The Strawberry Crest High School fishing team hasn’t existed for very long, but it’s already making a splash in the Florida B.A.S.S. Nation circuit.
The team traveled to Tavares for the Nov. 23 Duel on Dora bass fishing tournament, and anglers Jonathan North and Russell Butler ended up winning the whole thing. It’s a performance that the team is hoping will help draw interest from potential sponsors, as well as potential new members.
NOT JUST A TEAM
In order to field a fishing team in the school’s name, there first had to be a fishing club. The wheels for that project were set in motion this year, and with the leadership of Senior President Harry Linsinbigler, a group of 15 anglers came to be. Many of the members came from the Lakeland Junior Bassmasters and sought the advice of club President Martin Bozeman when they needed it.
“He is the driving force behind all youth fishing in Florida,” Russ Butler Sr. says.
Many of the boys’ parents, such as Butler Sr. and Dale North, were also willing to help the club get started. Whether giving advice, loaning out a bass boat or even captaining one during a competition, the team dads have been fully supportive of the club.
“We’re trying to teach them how to get out there and speak to people,” Dale North says. “That’s one good thing about this club — it puts them out there in front of other teams, other peers and adults.”
DUEL ON DORA
The weather wasn’t perfect for fishing around Thanksgiving week, making strategic tournament fishing even trickier for the team.
“There are a lot of people who just fish in backyards, but the tournament stuff is a couple of levels above that,” North says. “You’ve got to have different tactics for different scenarios.”
Butler says that the key to success is to think like a fish.
“We just had a cold front come through the day before,” Butler says. “It was supposed to be raining that day, too, but luckily, it didn’t. So, the bite was kind of shut off. There was no pressure changing how the fish would act, if they would feed and stuff.”
They knew they’d have to find clear water to find any fish. Once the anglers found their patch, they had to keep the best interests of the fish in mind. In this case, the boys knew that the bass wouldn’t be hungry — the cold front had already driven the fish to eat plenty, even before the tournament began. Instead, the only way to get a bite would be to intrude on the fishes’ territory.
“With the bait we were throwing, we were trying to mimic a wounded bait fish,” North says. “You’ve got to throw what they’re wanting, what they know is natural to their environment.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
SPONSOR INFO
The team is currently looking for sponsors. For more information, contact Dale North at (813) 695-4200, or email schsbassmasters@gmail.com.