Local anglers compete at State

BELTON - A pair of local anglers from Anderson accomplished more on the water than any high school team has been able to. The senior duo of Chase Scott and Colton Wickman competed at the Texas High School Bass Association State tournament on Lake Belton.

Scott and Wickman placed in the top 50% of the THSBA Houston Division placing 31st out of 192 teams to qualify for Regionals at Lake Travis in Austin. Two other anglers, the freshman team of Kevin Smith and Cayden First, also competed in the Regional tournament.

At Regionals, Scott and Wickman hooked five bass for a total weight of 8.79 pounds and finished 37th, in the top 40% to qualify for State. Both anglers enjoyed the clarity of the water. “That was an incredible tournament,” said Wickman. “It is a different type of fishing for two boys from Anderson that are used to fishing muddy water.”

Scott said Lake Travis is his favorite fishing memory. “Being able to see the fish bedding, then casting to those locations and getting them to strike was unbelievable,” he explained. The duo said they caught approximately 15 bass that tournament.

It appeared to be a great start to State as the duo scouted fish in the practice round, but a mechanical issue threw a kink in their plans. “We blew an engine while pre-fishing and had to use the trolling motor only during the tournament,” said Scott. The seniors caught fish but unfortunately none were the required length.

“We gave it our best. We caught bass but unfortunately they were not the length we needed,” stated Wickman.

Wickman and his former partner, Keith Bradford, qualified for state earlier in his career, but due to COVID-19, the tournament was canceled, and the pair missed the opportunity to compete.

Neither Wickman or Scott plan to compete collegiately, but they would like to continue fishing together for fun and maybe compete in some local tournaments. In competition, Wickman said his largest career bass was a little over six pounds while Scott hooked one over five