Brewer Lake in Orrington was the site of the 2014 SAF Maine State High School Bass Fishing Championship on Saturday, July 19, 2014. The fishing duo of Hunter Pate ’15 of Orrington and Jacob Gauvin of Bucksport captured the title with a weigh-in of 10.8 pounds. This win qualifies them for the conference championship level.

Both young men have been fishing competitively for the past two years with adults in the Bangor Bass Club and the Outcast Bass Club. The team has previously won the Penobscot River Tournament in 2012, the Silver Lake tournament in 2013 and placed in several other tournaments. They are currently in the top ten Tournament of Champions trail with the Outcast club.

The state championship is a two-person team event for students in grades 9-12. The Student Angler Federation (SAF) is part of the Bass Federation (TBF) and is in partnership with the Fishing League Worldwide (FLW ).

“State championships allow every SAF member in North America the opportunity to fish in a championship tournament setting,” TBF National Youth Director, Mark Gintert, stated. “This year, with the help of our partners at FLW, we’re expanding the program again by offering more advancement opportunities based on field size. In 2014, the top 10% of the field will advance. This rewards areas of the country working hard to grow the sport of high school fishing.”

The top 10% of each conference championship will advance to the FLW/TBF High School Fishing National Championship held spring of 2015 in conjunction with a major TBF or FLW event. The National Champions win a $5,000 college scholarship to the school or their choice. All SAF members nationwide and all open and state championship participants automatically qualify for the largest event in high school fishing, the 2014 High School Fishing World Finals. Over $40,000 in scholarships and prizes are awarded annually.

Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org for more information.