New Hampshire High School Bass Fishing Tournament Set for Sept. 26, Oct. 5
Student bass fishing tournaments are a popular new high school sports competition in New Hampshire. A qualifying tournament with 42 registered teams will take place on Thursday, September 26, out of Lee’s Mills on Lake Winnipesaukee. The finals tournament for the top 13 or so teams is set for Saturday, October 5, on Lake Winnisquam.
A first-ever student bass fishing tournament took place in New Hampshire on a trial basis last May, with 54 teams from 39 New Hampshire schools taking part. Individual medals were awarded for the largest total catch (four fish maximum) and for the largest largemouth and largest smallmouth bass caught.
The high school bass fishing tournament will occur once each year in the fall in future years. The events are conducted by the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA), with assistance from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and the N.H. B.A.S.S. Nation.
The tournaments include a strong educational component. Teams have adult mentors who guide them through the process of learning about New Hampshire’s aquatic resources and the responsibility that goes along with being anglers. Additionally, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department recently conducted a High School Bass Fishing Education Seminar which was attended by almost 70 students, coaches, and Athletic Directors.
“We are excited that scholastic sports and the angling community came together to create this opportunity for students to set the foundation for a lifelong outdoor activity,” said Karina Walsh, who coordinates the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Let’s Go Fishing Program. Walsh and New Hampshire Fish and Game Fisheries Biologist Gabe Gries serve on the NHIAA Bass Fishing Committee and provide logistical and volunteer support for this event.
On the day of the tournament, watch for tournament updates on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nhfishandgame and on Twitter @NHfishandgame.
Additional information about the tournament can be found on the NHIAA website at http://nhiaa.org.
The New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association is a private not for profit organization that has served as the leader of high school athletics for its member schools in New Hampshire since 1947. The student bass fishing tournament is in keeping with the NHIAA goals of adding sports that will have lifelong appeal to student athletes and providing more sports that are coed and inclusive to all populations within our schools.
