Az Jrs. compete for NGJWC-Win 3rd place

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (August 1, 2009) Corey DeLaGrange age 17 and Shane Edgar age 11, represented the Arizona Bass Federation at the National Guard Junior World Championship where they competed for over $30,000 in scholarships and Youth Program Grants.

80 youth anglers representing 40 TBF states, fished the Allegheny River in the rain on Friday July 31, 2009. The river had risen nearly 3 feet and was flowing faster than anticipated, after the recent rains. Making conditions tougher with the dirty water, the young anglers had to adapt to different techniques to catch fish. Like some of the other anglers, our two state champions were able to pre-fish other sections of the river to get some idea of what they were up against.

On the first day it was a steady rain from when we left the hotel until about 11 am. Corey was excited to get Clifford Perch for his boat captain, and felt good about the rain since he fished all day in the rain on Wednesday and caught a lot of fish. On Friday Corey caught 9 fish; one was a huge carp and 7 smallmouths under 12 inches. His only fish he could weigh was only 15 oz., which wasn’t good enough to make the cut for the Western Division.

Shane had a great day fishing in the rain. He had 2 fish for a total of 3 lbs. 2 oz. which was enough to win the Western Division in the 11 to 14 age group. Shane made the cut and was able to fish day 2 with the other 11 division winners.
On the second day Shane had Clifford Perch as his boat captain. Clifford Perch, also from Arizona, is a member of the National Guard professional bass fishing team. Changing conditions on Saturday made fishing very tough, a heavy fog delayed day two for about 30 minutes, then an overcast remained until the last hour of their tournament.

Shane was able to weigh in one fish that was 1 lb. 2 oz. enough to give him an overall third place finish. Shane will receive a $ 2,500 scholarship and he also met all of the requirements to receive a $ 1500 sponsorship package. He had to wear a Berkley hat all day and on stage he had mention that he used Berkley bait and he had to use Berkley line and Abu Garcia reel during the tournament. A third place finish also receives $ 1000 for our Arizona Bass Federation Youth Program also provided by Berkley.

First place in the 15 to 18 age group representing Idaho was Zach Messer with the only five fish limit of 6 lbs. 7 oz. and in the 11 to 14 age group representing Ohio was Daryk Eckert with 3 fish at 2 lbs 12 oz.

“These junior anglers are much more than great anglers,” said TBF President Robert Cartlidge. “They are positive examples for their peers, and they represent the future of our sport. Learning to fish, through their state TBF clubs, provides these children with an outlet for clean family fun. It’s a great activity that they will enjoy for a lifetime.”
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.

For more information about TBF Junior Angler programs, contact your Arizona Bass Federation Youth Director
Wayne Kukral at ( 602-565-7747 ) OR visit www.azbassfederation.com and www.bassfederation.com.
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