14 TBF Anglers advance to the final day of the 2010 Federation National Championship

Presented by the National Guard on Watts Bar Lake, in Kingston, Tenn. to compete for the Championship titles.

Fishing today was tougher for some, better for others as day two of the 2010 Federation National Championship presented by the National Guard comes to a close. 14 TBF anglers, the top boater and co-angler from each of the 7 TBF divisions will advance to find out who will be leaving here National Champions. Those 14 anglers have already proven their worth and displayed skill and diligence making it through the local, state, & divisional tournaments. Now, they’ve conquered the top of their respective divisions and earned a spot in the BFL All-American, to be held May 25-27in Hot Springs, Ark. For most it will be the first time they’ll get to compete at that level. However, right now the focus is on the championship titles at stake, and the final day of fishing to decide the 2010 Federation National Champions, and the champion boater who will be “Living the Dream” fishing the FLW Outdoors Pro tour next year.

Today’s tournament leader on the boater side is, Jason Knapp, from Uniontown, Pa., representing the state of

Jason Knapp

Jason Knapp

Michigan and the TBF Northern Division. He had a five bass limit today of 19lb 5 ounces making his tournament total 34lb 13 ounces. Knapp caught his fish site fishing and brought in quite the limit. He snatched up a range of bass including, one largemouth, one spotted, and three smallmouths. “I just want to thank Jeff Cox and the Michigan TBF,” Knapp said. Tomorrow is a new day of fishing so we’ll see if he can hold on to the top spot.

Less than a pound away in second place, Jay Keith, from Camden, S.C., representing the TBF Southern Division had a limit weighing 17lb 12 ounces making his total tournament weight 33lb 14 ounces. Keith came all the way from 9th place and rattled the competition to take over the number two spot. Keith was using an All-Star 7 2 Frog Rod with a Pflueger Tron Reel and Berkley 20lb big game, flipping a gambler, “flappy daddy” on the back of an Ernest Langley Jig. “I think I burned them up today and now they’re moving. But, I think I know where they’re going, so, tomorrow I will be moving with the fish,” Keith said. “I just want to thank the TBF, the South Carolina TBF and FLW Outdoors; this tournament, the Z520 Comanche Ranger Boats, and all the equipment have run great.”

Eric Guimond

Eric Guimond

Eric Guimond, from Standish, Maine, brought in a limit of bass weighing 16lb 9 ounces making his total tournament weight 30lb 2 ounces. Guimond is in the third place slot, representing the TBF Eastern Division.

Holding the tournament’s fourth spot is Clint Farris, from Crowley, Texas, with a limit weighing 12lb 7 ounces making his total weight 28lb 11 ounces. He qualified for the tournament as a co-angler and a last minute family emergency hindered the boater from his state, pushing Farris up to the boater competition. So far, so good for Farris as his boat, Farris and his co-angler, have brought in about 30lb of bass each day. “I’m just going to keep on keeping on,” Farris said. “I think the fish will replenish again tomorrow.” We’ll see tomorrow if it will be enough to knock out the current tournament leaders.

Fishing for the second slot in the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup, presented by BP and Castrol is our leader on the co-angler side, Adam Williamson, from Ridgeway, SC, representing the TBF Southern Division. He caught four keepers weighing 10lb 11 ounces making his tournament total 24lb 2 ounces. Williamson has already earned a spot in the BFL All-American being the top co-angler in his division. “My goal was to make it to the BFL All-American and I made the cut by 2 ounces; I’ve never made it this far before and I’m excited,” Williamson said. He plans to fish the same way he has all week, which has clearly worked so far. “Well, I had a great boater today in John Pritchett and I owe the whole catch to him. He let me go to my waters to fish and we both ended up with good bags.”

The competition is heating up and the anglers are focused on the prize; the final day of the 2010 Federation National Championship will highlight the TBF anglers who’ve rose above the pack and earned the right to be crowned TBF National Champions, and for one the opportunity to be “Living the Dream” fishing on the FLW tour.

