For Immediate Release: For info contact – TBF National Office 580.765.9031 support@highschoolfishing.org

16^th Annual High School Fishing World Finals & National Championship, Grove, OK June 24-28 on Grand Lake.

Registration for the World Finals is OPEN NOW through June 20^th for all SAF members worldwide, get signed up today!

 Pinnacle event offers RECORD prize pool totaling well over 3.8 MILLION dollars in prizes and scholarship offers.

The premier High School Fishing event in the world is headed to Grove, Oklahoma on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees June 24-28. The 16^th Annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship dual event will boast a record prize pool in 2025 well over 3.8 MILLION dollars in scholarship offers and prizes.   Already teams from just about every US state and around the world from such places as Canada, Zimbabwe, Africa are signed up for this wildly popular week-long family event and compete for a share of the richest prize pool in all of bass fishing all done with NO entry fees.

The World Finals is open to any and all High school anglers\SAF member in the world, you do not have to qualify so everyone attending will be competing in the World Finals. SIGN UP TODAY! Registration closes Friday June 20^th. Again, teams do NOT have to qualify for the World Finals portion of this event it is open to all High School anglers.

The student anglers pay no entry fee to compete in this one-of-a-kind dual event. The World Finals portion is the granddaddy of all national High School events, and where the bulk of the prizes and scholarships are awarded. At the same time on the dual-stage, the top 10% of High School teams from all SAF sanctioned events including MLF Open events nationwide in the preceding 12 months are qualified to compete in a national championship segment of the event with its own set of prizes and scholarships offers that will top $500,000.  So those National Championship qualified teams are entered into both events and have a chance at both prize pools all in one trip.

“We are very proud to be working with the TBF/SAF and hosting the High School World Finals and National Championship at Wolf Creek Park, on Grand Lake, in Grove Oklahoma!” Stated Brent Malone Executive Director of Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau. “We look forward to hosting the anglers and their families in our community. Our team at Grove Oklahoma has worked extremely hard to ensure that Wolf Creek Park is a top destination for bass fishing. Wolf Creek Park, a nationally recognized facility, hosting two Bass Master Classics & two MLF Red Crest Championships is very excited to host the World Finals and National Championship as one of the biggest events Grove has ever held. Grand is a Top 50 Bass Lake in America; We will provide our guests with a Grand Championship Experience!”

A high school team consists of 3 people to a boat, 2 High School anglers, and their adult boat Captain / Coach, no high school angler may fish alone. Add in all the families and friends for both anglers in the boat will push the expected attendance to roughly 3000 people connected to this week-long event.

“We are excited to be heading to Grove, Oklahoma. It is the perfect place, very centrally located in the US and a world class facility, with a great fishery to hold this event.”  Stated The Bass Federation’s President/CEO Robert Cartlidge.  “Since the very beginning we wanted a format where ALL high school anglers could come and have a shot at a scholarship if they do well. Neither TBF /SAF nor our partners in fishing at MLF, who was among the first to join our Student Anglers Federation (SAF) movement and grow it side by side with us, requires any entry fees for our regular High School events nor do we pay cash to kids at High School events. It is always prizes & scholarships. The result has been the explosion seen in high school fishing participation nationwide, it all adds up to a good wholesome experience for the kids and their families.”

From the Student Angler Federation standpoint as the founders of the national level High School fishing movement in 2006, high school fishing is not about being the next “pro angler” or getting sponsor patches on your shirt. Those all may or may not be by-products but the National High School fishing program was started for 3 simple reasons. First, to get youth into the outdoors with clean family fun, to live, learn in, and learn to respect the outdoors. SAF’s purpose is to use fishing to get kids outdoors with adult mentors and family with the intent of not just educating them about common sense, manners, and ethics, but about math, science, and language arts and why those are important to fishing yes, but also to life in general.  Secondly, SAF wanted to provide post-secondary education opportunities. Not just college, but trade/tech school too, as our country was built by and still needs trades and skilled craft people. College is not for everyone, especially in today’s college world. Education opportunities are what SAF is promoting.  Three, SAF did not want the HS program to be about money, which is the reason why there are no entry fees and no cash paid to student anglers under this program all awards are prizes and scholarships.

