WINNSBORO, S.C. — The South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation will hold its first Junior State Championship, April 2, at Lake Wateree.
“We threw a junior championship together last year,” said Randy Vaughn, South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation youth director. Vaughn noted that 10 teams of middle school anglers fished last year’s impromptu event, which was held in conjunction with the South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation State High School Championship.
This year, the Bassmaster juniors (ages 11-14) will compete in their own event at Wateree and the state high school championship will be held April 30 at Lake Murray.
“We are hoping to have 25 teams for the junior championship,” Vaughn said. The winning team from the junior state championship will qualify for the Junior Bassmaster Championship to be held later this summer.
The entry fee for the state junior championship is $30, which will be used to help fund the winning team’s trip to the national championship.
Vaughn said he expects the juniors to have a good time fishing Wateree.
“It is one of the premier lakes in the state, especially when it gets hot,” he said. “The tournaments have 20-pound bags about every week there and sometimes more than that.”
Vaughn credits Jeremy Trussell, a seventh-grade teacher and coach of the Southside Middle School bass club, for helping Vaughn with the preparations for the junior event.
For more information on the South Carolina B.A.S.S. Nation junior or high school state championships, call Vaughn at 864-483-5038 or e-mail him at randyvaughn411@gmail.com.
