High schoolers headed to Chickamauga Lake for Nationals

I'm stunned how quickly high school tournament bass fishing grew since the Illinois High School Association became the first to make tournament bass fishing an activity during the 2008-09 school year.

Mark Stewart put that growth more colorfully, "It is unbelievable. All these kids are smart and can whip your ass in Tuesday nighters or weekend tournaments. They take the old man's money."

Stewart should know. He will be the boat captain/coach when Bret Cavanaugh and Alex Bielfeldt fish the Bassmaster High School National Championship Aug. 1-3 on Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lake. They are first to reach nationals in any sport at Reed-Custer High School. They qualified for nationals both from the Illinois Bass Nation and ICASSTT.

There's good reason for their success as a duo.

"They are serious about their fishing," Stewart said. "They not clowning around. Not mean to each other. They get along."

When asked what made them good, Stewart cracked, "Setting the hook," then said seriously, "They concentrate."

And they complement each other.

"I more like finesse fishing, beating the banks," said Cavanaugh, who just graduated. "I do like topwater, seeing them come up and see them blow up on frogs."

"I usually leave the Ned rig to [Cavanaugh], I am usually big-fish fishing," said Bielfeldt, who will be a senior. "He can usually pick out a limit."

Bielfeldt plans to go to college and to continue his pitching career in baseball.

"He is good at motion fishing with crankbaits, he's also an amazing drop-shot guy," Cavanaugh said. "Where I lack, he picks up; where he lacks, I pick up."

"Love topwater, frog and Spook, fishing, but I caught my PB on a drop-shot," Bielfeldt said. "Technically, that is probably what I fish best and wacky-worm fishing. It's nice to have both, I can usually get them on one or the other."

Both anglers caught their personal-best largemouth bass, both heavier than 5 pounds, during the ICASSTT tournament on Newton Lake.

"I didn't expect to catch my PB in a tournament," Bielfeldt said.

While his big bass at Newton was also most memorable fish for Cavanaugh, it was different for Bielfeldt.

"I do a lot of striper fishing on Norfolk Lake," said Bielfeldt, whose best is a 30-inch striper. "We also catch hybrids, I've caught a couple 10-pounders. They are probably the best fighting fish you can catch around here and in Arkansas."

Cavanaugh started bass fishing in sixth grade because of his older brother Ryan, who fished on the bass team. Ryan and Stewart shared boat captain duties the past year for the two anglers.

"I always was a panfisherman, but [Ryan] took me around and had me throw around jigs," Cavanaugh said.

He hopes to get into the pipefitters union.

"I love bass fishing, but I like going out with my buddies trout fishing and catfishing," Cavanaugh said.

They plan to leave on July 28 and will have a couple days of prefishing before the tournament. If they are in the top 12 after the first two days, they will fish on the final day.

Neither angler has fished the lake, nor has Stewart. I didn't know much about the water either. Chickamauga Lake, completed in 1940, is on the Tennessee River and was formed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. It is named for the indigenous Chickamauga, whom Chickamauga Nation note are not Cherokee.

The Reed-Custer side hopes fishing the lake is easier to figure out than the name.

Stewart used the anglers' ageless path of information, "a buddy's daughter, a brother of an old friend," to get some information.

"They will be fishing Neko worms, crankbaits and swimbaits," he said. "We will be fishing the grass and on top of the ledge."

They will be running Stewart's Skeeter boat. But Ryan Cavanaugh will have his boat there as backup. Both anglers' families will be well represented at Nationals.

Before going, Cavanaugh and Bielfeldt will be properly feted. During Braidwood's Summerfest, the pair will be on Stewart's boat in the parade next Sunday.

"It's more special for us than most, first national appearance in any sport in the school," Bielfeldt said.

A plaque noting that goes into the school trophy case.

"It was definitely a fun season," Cavanaugh said.

As to Nationals, Bielfeldt said, "Expecting to have a little fun at least. Just like any other tournament, you have to go out and keep casting."