Catholic Central News Flash: Look At What The Fishing Club Has Been Up To!

The 2017 High School fishing season was a great success for the CCHS anglers! CCHS was represented at all the state, regional and many national opens over the past few months. In April 2017, Bailey Bleser represented CCHS as he competed at the BASS Midwest High School Open on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, MO. Bailey finished a very respectable 14, fishing solo in a team tournament. Bailey and Matt McDonald ventured to Dayton, TN to fish the BASS Southern High School Open on Chickamauga Lake the last weekend in April. Despite having numerous boat issues, Matt and Bailey salvaged a decent finish in 123^rd place.

The first weekend of May, Bailey represented CCHS at the Student Angler Federation (SAF) WI State High School Championships on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, WI where he finished second, qualifying him for the SAF High School National Championships. Matt and Bailey returned to the Mississippi River in La Crosse the following week to compete in the BASS WI State Championships where they struggled to find sizable fish due to high water levels. They finished mid-pack around 20^th place. In early June, Matt and Bailey once again returned to the Mississippi River near Wabasha, MN to compete in the SAF Minnesota High School Open. After a great day on the water, catching an abundance of fish, Matt and Bailey finished 9^th among some of the best HS anglers in the Midwest.

The High School season culminated with Bailey traveling to Florence, AL to compete in the SAF World High School Open and the SAF National High School Championships on the Tennessee River’s Pickwick Lake. Bailey was not only representing CCHS, but also the state of Wisconsin at the High School Nationals! The national tournament was three days long, with three days of pre-fishing preceding. Bailey did a terrific job learning a huge body of water to find numerous locations which were holding fish. Out of approximately 80 boats, Bailey finished 42^nd. It was a terrific experience, and a great performance for the first time Bailey fished this huge river system. He hopes to have the opportunity to return next year, as he got stronger with each day of fishing.

Following the Nationals, Bailey competed on the same body of water for the SAF World Open title. He competed against 322 other High School teams over a two day qualifier. Bailey’s first two days’ catch qualified him to continue fishing a third day in the semi-finals. With a third day, 5 fish total weight of over 14lbs., Bailey moved into 14^th place. Again, and extremely respectable finish by Bailey against 322 of the best High School anglers in the world.

The fall High School fishing season ramps up again in September where Student Angler Federation High School Open tournaments will take place in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee (and other southern states). We are hoping to field a team for the Indiana, Illinois and Ohio Opens. These are national qualifying events where the top 3 teams at each event will qualify to fish the 2018 SAF HS National Championships.