CLARKE CENTRAL TEAM HEADS TO THE CLASSIC
by Wayne Wooten

So you are a couple of juniors at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia. You and your team mate are fishing in a tournament on Lake Lanier with a win could qualify them for the Georgia High School Bass Fishing Classic. You just weighed in about mid pack of the field of 91 boats and take the lead. Walking back to the boat to wait on the final teams to weigh in and you feel nervous and a little nauseated from anxiety.

Well that is what happened to Cole Bonner and Jack Byrne as they went on to win the tournament by .01 ounce, yep that is correct .01 ounce. The first 3 places were separated by the same .01 ounce. They also had Big Fish of the day, 6.26 pounds.

Their weapons of choice were a Jaw Breaker DT Special Spinner Bait, Buckeye Lures Buzz Bait and a Shakey Head rigged with a Zoom trick worm.

Cole and Jack had only fished 3 events prior to this one. They finished last in the first one, 22nd out of 96 boats in the second one and 15th out of 77 boats in the third.

Cole and Jack both began fishing at 6 with their grandfathers and have grown to love the sports of fishing and hunting. They also hope to compete at the college level after they graduate from high school. They work hard cutting grass to earn money to fish.

Cole and Jack's boat Captain for this event was David Earl Thornton a Clarke Central Alumni Class of '81. David works as Manager for the Fishing Department at Franklin Gun in Athens and fishes tournaments on the weekends. He was very emotional when we talked. David now 54 told me, "This is what it’s all about! Working with these young folks, watching them use what they have learned and be successful. This generation is the future of our sport and I'm proud to be a part of it." David said they started off with a 6.26 lb. bass, lost one probably a little bigger at the boat and culled a fish to gain 3 ounces with 10 minutes left to fish and that was the difference.

Cole and Jack's Coach, Christian Barner was also very excited as well as their classmates. They were giving them high fives and applause when they arrived at school the following Monday.

Cole and Jack went on to fish the Classic a 2 day event on Lake Chickamauga in Tennessee with boat Captain Darren Taylor. They  finished 12th out of 31 boats. Cole and Jack were in 5th on day 1 and caught 30 fish on day 2 just didn't get the larger fish needed to maintain the position. They are already getting lined up for the fall and hope to fish some BASS High School events. Cole did get a DT22 to the face but pulled it out with pliers and kept chunking!

I want to wish Cole, Jack, the other teams at Clarke Central and all of the other High School Teams much success in the future.
I also want to thank ALL of the boat Captains that donate their time and boats to these students which allows them to fish these events.

 

About the author: Wayne Wooten is a freelance writer, lure and lure kit designer at Wayne's Baits, LLC. He has over 35 years sales experience and was Vice President at Custom Services Inc. Now retired he devotes his time to creating and promoting products for the outdoor industry. He has been fishing since 1960 and enjoys taking people fishing on his home lake, Lake Deerfield, and writing stories and sometimes filming these trips. He has also worked in television doing commercials on outdoor shows. He lives in Ila, GA with his wife, you can contact him at wayne@waynesbaits.com or (706) 255-8504