Prairieville, La. — “When I started fishing, my biggest role model was Skeet Reese,” said Cade Fortenberry, member of the 2017 High School All-American team presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. “I had all the yellow rods; everything was yellow.”
Fortenberry is a senior at St. Amant High School and will be competing in his third Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods in June. In 2016, Fortenberry earned two wins in high school state tournament qualifiers — one where he bested 131 teams on the Red River.
As a member of the Ascension Anglers bass team, Fortenberry has taken part in multiple cleanup days, volunteered with the Angling Against Autism team bass tournament and helped to provide relief aid for victims of the 2016 Louisiana floods.
During local childcare facility field trips, Fortenberry served as the fishing guide. “He baited their poles, took their catches off the hooks and enjoyed sharing his knowledge of the sport,” according to his father, Gilbert.
“It’s a special honor being one of 12,” said Fortenberry of being chosen for the Bassmaster High School School All-American team. “I mean, you can’t just draw that out of a hat.”
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Koby Kreiger partnered with Fortenberry to participate in a special Bassmaster High School All-American Bass Tournament held in conjunction with the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department event.
“My goals for the future are to go to college, get a degree and try to fish the Opens,” Fortenberry said. “But, I definitely want to have something to fall back on. So, I’m planning on attending ULM and majoring in pharmacy.”
Read more about the Bassmaster High School All-American anglers on Bassmaster.com and look for their profiles in the September/October issue of Bassmaster magazine.
