By: JORDON SEMIEN / For the Reporter

HOOVER—With fall quickly approaching, schools across the state are quickly preparing for the first wave of athletic seasons to begin. While most schools look for a shot at the state football crown in Hoover, others are ready for the first matches of volleyball season or the start of cross-country meets. But now a relatively new sport has begun gaining traction among schools, especially in central Alabama: high school bass fishing.

The ASABFA (Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association) is the governing body of the state’s large collection of High School anglers. The ASABFA is an affiliate of the Alabama Bass Trail, more specifically the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society. Spain Park student angler Jake Maddux explained that the schools affiliated with the ASBFA are sectioned into districts, much like in football, and are eligible to compete in any three tournaments they chose. The tournaments rage throughout the state, along the major rivers and lakes.

“During the normal season tournaments for ASABFA, we fished Neely Henry, which is on the Coosa River, Eufaula which is on the Chattahoochee River, and Lake Martin on the Tallapoosa River,” Maddux recounted. “Each School gets assigned different tournaments to fish: you fish three, then you go to the championship if you qualify. We qualified last year and we went to Smith Lake on the Warrior River.”

Maddux completed his freshman year last season, capping it with the team appearance in the state championship. “It feels good,” Maddux said of his first season. “Just being able to know how it all works and just be able to understand how it works and get a feel for it.” Maddux’s team finished 124^th in a field of 201 in the championship tournament.

As for the upcoming season, Maddux’s goals remain on self-improvement, saying “I really want to win a tournament this year, and I just want to get better and be able to compete more. I’m doing more than just ASABFA just to get better and hopefully go pro one day.”

With a new season of competition on its way, Spain Park’s anglers will soon be back out on the waters, searching for their ticket back to the championships. For more information on the ASABFA, you can search their Facebook page or visit the Alabama Bass Trail website at Alabamabasstrail.org.