Raymer Leads National Guard Junior World Championship
Category: press release
Aug 15th, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Aug 15th, 2008 at 12:00 AM
COLUMBIA, S.C. (August 15, 2008) – Kyle Raymer, 17, of Brandenburg, Ky., and Jonny Schultz, 13, of Maumelle, Ark., are leading the National Guard Junior World Championship after one day of competition on Lake Monticello. Held in conjunction with the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup on nearby Lake Murray, the National Guard Junior World Championship will award $42,000 in scholarships and youth-program grants to the top six competitors in the 11 to 14 age bracket and top six competitors in the 15 to 18 age bracket.
Raymer, from The Bass Federation's Southern division, is leading the 15 to 18 age group with five bass weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces. He fished Friday with FLW Outdoors pro Shawn Honea of Winder, Ga.
"It is such an awesome feeling to be here," Raymer said. "FLW puts on a great tournament for the junior anglers and allows us to have fun. Even if you don't catch fish they make it a memorable tournament.
"Today was a hard day of fishing and I was lucky enough to catch five. We caught our fish early this morning which felt really good. I look forward to fishing tomorrow and hopefully becoming the champion."
The top six anglers in the 15 to 18 age group who will continue competition Saturday are Nathan Bromley of Albany, Ore. (two fish, 4-11); Tyler Dennis of Shawnee, Okla. (one fish, 3-1); Ben Dziwulski of Woodbine, Md. (one fish, 2-11); Broghan Cullen of Sun Prairie, Wis. (two fish, 2-3) and Nick Sampson of Gorham, Maine (one fish, 2-2).
Schultz, who represents the TBF's Central division, is leading the 11 to 14 age bracket with four bass weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces. He fished Saturday with FLW Outdoors pro Jim Russell of Statham, Ga.
"I started catching fish at 9 this morning and caught four within one hour and didn't get another bite all day," Schultz said. "I had one sweet spot I found and fished that spot all day."
Schultz caught his Lake Monticello bass on a Strike King Finesse worm.
"I am really glad that I caught fish today and I look forward to fishing tomorrow," Schultz added.
The top six anglers in the 11 to 14 age group are Zach Whitten of Oceana, W. Va. (one fish, 4-8); Hamilton Brown of Plant City, Fla. (two fish, 2-15); Nikolas Autry of Port Angeles, Wash. (two fish, 2-0); Lowell Turner of Bradford, R.I. (two fish, 1-14); and Lucas Lindgren of Rush City, Minn. (one fish, 1-6).
The junior anglers are paired with an FLW Tour pro for competition on Lake Monticello. There are three anglers to a boat: a junior angler from each age group plus an FLW Tour pro who assists the junior anglers but does not fish. The two junior anglers share control of the boat for the day but compete in their respective age groups. Weights will be zeroed Saturday as the top six anglers in the 11 to 14 age bracket and the top six anglers in the 15 to 18 age bracket continue competition, with the winners determined by the heaviest catch from that day.
Takeoff will be held at Lake Monticello Park located at Hwy 99 Boat Ramp in Jenkinsville, S.C., beginning at 6:55 Saturday morning and the final weigh-in will be held at 3:30 p.m. on the main Forrest Wood Cup stage in the Colonial Center located at 801 Lincoln Street in Columbia.
Designed to highlight the best up-and-coming bass fishing talent in the country, the National Guard Junior World Championship also provides national recognition for the positive activities pursued by America's youth.
First-place finishers in each age bracket will receive a $5,000 scholarship in addition to a sponsor merchandise package. Second-place finishers will receive $3,000 scholarships plus sponsor packages. Third-place finishers will receive $2,500 scholarships plus sponsor packages. Fourth-place finishers will receive $2,000 scholarships plus sponsor packages. Fifth-place finishers will receive $1,500 scholarships plus sponsor packages. Sixth-place finishers will receive $1,000 scholarships plus sponsor packages.
Additionally, FLW Outdoors, on behalf of the National Guard, will award $1,000 to each of the state TBF chapters represented by the six finalists in each age bracket. This money, totaling $12,000, will benefit each chapter's youth program.
For more information about TBF Junior Angler programs, contact your state's TBF chapter. A list of chapters can be found at www.bassfederation.com. For more information about FLW Outdoors, the Forrest Wood Cup and the National Guard Junior World Championship, visit www.flwoutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. A complete list of youth anglers competing in the Junior World Championship is posted at www.flwoutdoors.com.