Several members of the Patrick County High School Fishing Team competed in the BASSMASTER Strike King High School Series and Junior Series at Buggs Island Lake (John H. Kerr Reservoir) in conjunction with the College Series in Clarksville, Virginia at Occoneechee State Park on May 4.
Rain and storms greeted the field Sunday morning, but the teams battled the elements to land 75 limits and over 1,020 pounds of bass for the day. There were 350 high school and junior anglers from across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, New York, Illinois and many more from other states. This was one of the biggest fishing tournaments in which the students had competed as high school anglers.
Congratulations to Patrick County High School Fishing Team anglers Tripp Thompson and Jacob Spencer who qualified and will be fishing in the BASSMASTER High School National Championship on July 31- August 2 on Clarks Hill Lake located in northeast Georgia on the border of South Carolina after finishing tenth out of 130 teams in the Strike King high school series tournament. Their total catch weighed in at 12 pounds and 5 ounces. Also, a special shoutout to two of PCHS graduating seniors, Jonah Shockley and Hunter Heath, who finished 16th out of 130 boats. The teams who placed in the top thirteen advance to the national tournament.
Patrick County was represented by eight Patrick County High School teams in the Strike King high school and junior series tournament. They were Jonah Shockley and Hunter Heath; Chace Handy and Will Heath; Evan Havens and Asher Perry; Tripp Thompson and Jacob Spencer; Jake Bryant and Logan Brown; Evan Eastridge and Wesley Kruse; Kade Williams and Jazmyne Reynolds; Kipton Vipperman and Trenton Miller.
The Triangle Bass Club team of Ayden Rigsbee and Nolan Clark won the 2025 Strike King Bassmaster High School Series at Buggs Island with a weight of 16 pounds, 13 ounces. This was the second time in two years B.A.S.S. organization had brought anglers in its Bassmaster fishing tournaments to compete on Buggs Island Lake, but the first time for younger anglers.
In 2023 the St. Croix Bassmaster Open was held on Buggs Island Lake. Before then, Bassmaster anglers had not fished in Buggs Island Lake since 1998. Special thanks to all the club leaders, parents and boat captains for providing this opportunity and experience for the young anglers.
