MONROE, Mich. (June 11, 2018) – The Walled Lake Central High School duo of Reid Oblak of West Bloomfield, Michigan, and Jarrod Willbur of Wolverine Lake, Michigan, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing River Raisin Open. The win advanced the team to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship, held June 26-30, on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their limit targeting rock piles and humps in 8- to 10-feet of water with drop-shot and Ned rigs.
A field of 37 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Hellenberg Park in Monroe. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams on the River Raisin that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Walled Lake Central High School, Walled Lake, Mich. – Reid Oblak, West Bloomfield, Mich., and Jarrod Willbur, Wolverine Lake, Mich., five bass, 17-10
2nd: Anthony Wayne High School, Whitehouse, Ohio – Elliot Wielgopolski, Waterville, Ohio, and Caleb Dachenhaus, Whitehouse, Ohio, five bass, 16-11
3rd: Titan Fishing Club – Robert Lefere, Jackson, Mich., and Barry Kennedy, Clark Lake, Mich., five bass, 15-11
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: East Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids, Mich. – Tommy Pohlman, East Grand Rapids, Mich., and Mason Brown, Grand Rapids, Mich. 14-1
5th: Theodore Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte, Mich. – Brady Stuart and Nicholas McPhall, both of Wyandotte, Mich., five bass, 13-15
6th: Theodore Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte, Mich. – Nicolas Biundo and Joey Deichelbohrer, both of Wyandotte, Mich., five bass, 13-13
7th: Blissfield High School, Blissfield, Mich. – Waylon Rickard, Deerfield, Mich., and Cade Hayford, Blissfield, Mich., five bass, 12-15
8th: Titan Fishing Club – Cade Nelson, Jackson, Mich., and Branden Barton, Clark Lake, Mich., five bass, 12-5
9th: Burlington Catholic Central High School, Burlington, Wis. – Jacob Bigelow, Cecil, Wis., and Bailey Bleser, Burlington, Wis., five bass, 12-4.
10th: Grand Ledge High School, Grand Ledge, Mich. – Evan Woyke, Grand Ledge, Mich., and Hunter Williams, Charlotte, Mich., five bass, 11-11.