in all facets of the outdoors.
This past year, Mossy Oak reached out to the fishing community, both freshwater and saltwater, with its Mossy Oak Elements Agua. Mossy Oak also sponsors the high school bass fishing championship where young men and women compete in bass fishing tournaments on the high school level and also have the eligibility to win college scholarships to compete at colleges and universities. Several colleges and universities are also now offering scholarships and curriculum in the outdoors to prepare young men and women to move into leadership roles in the future of all that is outdoors.
The high school tournaments in 2018 included the Central Open at Toledo Bend Reservoir in Many, Louisiana, the Southern Open at Lay Lake in Shelby County, Alabama, the Eastern Open at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and the Western Open at Clearlake in Lakeport, California.
The B.A.S.S. High School Nation is helping shape the future of the sport, one high school club at a time. The high school club members enjoy camaraderie and competition, as well as participate in education and conservation programs. As part of the B.A.S.S. High School Nation, young anglers can compete in the B.A.S.S. High School Nation Opens and in the B.A.S.S. High School Nation Championship. Teen anglers can also attend the High School Elite Experience, a free opportunity for anglers who live near certain Bassmaster Elite Series tour stops. Learn more at https://www.bassmaster.com/high-school-bass-fishing.
The 2018 Mossy Oak Bassmaster High School Series National Championship, held at Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee, August 2-4, 2018, had 337 high school teams, including 670 anglers from all over the United States, as well as Canada and Zimbabwe. Each came to the starting line to compete for the championship. These young men and women represented the best of the next generation of tournament bass anglers, coming from public schools, private schools, big schools, and extremely small schools.
For a look inside this fast-growing competition of high school tournament bass fishing, and learn about two of the best teams at the competition, read Grayson Morris’s account from Kentucky Lake.
