FLORENCE, Ala. (June 24, 2019) – The Northlake Christian School Fishing Team of Christopher Capdeboscq of Covington, Louisiana, and Sam Acosta of Madisonville, Louisiana, brought in three bass totaling 9 pounds, 7 ounces on the final day of competition to win the 2019 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake.
The duo’s three-day total of nine bass weighing 35 pounds, 12 ounces gave them the win by a thin 1-ounce margin over the second-place team of Colin McCullough and Justin Hamlin who caught 35-11 for Alabama’s Cedar Bluff High School. For the win, Capdeboscq and Acosta each won a four-year $40,000 scholarship to Kentucky Christian University.
Capdeboscq said the final day’s mostly calm, sunny conditions were less favorable than the previous two days’ cloudy skies and moderate winds. Developing options for both scenarios, he said, was essential to his team’s success.
“We had a really good 1-2 punch going this week, which was good for whether the bite was on fire or it was slow,” Capdeboscq said. “Sam was dragging a 3/4-ounce Strike King Jointed Structure Head with a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm and I was deep cranking with a 6th Sense Cloud 9 C20. The crankbait would get them fired up when they were feeling it and it would catch all the big ones.”
LOUISIANA’S NORTHLAKE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL WINS 2019 TBF/FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON PICKWICK LAKE
Capdeboscq said that using lighter line — 12-pound-test Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon — was key to getting his crankbait to maximum depth and keeping it in the strike zone.
The pair also tried to fish offshore areas with a bit less pressure.
“Everybody’s fishing ledges this time of year, so we just tried to find stuff that got less pressure,” said Capdeboscq. “Creek intersections, main river ledges. I’ve never practiced so hard for a tournament, but we found enough stuff to get us by and that’s what we did.”
A field of 215 teams competed in the event, which launched from McFarland Park in Florence.
The top 10 teams at the TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake finished:
1st: Northlake Christian School, Covington, La. – Sam Acosta, Madisonville, La., and Christopher Capdeboscq, Covington, La., nine bass, 35-12, $40,000 Scholarship x2
2nd: Cedar Bluff School, Cedar Bluff, Ala. – Colin McCullough, Cedar Bluff, Ala., and Justin Hamlin, Fort Payne, Ala., nine bass, 35-11
3rd: North Augusta High School, North Augusta, S.C. – Nathan Boatwright, Warrenville, S.C., and Dustin Williamson, Aiken, S.C., nine bass, 35-5
4th: Lawrence County High School, Lawrenceburg, Tenn. – Walker Brown, Loretto, Tenn., and Jon David Bedford, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., nine bass, 33-7
5th: North Mississippi Student Anglers – Hayze Hutzel, Pelahatchie, Miss., and Dalton Smith, Brandon, Miss., nine bass, 32-11
6th: McCracken County High School, McCracken County, Ky. – Hunter Valerius and Sarah Morehead, both of Paducah, Ky., nine bass, 32-6
7th: Harmony High School, Harmony, Fla. – Grady Johnson and Dawson Turner, both of St. Cloud, Fla., nine bass, 31-12
8th: Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids, Minn. – Nick Dumke and Easton Fothergill, both of Grand Rapids, Minn., nine bass, 31-5
9th: Marietta BassMasters, Marietta, Ga. – Brooks Anderson and David Britt, both of Marietta, Ga., nine bass, 28-11
10th: Clay High School, Green Cove Springs, Fla. – Dalton Barnard and Parker Stalvey, both of Green Cove Springs, Fla., six bass, 21-8
Complete results and photos from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2019 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake was a three-day event that saw the entire field of 215 teams compete for two days. The National Championship field was cut to the top 10 for day three and the winner was determined by heaviest three-day cumulative weight. Each member of the winning team received a four-year $40,000 scholarship to Kentucky Christian University. The tournament featured the top anglers from the 2019 TBF High School Fishing State Championships and Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Open events.
The 2019 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake was hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW and their multiple tournament circuits at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is 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. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years.
TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
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