The “Living the Dream” $100,000 cash and prize package will include, fully paid entry fees into the FLW tour, travel funds and use of a wrapped Ranger Boat and Chevrolet truck for the year. Also, the 2010 National Champions, on the boater and non-boater side, will be receiving entrance into the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol, Aug 5-8th, in Atlanta, Ga.

The third stop on the 2010 FLW tour is being held in Knoxville, Tenn., on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes, where our 2009 Federation National Champion, Robert Harkness, will be “Living the Dream”, competing for his share in cash and prizes, proving just how much is on the line this week at the 2010 Federation National Championship.

The final day of the Federation National Championship will be held in conjunction with the final weigh-in day of the FLW tour event at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tenn. The TBF competitors will launch each day at 7am at Ladd Park, on Watts Bar Lake, in Kingston, Tenn. Weigh-in begins each day at 3pm.

Take-offs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The standings for the top 7 boaters advancing to the final day of the 2010 Federation National Championship are as follows; Jason Knapp, Uniontown, Pa.; Jay Keith, Camden, S.C.; Eric Guimond, Standish, Maine; Clint Farris, Crowley, Texas; Edward Loughran, Mechanicsville, Va.; Jason Rayls, Haskell, Texas; Brandon Palaniuk, Rathdrum, Idaho.

The standings for the top 7 co-anglers are as follows; Adam R Williamson, Ridgeway, S.C.; Randy Pierson, Oakdale, Calif.; Matthew Hartman, Fredricksburg, Pa.; Kevin Wells, South Shore, Ky.; Matt King, Olathe, Kan.; Gilbert Gagner, Highgate Springs, Vt.; Boyd Golightly, Preston, Idaho.

Full results can be seen here

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF), is the oldest and largest, organized grassroots angling organization in America. TBF is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year, and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years.

For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com, or call 580.765.9031.

TBF Anglers prove; Plenty of fish to be caught on Watts Bar Lake, in Kingston, Tennessee

Day one of the 2010 Federation National Championship, presented by the National Guard is in the books.

Gary Cline

Gary Cline

Kingston, Tenn., April 22, 2010 Gary Cline, from Lexington, NC, representing the TBF Southern Division is our day one leader with a five fish limit weighing 19lbs 4ounces. Cline had a chance to pre-fish over Easter weekend and has settled on a pattern he’s familiar with. When asked if he planned on doing the same thing tomorrow, Cline said, “Oh Yeah, definitely.” He had his limit by 10:30am. “I just really want to say I’ve enjoyed being in Kingston, the community has been very friendly and helpful.” He’s holding on tight to the top spot but the race is close so we’ll see what tomorrow’s fishing brings.

Trailing by only ounces and fighting to break into that top spot is Leo Bevelaqua from Wyoming, RI, representing the Eastern Division with a limit weighing 18lb 9 ounces. “I was here pre-fishing when the lake was way down, so I was able to see a lot that is hiding below the surface.” Bevelaqua said. He caught his limit by 9am and only ran about mid-lake. “I just want to say thank you to all my family and friends for their support, specially my son and girlfriend who are here with me this week.”

Close behind, holding down the third spot is, Clint Farris, from Crowley, Texas, representing the TBF Central Division with a limit of bass weighing 16lb 4ounces. Farris is putting his focus on making it to Saturday. “I’m going to try to put that same sack together tomorrow,” Farris said. “I lost a fish about 6-7lb today. There’s just a lot on the line, a lot of pressure, and that’s the same for everybody.” Farris also plans on working the same water tomorrow, “I don’t feel like I beat them up today; I feel there’s still enough there for two more days.” Farris’s day one partner, fishing from the back of the boat also caught fish today. Adam Williamson, from Ridgeway, SC, representing the TBF Southern Division has the lead on the co-angler side with a four pound spread. He had a limit of bass weighing 13lb 7ounces and he caught his largest keeper using a jig. Williamson said he’d fished lakes in Alabama similar to this one. “I used that knowledge to help us during pre-fishing.”