The unique format of this dual event is credited with making it so successful and it was developed with feedback from the parents and families over the last decade. In a competitive arena as there is just no way around travel for the anglers, staff, and partners. It is expected in fishing, no different than national HS stick and ball leagues, cheer or dance team championships, or any other high school sports. The two events are conducted together as a dual event not just to save travel costs and vacation time but to make it a true family vacation where many HS teams can travel together, have fun, and any youth from any background anywhere has a chance to come and earn a life-changing educational opportunity if they can. All while experiencing the comradery of an event this size where lifetime friendships are made.

The popular four-day High School Fishing World Finals and National championship combined event format is a very unique structure where all anglers compete for three days in a format with a second chance round, much like any other double elimination High School sport. It is designed to keep everyone competitive and in the game until the final day cut. For full details, check out HighSchoolFishing.org. You can get your club affiliated with SAF and compete!  All TBF, SAF and MLF High School Fishing events are no entry fee events. To register, anglers only need to be a member of the Student Angler Federation (SAF) which is a mere $25 per year and includes competitor SAF and MLF memberships. It is as easy as completing the online registration TODAY at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The event is filmed for national television on the Pursuit Channel and other Networks. LIVE coverage will run daily on www.HighSchoolFishing.org  and Facebook www.facebook.com/hsfishing

About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is 100% owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth, and conservation organization there is and proud “Partners In Fishing” with MLF. TBF, our affiliated state federations, and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth, and conservation events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for 5 decades. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing movement in 2006 and the Federation also founded the National Junior angler program for 8^th grade and under in 1994, to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.

Mid-Atlantic Division Anglers Dominates At The 2025 TBF Federation National Championship.

Maryland Boater Jonathan Lang and Co-Angler Kade Wesner from Pennsylvania wins bulk of the over $400,000 in cash, prizes and awards as well as the TBF National Champion titles at Lake Dardanelle, AR.

Russellville, AR, March 4, 2025 – For Release
The Bass Federation (TBF) has long been separated into 7 geographical divisions. The Northwest, Southwest, Central, Northern, Southern, Mid-Atlantic and Eastern divisions. Along with that the TBF Federation National Championship has had a very unique format for many decades to even the playing field.

Boaters and Co-anglers qualify through their home state federations to advance to one of 22 close to home TBF National Semi-final events. From there at least one boater and one co-angler from each state advances to the TBF Federation National Championship to represent their home state and their home division.

Once at The TBF Federation National Championship the anglers only compete within their home division the first two days. Then on day three each of the 7 division champions boaters and Co-anglers compete for the National Champions title using their 3 day combined weight totals.

Jonathan Lang the boater from the Maryland TBF Federation in the Mid-Atlantic Division of TBF held the overall lead on day 1 with a 17-11 bag, he had a very respectable 16-10 on day 2. However, with Oklahoma’s Bradley Sullivan (Central Div) and Alabama’s Chad Sykes (Southern Div) both weighing in a 21 pound plus bag on day two Lang dropped in the overall standings into 3rd place, but he maintained his lead in the Mid Atlantic Division which is all that mattered as that advanced him to the final day competition among the Division Champions.

“Every single day of the event was plagued by weather issues,” Stated Robert Cartlidge the TBF Federation National President. “A historic once in a generation flooding event was happening all around us in Arkansas. We received 6 inches of rain over the 3 tournament day’s and it was still raining when we left town. Day one was a shortened day; we weighed in at 1:00pm instead of 3:00pm to be done before a storm front arrived. Day 2 we had lightening in the area before daylight, but were clear for take-off and we got in a full day with a 3:00pm weigh-in although a bit of rain and hail during the day. Then on the final day we had both, anglers were forced to sit in their trucks while lightening cleared the area for take-off and another front was coming in late that afternoon forcing a 1:00pm weigh in again. The anglers handled it great! They caught good fish and everyone was safe. A special thanks to all local weather officials on their expert input.”

