The Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation High School Fishing Series made its third Eastern Region stop Saturday, Feb. 21, at Chickamauga Lake. A total of 165 high school boats launched early that morning, each aiming to hook the biggest largemouth bass and earn valuable points toward the season standings.
Shane Starnes and Eli Sims of Kingston High School claimed first place, weighing in a five-fish limit totaling 26.81 pounds. Their teammates, Candyn Cranfill and Turner Tharpe, hauled in the tournament’s biggest bass — an impressive 8.35-pound catch.
South Greene’s Shane Williams was forced to fish solo after his partner, Noah Wright, was sidelined due to district tournament duties with the Rebel basketball team. Williams didn’t let the change slow him down, bringing in four fish totaling 16.02 pounds to secure a strong 19th-place finish.
Also representing South Greene, Jaxon Taylor and Christian Darnell finished 39th with a five-fish limit weighing 11.31 pounds.
Chuckey Doak anglers Noah and Logan Metz landed a 2.69-pound bass to finish 96th, while Brodie and Kolbie Gibson followed in 105th with a 1.76-pound catch.
After three stops on the tour, the Gibsons sit 40th in the overall standings, with the Metz brothers in 52nd. Williams and Wright are close behind in 57th, and Taylor and Darnell currently rank 106th.
The Eastern Region’s next stop is scheduled for March 7 at Tims Ford Lake.
Before that, Noah and Logan Metz, along with Williams and Wright, will travel to Jasper County, Texas, on March 1 to compete in the Bassmaster Open at Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