There are just ounces separating the fourth and fifth place anglers on both the boater and co-angler sides. The competition is close and the angler’s know what’s at stake. Each angler will be fishing tomorrow with all they have, striving to be the ones named national champions. So, day two of the 2010 Federation National Championship, presented by the National Guard, is sure to come down to ounces of bass, hard work, and a little luck

The third stop on the 2010 FLW tour is being held in Knoxville, Tenn., on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes, where our 2009 Federation National Champion, Robert Harkness, will be “Living the Dream”, competing for his share in cash and prizes, proving just how much is on the line this week at the 2010 Federation National Championship.

Tomorrow, Friday, is the last lakeside weighin day at Ladd Park in Kingston. Saturday’s final day of the Federation National Championship will be held in conjunction with the final weigh-in day of the FLW tour event at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tenn. The TBF competitors will launch each day at 7am at Ladd Park, on Watts Bar Lake, in Kingston, Tenn. Weigh-in begins each day at 3pm.

Weigh-in begins each day at 3pm EST. You can watch the full weigh in LIVE on www.flwoutdoors.com starting at 3pm EST.

Take-offs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF), is the oldest and largest, organized grassroots angling organization in America. TBF is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year, and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years.

For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com, or call 580.765.9031.

2010 TBF Federation National Championship, presented by the National Guard

The 2010 Federation National Championship, presented by the National Guard, and hosted by the Tennessee Valley Authority kicks off tomorrow on Watts Bar Lake, in Kingston, Tenn., with 94 TBF Champion anglers ready to face-off for the title

Kingston, Tenn., April 21, 2010 Excitement and nerves built this morning amidst the heavy fog as 94 eager TBF anglers set out to run some water, find some fish and make their final preparations for the start of the 2010 Federation National Championship, on Watts Bar Lake, in Kingston, Tenn., April 22-24. Tomorrow, these anglers will begin fishing to be crowned 2010 Federation National Champions. The TBF National Champion boater will also earn the prestigious $100,000 “Living the Dream” prize package, including cash and prizes, fully paid entry fees into the FLW tour, travel funds and use of a wrapped Ranger Boat and Chevrolet truck for the year. Also, the 2010 National Champions, on the boater and non-boater side, will also be receiving entrance into the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup. The 2010 Federation National Championship on Watts Bar Lake is deemed one of the most anticipated TBF events of the year and is sure to shake the record books.

The tournament field consists of the top two anglers from 45 states, the top two anglers representing the Canadian Bass Anglers Federation and the two BoatUS Collegiate National Champions, all of whom competed at local, state and regional qualifiers to advance to the national contest. For most, the road to nationals has been a two year process, and now they compete to make it all worthwhile.

The tournament will be the compilation of three days of fishing. The accumulative weight of the first two days will decide the 14 anglers, the top boater and non-boater from each of 7 divisions, who will advance to day three competition. These 14 anglers will not only be fishing for the championship titles, but also they will have secured a spot in the 2010 BFL-All American to be held this May.

The third stop on the 2010 FLW tour is being held in Knoxville, Tenn., on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes, where our 2009 Federation National Champion, Robert Harkness, will be “Living the Dream”, competing for his share in cash and prizes, proving just how much is on the line this week at the 2010 Federation National Championship.

The final day of the Federation National Championship will be held in conjunction with the final weigh-in day of the FLW tour event at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tenn. The TBF competitors will launch each day at 7am at Ladd Park, on Watts Bar Lake, in Kingston, Tenn. Weigh-in begins each day at 3pm EST. You can watch the full weigh in LIVE on www.flwoutdoors.com starting at 3pm EST.

Take-offs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF), is the oldest and largest, organized grassroots angling organization in America. TBF is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year, and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years.

For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com, or call 580.765.9031.

