The Golden Eagle Bass fishing team competed at Lake Logan Martin on there second stop of the Alabama High School Bass Nation trail series. After a long day on the Coosa River senior angler Matthew Vanover caught a 5 fish limit and weighed in for a total of 8.69lbs and finished 63rd out of 138 boats. His boat captain is Trey Bishop. He is the only kid on the team that fishes the High School series
Junior series anglers Blake Beckham and Knox Mclntosh caught a 5 fish limit and weighed in for a total of 8.65lbs and finished 15th out of 72 boats. Junior Series anglers Jake Ford and Evans Chaney caught a 5 fish limit and weighed in for a total of 14.37lbs and finished 1st out of 72 boats. Those four anglers all fish the Junior series. Boat captains for those boats are Clift Chaney and Aaron Ford
Angler Matthew Vanover Said this the week prior to the tournament “I am super excited to fish Logan Martin that lake has a special place in my heart and that place has grown over the years, everyone sees it driving to Birmingham but seeing it from the boat is way better. As I am preparing for this tournament I look forward to fishing the tournament and just being myself on the water. I really look forward to seeing all of my loved ones from my girlfriend to my family at the boat ramp when I get back. Regardless if I have fish or not I always arrive back to the ramp with my best buddy Trey Bishop and my dad Derrick Vanover with cheers, love and lots of support”. He described his day of fishing as “My day was a day full of success I ended up catching 22 fish in one day. I stayed in one spot all day long and did not move other than moving the boat back to fight off the wind or to position myself back into a spot to catch fish along the sunlight. Fishing was tough at times but I had to stay with it and that is exactly what I did. I am so thankful to apart of this amazing team and so proud of every angler.”
There is so much that goes into the sport of competitive Bass Fishing. From the wind rushing to your face as you’re flying down the river to walking across the stage with your fish waiting for them to be weighed It all gives you chills. I can say from personal experience that you will get nervous for a bit before you put the boat in the water or when you stop at the gas station to get breakfast, but once you get going you become yourself again! Lots of decisions are usually made on the spot and that split second decision can either make or break your day. It’s all a game of inches and it’s all a huge grind. This sport is unlike any other and I am happy to be apart of it. Trey Bishop who is the boat captain for Matthew Vanover said this “Water is the most essential thing in life! Without water, you can’t go fishing!”
The sport of Bass fishing has changed so much over the years from first ever Bassmaster tournament to all of the new technology that anglers have access to on the water. The first ever Bassmaster tournament was in 1971 on lake Mead in Nevada. As the years have gone by just like everything else Fishing has changed and now even the High School anglers have access to the latest technology. In 2018 Garmin came out with Forward Facing Sonar and this technology allows anglers to see real live fish and all types of structures in front of the boat. So as High School anglers progress through school some other company will come out with the new latest technology for the boat. Lots of anglers don’t use all of that, they just fish and enjoy the hunt. That is one interesting thing about the Alabama High School Bass Nation tournaments is that every angler has something different on his or her boat and that is what makes the field of up to 200 anglers so interesting on the water