No one was more surprised to win the TBF National Championship on the final day than Lang. He weighed in then had to wait and watch while Oklahoma and Alabama both weighed in after him, but neither could beat his 3-day weight of 46-12 ounces.

Lang reporting catching nearly all his fish for the week on a black and blue chatter bait. This win secured his name in the history books as one of only a few people in the world that hold that title. For his win, Lang also received the title and coveted National Champions trophy and the $125,000.00 TBF Living Your Dream prize package consisting of a brand-new Ranger Z520 Boat and matching Ranger Trail trailer, fully rigged with a 250 HP outboard and ready to go! Power Pole kicked in a couple new Power poles for the Ranger Boat as well. Then there was a $20,000 check, advancement spots in the BFL All-America and to the Toyota Series Championship with our partners in fishing at MLF, $5,000 worth of paid entry fees into whatever he would like to fish and more!

On the Co-angler side it was Pennsylvania’s Kade Wesner, also from the Mid-Atlantic Division of TBF who ultimately took home the title of Co-Angler National Champion.

Going into the final day as the Mid-Atlantic Div champ Wesner sat in 2nd place overall with 24-13 on the Co-angler side behind the Eastern division angler from Maine, Toby Cross who had 29-15. When the scales settled in on day 3, Wesner won from the back of the boat with 42-05 and gave all the credit to his daily boaters. For his win Kade Wesner took the Co-Angler National Champions “Live your dream” prize package including the champions trophy, a $20,000 check, advancement spot into the BFL All American and Toyota series championship from our partners in fishing at MLF, paid entry fees up to $2,500 into whatever he wishes to fish and Minn Kota added a trolling motor and more!

The Division Champions that qualified for the final day 3 event and their final order of finish was as follows on the boater’s side. Mid-Atlantic Division Jonathan Lang, Maryland with 46 pounds and 12 ounces. Central Divisions Bradley Sullivan, Oklahoma – 45-00, Southern Divisions Chad Sykes, Alabama – 44-10, Northern Divisions Mike Puterbaugh, Wisconsin -44-03, Southwest Divisions, Brandon Morton, Arizona -39-08, Northwest Divisions Loren Torok, Idaho – 38-09 and the Eastern Divisions Matt Thoin, New Hampshire – 37-06. Back row standing left to right.

On the Co-Angler side the division champions and their final place of finish were: Mid Atlantic Div. Kade Wesner, Pennsylvania – 42-05, Central Div. Austin Abadie, Louisiana – 39-08, Eastern Div. Toby Cross, Maine, 29-15, Southwest Div. Andy Morita, California – 22-10, Northern Div. Arthur Stahlhut, Michigan – 19-14, Southern Div. Shelton Yonce, South Carolina – 18-08 and Northwest Div. Steven Houston, Idaho -16-09 Front row kneeling left to right.

The annual event is filmed for television to highlight TBF Federation anglers and our program will air on Federation Angler TV on the Pursuit Channel, and on Outdoor Action TV and various other networks. In total the tournament awards for this event was more than $400,000 in cash, prizes, stipends and bonuses, with every angler receiving some amount and memorabilia.

To find out how you can get started fishing TBF and earn a spot in the 2026 TBF Federation National Championship go to bassfederation.com to contact us or click a link to contact your State Federation President.

About TBF The Bass Federation Inc. is the oldest and largest, organized grassroots angling organization in America and a member of the freshwater fishing hall of fame. TBF is 100 % owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and has provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 50 years. The Bass Federation is proud “Partners in Fishing” with industry-leading companies including MLF, Ranger Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, T-H Marine, Power Pole, Lew’s, Strike King Minn Kota, Humminbird, Rapala, VMC Hooks, Suffix Line, Rapala Crush City baits and FacultyOfFishing.com. For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com, or call 580-765-9031. Look for TBF on facebook at Facebook.com/thebassfederation