HIGH SCHOOL FISHING WORLD FINALS ANNOUNCED

HIGH SCHOOL FISHING’S ULTIMATE EVENT TO BE HELD IN RUSSELLVILLE, ARKANSAS

HighSchoolFishing.org

The Bass Federation announced today it will conduct the inaugural High School Fishing World Finals in Russellville, Ark. on Lake Dardanelle, July 19-24, 2010. Anglers from more than 15 U.S. States and Canada are expected to attend this pinnacle event of TBF’s Student Anglers Federation and the rapidly expanding High School Fishing segment. All Student Angler Federation affiliated high school fishing clubs are eligible to register and attend this inaugural event and there is plenty of time left to get any High School club signed up.

Russellville, Ark. and the state of Arkansas Fish and Game have pledged an active role and support in the event. “Russellville is excited to be the host site for the 2010 High School Fishing World Finals, we look forward to having these high school students and their families here for the week, which will bring great economic impact into our community, as well as, allow them to see what a great lake area we have,” Christie Graham, Executive Director of the Russellville Tourism said.

According to TBF President, Robert Cartlidge, “The event will be centered on education, scholarships, catching fish and having fun; we intend to do all this with no entry fee to the event. In the future, there will be a format for who attends the event. However, the first one will be the tournament that anglers years from now will look back on and say, “I fished the first one, in Russellville” and we want to include as many as we can. The Student Anglers Federation has grown rapidly and our team has put together a unique plan to handle as many High School Teams who wish to register and try their hand at becoming the first High School Fishing World Champion.” Cartlidge continued, “If we have 100 boats or 1,000 boats this first year we’re ready for that, the more the better for the kids. Over time, we will grow; our plan is unlike anything the fishing industry has ever seen, and it will accommodate more boats at one event than there has ever been and do it in a fair and competitive format.”

The High School World Fishing Finals was designed around a very unique model never used in the fishing industry, but still incorporates items from sports longest running and most successful events. The event will settle into a “home” much like “March Madness” is with basketball. High School anglers and their families will know July is the time to vacation to the High School Fishing World Finals. The importance of education will be reinforced during the event with two simple written quizzes required of each contestant, one on boater safety & ethics and one on invasive species & conservation. The results will have an impact on the final weights and event outcome. As stated, the event field is virtually unlimited in size to be as inclusive as possible. TBF organizers want to grow the event to 1,000 or more boats competing and have a solid plan to properly manage those numbers. There will be no entry fees for the High School Teams. Each Student Angler Federation affiliated High School club can send as many two person teams they wish this first year. Each team secures its own boat to fish from and an adult non-fishing boat captain over 21 years old to drive the boat. The event’s “payout” will be in the form of thousands of dollars in post high school education scholarships, medals and trophies, and significant prizes for the anglers and for their High Schools. Students from all public and private schools that have graduated from the eighth grade, but have not started their freshman year of college are eligible to compete on a High School Fishing Team. Lake Dardanelle will go off-limits on Tuesday July 6 to all competitors until the start of the first practice day July 18. There will be multiple activities during the week culminating with official tournament days of July 22-24. Full details, entry forms and rules can be found on the website at highschoolfishing.org.

“For High School fishing, this is the culmination of years of hard work by a lot of dedicated people. All the state federations have supported young anglers since the very first federation was formed more than 40 years ago; youth is one of the federation’s cores values,” TBF National Youth Director, Mark Gintert, stated. “Over the years, others have stepped forward as well to serve the next generation of anglers, people such as, Ron Duncan, who helped model the national initiative “Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs” and industry veteran Terry Brown, president of Wired2Fish.com who started a “labor of love” that took eight years to get high school fishing in the schools and approved as a varsity sport in his home state of Illinois. The work done by Brown and director Dave Gannaway in Illinois is the “gold” standard in High School Fishing.” Gintert goes on to say, “There are many others “out there” working hard to help young people. They all deserve to share in the credit on getting things this far. By all accounts, the next logical step is to bring them all together for a true High School Fishing World Finals.”

The High School World Fishing Finals will be centered on a low cost family vacation of fun and festivities in and around Russellville, Ark. With its central location right off I-40, Russellville has everything for a perfect event where the high school anglers will be the stars of the show and a first class fishery and state park will highlight Lake Dardanelle.

HighSchoolFishing.org