02-23-2006, 09:49 PM
Tight Lines: Bass angler represents Utah well
[url "mailto:brettp@sltrib.com"]By Brett Prettyman
Tribune Columnist[/url]
Hooking an 8-pound largemouth during a Bassmaster Championship is a dream of every bass angler. Zach Alexander, of Salt Lake City, made that dream a reality Sunday during the 2006 Junior Bassmaster World Championship in Florida.
And then, Zach released the fish that would have made him the champion.
"The rules say if you see them, you have to hook them inside of the mouth. It wasn't hooked inside the mouth," said Zach, who took second place in the 11-14 age group at the tournament, just 1 ounce behind the winner.
Zach was cruising and looking for fish hanging out in the shallow water preparing![[Image: clear.gif]](http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/std/clear.gif)
[url "http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_3537073#"]![[Image: 20060222__fea_page2middle_0223~3_200.jpg]](http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site297/2006/0222/20060222__fea_page2middle_0223~3_200.jpg)
[/url] Zach Alexander, of Salt Lake City, shows off two of the fish he caught Sunday. He took second place at the Junior Bassmaster Championship. (Courtesy of Bassmaster Communications ) for the spawn. It's called sight fishing, and the 13-year-old found some dandies. But he hooked two - the 8-pounder and a 4-pounder - outside the mouth with his White Trash-colored Smallie Beaver plastic bait. If he had not seen the fish before it took his bait, he could have kept the fish and easily won the biggest youth bass-fishing tournament in the world.
Zach still managed to land a limit - something only he and the eventual winner, Payden Hibdon of Stover, Mich., were able to do in the 11-14 age group.
Of the 90 youth competing in the championship in the 11-14 and 15-18 age categories, only five managed to bring in a five-fish limit during the one-day tournament.
That is something to be proud of, but it was of little consolation to the teenager.
Zach felt good about his five fish, but figured not being able to count the two hogs he had to release would hurt him at the official weigh-in. The first indication that he might have a run at the title came when he arrived for the drive-through weigh-in.
"The guy who checked my fish told the driver to pull over and wait for a while. They call it sandbagging by having a big limit measured near the end," said Zach, who competed in the 2005 Junior Championship last summer near
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Pittsburgh. "Then I saw a sheet and saw that only one other angler had a limit."
The second-to-last angler to weigh his fish, Zach knew his bag would come close to the 9-pound, 6-ounce mark held by Payden.
"I knew what I needed to win and I was staring at the scale the entire time," he said. "When it came up an ounce short, I was a little bit disappointed."
Zach won a $2,500 scholarship for taking second, but he can't help but think that he was just 2 ounces from a $5,000 scholarship, a Triton boat and a Mercury motor.
Casey Storey, of North Ogden, qualified to represent Utah in the 15-18 age group at the tournament. Storey caught one fish and finished 22nd.
Utah's youth anglers are giving the state a good name at the championship. In addition to Zach's strong result Sunday, there was another second-place finish by Anthony Stence in the 15-18 age group last summer. That's something, considering that Utah did not start its youth tournament program until 2004.
"My hope for Zach and Casey is that their success will inspire others to join," said George Sommer, president of the Utah Bass Federation. "I am counting on them to be ambas
ors for their sport and to tell others how much fun it is."
[signature]
[url "mailto:brettp@sltrib.com"]By Brett Prettyman
Tribune Columnist[/url]
Hooking an 8-pound largemouth during a Bassmaster Championship is a dream of every bass angler. Zach Alexander, of Salt Lake City, made that dream a reality Sunday during the 2006 Junior Bassmaster World Championship in Florida.
And then, Zach released the fish that would have made him the champion.
"The rules say if you see them, you have to hook them inside of the mouth. It wasn't hooked inside the mouth," said Zach, who took second place in the 11-14 age group at the tournament, just 1 ounce behind the winner.
Zach was cruising and looking for fish hanging out in the shallow water preparing
[url "http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_3537073#"][/url] Zach Alexander, of Salt Lake City, shows off two of the fish he caught Sunday. He took second place at the Junior Bassmaster Championship. (Courtesy of Bassmaster Communications ) for the spawn. It's called sight fishing, and the 13-year-old found some dandies. But he hooked two - the 8-pounder and a 4-pounder - outside the mouth with his White Trash-colored Smallie Beaver plastic bait. If he had not seen the fish before it took his bait, he could have kept the fish and easily won the biggest youth bass-fishing tournament in the world. Zach still managed to land a limit - something only he and the eventual winner, Payden Hibdon of Stover, Mich., were able to do in the 11-14 age group.
Of the 90 youth competing in the championship in the 11-14 and 15-18 age categories, only five managed to bring in a five-fish limit during the one-day tournament.
That is something to be proud of, but it was of little consolation to the teenager.
Zach felt good about his five fish, but figured not being able to count the two hogs he had to release would hurt him at the official weigh-in. The first indication that he might have a run at the title came when he arrived for the drive-through weigh-in.
"The guy who checked my fish told the driver to pull over and wait for a while. They call it sandbagging by having a big limit measured near the end," said Zach, who competed in the 2005 Junior Championship last summer near
Advertisement [url "http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N1166.saltlaketribune/B1797110.6;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=[timestamp]?"]
Pittsburgh. "Then I saw a sheet and saw that only one other angler had a limit." The second-to-last angler to weigh his fish, Zach knew his bag would come close to the 9-pound, 6-ounce mark held by Payden.
"I knew what I needed to win and I was staring at the scale the entire time," he said. "When it came up an ounce short, I was a little bit disappointed."
Zach won a $2,500 scholarship for taking second, but he can't help but think that he was just 2 ounces from a $5,000 scholarship, a Triton boat and a Mercury motor.
Casey Storey, of North Ogden, qualified to represent Utah in the 15-18 age group at the tournament. Storey caught one fish and finished 22nd.
Utah's youth anglers are giving the state a good name at the championship. In addition to Zach's strong result Sunday, there was another second-place finish by Anthony Stence in the 15-18 age group last summer. That's something, considering that Utah did not start its youth tournament program until 2004.
"My hope for Zach and Casey is that their success will inspire others to join," said George Sommer, president of the Utah Bass Federation. "I am counting on them to be ambas
ors for their sport and to tell others how much fun it is."[signature]