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On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Straughn Bass Fishing Team fished the first tournament of the Wiregrass Student Angler Trail on the Tensaw River.  Both the junior high team and the senior high team participated in the tournament.

The Mobile-Tensaw Delta is one of the largest river deltas and wetlands in the country.  The Mobile River basin, which flows through it, forms one of the richest regions in the world for many species and habitats.  It contains about one-third more than any other state of all the country’s known freshwater fish species as well as more species of mussels, snails, turtles, and crawfish.

A team for each boat includes two students and an adult who is considered the captain.  The captains may rotate during the season. For this season, the available captains include Casey Ray, Jeremy Harrison, Clint Burkett, Roger Moore, Chad Alexander, John McMath, Kenneth Jones, Andy Clanton, Kyle Padgett, Avery Padgett, Justin Faust, Adam Odom, Chris Landon, Jason Tarey, and Shye Davis.

The officers for the 2024-2025 season of the Straughn Bass Fishing team are Benji Wilson, president; vice-president, Clint Burkett; secretary/treasurer, Dawn Ray; and Anna Padgett, media officer.

This was the first time for the Straughn anglers to fish the Tensaw River.  Much remains to be learned about the Delta, but overall, they did their best and did not let a new place defeat them.

A total of 78 boats with 154 anglers entered the high school division, and 17 boats with 32 anglers entered the junior division. Excited and anxious anglers from different schools in Alabama were ready to hit the water at safe light.

Team Faust/Odom finished 2nd out of 17 boats with an overall weight of 3.97 pounds in the junior division and brought home their first piece of hardware.

Team Harrison/Ray finished in 7th out of 78 boats with an overall weight of 8.10 pounds in the senior division.

Three out of 5 of the high school division teams weighed in fish.  The limit is five fish per boat, and they must be at least 12 inches in length.

One out of two of the junior division teams weighed in fish.  All teams caught fish, as many as four fish, but they did not measure 12 inches.

The coach, Benji Wilson, the parents, and other supporters are so proud of these anglers. They are off to a good start for the 2024-2025 season. They worked hard on the Tensaw River.  It was a tough day, but they pushed through. They are looking forward to what the rest of the season has in store for them.

The team members extend thanks to all of their boat captains, parents, community and sponsors for making it possible for them to be able to participate in this sport because it is very expensive.  They depend on fundraisers, dues, and sponsorships to cover their expenses which include, registrations fees, boat launch fees, gas, lodging, jerseys, and food.  They do not receive any funds from the school.

The Straughn Bass Fishing Team will be fishing the Alabama BASS Nation High School Trail, which begins in November along with the Wiregrass Student Angler Trail. The next tournament for the Straughn Bass Fishing team will be at Westpoint Lake in Lanett, Alabama, on Sept. 28 on the Wiregrass Student Angler Trail.