From start to finish Alex Heintze and Justin Watts of Baton Rouge, La., held the lead at the Bassmaster High School National Championship at Kentucky Lake
Saturday, the Livingston Parish Bassmasters team added a third consecutive 20-plus-pound catch and made the win official. Their winning total (66-10) consisted of daily five-bass limits weighing 20-10, 23-14 and 22-2.
During summertime the lake is revered for its trophy bass fishing on main-river channel ledges – big bass school in deep water and are caught in abundance on crankbaits. The ledges never factored in the team’s strategy. Instead, Heintze and Watts did their work in the shallows.
“We didn’t come here to fish the ledges, so we committed to fishing shallow,” said Heintze, 16, a junior at Denham Springs High School. “The lake set up to fish shallow anyway with the water so high.”
The team’s first stop during practice ended the search for bass. Flooded shoreline habitat, the presence of baitfish and inundated ditches attracted enough bass to sustain their strategy for 3 days.
“The high water was the difference,” said Watts, 15, a sophomore at Live Oak High School. “Without it the fish wouldn’t be there, and I doubt they will be tomorrow.”
He noted the water dropped overnight by 6 inches for the final day’s fishing. The predator bass hid in the brushpiles to ambush baitfish.
The team alternated between a tube jig and topwater frog. That choice was a black Spro Dean Rojas Signature Series Bronzeye Frog. A Strike King tube jig Texas rigged with a 1/4-ounce weight and 4/0 Trokar hook completed the lure arsenal.
“I never thought we’d come to Kentucky Lake and catch bass like that on a frog, but we did,” Heintze said.
Louisiana teams claimed the Top 2 spots in the tournament. Braden Blanchard and Cade Fortenberry, fishing for St. Amant High School in St. Amant, La., took second place with 51-15.
The B.A.S.S. Youth Nation Junior Championship coincided with the high school tournament. The 26 qualifying teams from as many states competed for 2 days on Carroll County Thousand Acre Recreational Lake.
Aaryn Minyard and Hunter Meadows of the Oklahoma City Junior Bassmasters won the tournament with 28-07. The entire catch came on Saturday after the anglers failed to boat a bass on the opening round.
