LAGRANGE, Ga. (Feb. 12, 2018) – The Gilmer High School fishing club duo of Thomas Chastain and Carter Ott, both of Ellijay, Ga, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces to win the 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Georgia State Championship on West Point Lake. A field of 62 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Highland Marina in LaGrange. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top six teams on Lake Mitchell that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Gilmer High School, Ellijay, Ga. – Thomas Chastain and Carter Ott, both of Ellijay, Ga., five bass, 15-5
2nd: Troup County High School, LaGrange, Ga. – Drake Reeves and Trayton Gay, both of LaGrange, Ga., five bass, 14-15
3rd: Jackson County Comprehensive High School, Jefferson, Ga. – Sam Holley and Jake Holley, both of Hoschton, Ga., five bass, 14-9
4th: Harris County High School, Hamilton, Ga. – Cal Culpepper, Hamilton, Ga., and Mason Waddell, Waverly Hill, Ga., five bass, 14-0
5th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Tanner Hadden and Cy Casey, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-11
6th: Mount Paran Christian School, Kennesaw, Ga. – Lee Rose Koza and Carter Koza, both of Marietta, Ga., five bass, 11-15
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
7th: Georgia High School Student Angler Federation – Karston Hopson and Cole Hopson, both of Cumming, Ga., five bass, 10-14
8th: Greenbrier High School, Evans, Ga. – Jacob Blumling and Coleman Johnson, both of Evans, Ga., five bass, 10-7
9th: North Forsyth High School, Cumming, Ga. – Maddux Walters, Canton, Ga., and Ryan Jackson, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 10-3
10th: Heard County High School, Franklin, Ga. – Chris Carroll and Payton Caldwell, both of Franklin, Ga., five bass, 9-6