PALATKA, Fla. (Feb. 27, 2018) – The Fleming Island High School duo of Chaz Raulerson and Reed Lynch, both of Fleming Island, Florida, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 4 ounces to win the 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Florida State Championship on the St. Johns River.
The Fleming Island duo’s limit was anchored by a 9-pound, 9-ounce largemouth which also earned the team Big Bass honors for the event. The most popular lures were soft plastics including Yamamoto Senkos, Zoom Trick Worms and flukes.
A field of 33 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from City Dock Launch Ramp in Palatka. 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 St. Johns River that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Fleming Island High School, Fleming Island, Fla. – Chaz Raulerson and Reed Lynch, both of Fleming Island, Fla., five bass, 24-4
2nd: Seminole Junior Anglers – Joey Bloom, Winter Springs, Fla., and Dylan Westhelle, Sanford, Fla., five bass, 22-7
3rd: Seminole Junior Anglers – Austin Riggs, Lake Mary, Fla., and Justin Rosser, Sanford, Fla., five bass, 15-9
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Seminole Junior Anglers – Steven Steinard, Oviedo, Fla., and Brandon Simmons, Chuluota, Fla., five bass, 12-10
5th: Seminole Junior Anglers – Will Grace, Mims, Fla., and Trevor Campbell, Geneva, Fla., five bass, 12-9
6th: Osceola High School, Kissimmee, Fla. – Cole Thompson and Jimmy Jankowski, both of St. Cloud, Fla., five bass, 12-3
7th: Lake Wales High School, Lake Wales, Fla. – Hunter Hayes and Thomas Croft, both of Lake Wales, Fla., five bass, 11-13
8th: Bartow High School, Bartow, Fla. – CJ Novak, Lakeland, Fla., and Joshua Johnson, Bartow, Fla., five bass, 9-15
9th: Lake Wales High School, Lake Wales, Fla. – Lars Rain, Lake Wales, Fla., and Jonathan Hansell, Hains City, Fla., five bass, 9-5
10th: Bartow High School, Bartow, Fla. – Trenton Coleman, Lakeland, Fla., and Connor Seay, Bartow, Fla., five bass, 8-11