No 'hooky' involved in student bass fishing tourney

CENTER HARBOR — Not all of Lake Winnipesaukee's schools were found beneath the waves on Thursday.

More than 100 New Hampshire high school students spent the day fishing on the lake, and none were playing hooky, strictly speaking.

They had permission to be out on the water.

At 8 a.m. the students – two to a boat plus a coach/captain – departed from the Center Harbor Public Beach for a day on the water. They were taking part in the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association’s annual coed bass fishing tournament, which included 34 teams from all corners of the Granite State.

The event began in 2013, as part of the NHIAA’s ongoing annual comprehensive lineup of high school competitions which involve more than 80 New Hampshire secondary schools.

Thursday's gathering was the NHIAA's 2018 bass fishing qualifying event.

Two flights left the dock and headed toward Spindle Point, Hoitts Point, Belknap Point and Long Island Bridge searching for largemouth and smallmouth varieties of the keenly sought after game fish.

According to several teams, the big lake was a little rough, but not enough to deter any of them.

Each flight spent 5 hours angling before returning to the dock at Center Harbor Public Beach, many with the full complement 8 allowed catches.

Starting at 2.p.m., they immediately bagged their live catch and headed to the tournament tent which was manned by Ray Meyer and John Foster of the organization NH B.A.S.S. Nation, who weighed and logged the fish.

In addition to members of participating schools, there was also a large group of friends and family on the dock. Ray Meyer of B.A.S.S. weighed each team’s entry, often complimenting the teams on their catches.

As Meyer performed his task there was much applause and cheers as total catch sizes were announced as well as an occasional individual fish.

Of the 34 competing schools, Lakes Region was well represented, with teams from Kingswood, Gilford and Prospect Mountain competing. The top total eleven total weight catches advanced to the finals.

The Prospect Mountain team finished first, with 16.12 pounds of fish, the highest total weight for the tournament. Other top teamsincluded #2 Monadnock, Coe Brown, Sunapee, Conval, Bow, Sanborn, Kearsage, Pinkerton, Merrimack Valley and Windham High Schools.  All qualified for the Championship Finals to be held at the Lake Sunapee State Beach on Saturday, September 29^th.

Many participants, both students and coaches, commented on the value of the event. Corey Roux, Prospect Mountain’s athletic director, was his team's coach/mentor with fellow teacher Mark Anthony.

 “Bass Fishing gives the student-athletes, girls or boys, the opportunity to learn about bass, their environment, conservation and more," Roux said. “It also allows opportunities for the student athletes who may not be interested in competing on a sports team such as volleyball or soccer.”

Roux also complimented his fishermen, Sam Bonner and Brodyn Varney on their abilities. “Once we developed a pattern, the students took over.”

Emma Doyle, a junior member of the Lebanon High School team, said she has been fishing since she was three and loves being on the team. “I like to be a member of a predominately male sport.  It shows that girls can do this.”

In first place going into the finals, the student athletes of Prospect Mountain look to recapture the championship which they won in 2013, the inaugural year of the tournament.

John Woodman, the coach of the Gilford team for the past six years, said there is real value to the sport: “This gives the kids other future avenues, from boat designer, to making their own lures, looking into aquatics related things, even being a game warden. It gives them an opportunity to be outdoors, learning about the environment and taking care of our resources.”

Jeffrey Collins, the NHIAA's executive director, pronounced the day “amazing."

"We all had a good time the volunteers and boat captains were great,” Collins said, giving a special shoutout to the B.A.S.S. Nation volunteers.  “We couldn’t have done it without them,” he said.

As Meyer performed his task there was much applause and cheers as total catch sizes were announced as well as an occasional individual fish.