Fishing for scholarships and big prizes: student bass-fishing contests are booming in America

On a Saturday morning in August, 25 boats were launched together on the lake at Paris Landing State Park in Tennessee, USA. The final of the country's biggest high-school bass fishing tournament was about to begin.

Moments after the national anthem played, the boats sped across the blue water of Kentucky Lake. Kage Bragg, an 18-year-old from Alabama, steered his boat a little differently from the rest, slightly away from the marina, because he knew that spot offered the best chance of a big catch.

Then eight long hours passed. When time ran out, he returned with a smile. In the net bag he carried were three large bass.

The fish were weighed. Together they weighed 11 pounds 3 ounces, a little more than 5 kilograms. With that weight, he left the other 213 teams behind and took the champion's trophy.

As his prize he received a fine fishing boat worth 25,000 dollars and a full 5,000-dollar scholarship for his college studies.

Such big fishing contests for school and college students are mainly held in US states such as Kentucky, Texas, Tennessee and Georgia. In events organised by big bodies like Major League Fishing, young people enjoy themselves and also find a chance to build their future.

Bass fishing contests have been running for almost 60 years. But over the last one or two decades they have become a major professional sport. With rods, reels and boats, and the chance to win college scholarships or prizes, they are now hugely popular among young people in the United States.

Teams of one or two members take part in these contests. Under the rules, each team may catch at most three fish, each at least 15 inches long. The fish must be weighed alive and then released back into the lake.

But doing well in this sport costs a lot. A special bass boat can cost up to 100,000 dollars. On top of that, families must pay for a digital fish finder, good-quality rods and the many costs of competing.

Practice alone costs each student about 1,000 dollars a season. And not every parent has the long hours or the opportunity to take their child to the boat ramp.

School fishing teams do not run like an official sport or a class subject. They usually operate as ordinary clubs. A big reason is that schools do not want to take risks with expensive boats and student safety. Nor does the government give these teams any money or grants, so the teams must cover their own costs, raising the money through sponsorships or help from companies.

Like other sports, fishing is now seen as a major route to a college scholarship. Around 600 colleges now have separate fishing programmes or teams. Bethel University in Tennessee was the first college in the country to start offering fishing scholarships, in 2009. Its coach, Gary Mason, talks to many students during tournaments and helps talented young people find scholarship opportunities for their studies.

The young winner, Kage Bragg, has said he wants to build a professional career through local tournaments and fishing, instead of going to college, because he spends most of the week fishing on the river.

Big changes have come to this fishing sport in recent times. It now has professional competition, sponsorship from large companies and live television broadcasts. In contests like Major League Fishing, international brands such as Toyota are sponsors, and the events are shown live on television and the internet. In the 2026 Bass Pro Tour tournament, the winning competitor received 125,000 dollars in total prize money.

Over the past 10 years, the popularity of this sport among young people has doubled. The organisation called BASS Nation now has about 12,000 members. They are spread across 1,100 high schools and youth clubs in 35 US states, whereas a decade ago there were only 6,000 members in 600 clubs across 12 states. At least eight states now give this fishing the status of an official school sport.

Dave Washburn, an official of Major League Fishing, said the sport now has team jerseys, rallies to cheer the players on, and prize ceremonies, just like any other established sport. He said it is a wonderful opportunity for teenagers whose interests do not lie in ordinary sports, and for many students it is the first experience in which such a fine hobby of theirs is treated with the same importance as any big sport.