Need help paying for college? Try bass fishing
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Anglers on Kentucky Lake awaiting the start of the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship in Buchanan, Tennessee, on July 31.
PHOTO: WILLIAM DESHAZER/NYTIMES
Ken Belson
- Caige Bragg won the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship with three fish weighing 5.1kg, earning a US$25,000 boat and a $5,000 college scholarship.
- Bass fishing has grown into a major youth sport, with about 12,000 anglers in 1,100 clubs across 35 US states.
- The sport is costly and sponsor-driven, so families raise money for boats, gear and travel, while some anglers use it to reach college or turn professional.
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TENNESSEE – Just before sunrise on a Saturday in August, 25 boats bobbed in the marina at Paris Landing State Park in Buchanan, Tennessee, awaiting the start of the final round of the most prestigious event in high school bass fishing.
After The Star-Spangled Banner was played, the boats sped onto the 296km-long Kentucky Lake in search of bass, the heavier the better.