Two Hartselle fishermen finished third out of over 160 teams in the High School Bass Fishing World Finals July 8-11 at Pickwick Lake in Florence.

Ross Napier and Collin Reaves competed with teams from 20 different states in the competition that will be televised on NBC Sports this September.

The tournament pits only teams from the same state against each other on the two days vying for a top two spot to advance to the semifinal round on day three. Other teams not advancing to the semifinals were allowed to keep fishing for a consolation berth to the finals by weighing in within the top teams. The qualifying semifinal teams and the top teams from the consolation round competed in the final round on the fourth day.

Their boat captain and Ross’s father Jack Napier said they beat the odds to place in the tournament.

“The boat broke down on the second day, so they didn’t even get to fish that day,” Jack said. “They didn’t make it into the top two Alabama teams to make it into the semis, but they fished really well on Friday and were still able to get into the finals even though the consolation round was sent out last and had to weigh in first. Then they had another good day on Saturday, putting them at third place. They were only one ounce from second place and less than a pound from first place.”

Reaves said the second day was definitely a set back.

“We had planned on using the second day as practice since our day didn’t go very well,” Reaves said. “It was very stressful mentally when we didn’t get to fish Thursday since we didn’t know if we would get a second chance. Once we started doing well Friday, it changed our whole mentality, and we were able to ride the good fortune to keep doing better.”

Napier and Reaves are not strangers to success at fishing competitions. Napier has placed first in a Fishers of Men Legacy tournament and a Habitat for Humanity tournament as well as second place in the high school bass fishing state tournament with Joseph McAnally. Reaves has won a Bass Anglers Sportsman Society tournament in the past.

Napier and Reaves are both Hartselle High School students. Napier is entering 10^th grade, and Reaves graduated in May. They have both been active in the HHS bass fishing team, and Jack has been the coach for two years. HHS has four top-four finishes in the state tournament.

They fish Pickwick often and know their favorite spots. Their strategy for the tournament included saving their best fishing spots for last.

“The first day they were just fishing,” Jack said. “They left the places they usually have the best luck for the last two days, which really helped them. They used all their favorite artificial lures, which is mostly Tight Line Jigs. Ross almost exclusively uses Tight Line Jigs. They are from Charles Clemons in Hartselle. They definitely had a plan going into this tournament.”

Reaves said the tournament posed a specific challenge for him.

“I frequently fish the Coosa River, and I’m a shallow water fisherman,” Reaves said. “I had to conform to Pickwick since it’s 30-40 feet deep in areas. I changed my game plan, but I got used to the different style after a little practice. Our final day on Pickwick was one of my best catches at 19.4 pounds.”

The tournament was videoed by NBC Sports, and the team had a camera following them for a while during the final day. The cameramen even came aboard their boat and filmed the team catching a five-pound fish. Jack said the cameraman told him he was fairly certain that the fish they filmed was the biggest one they had caught on camera during the tournament.

Napier and Reaves won $200 in Cabella’s giftcards and two GoPro cameras. The top three teams were able to choose from a variety of prizes, including $18,000 worth of scholarships that was claimed by the first place team.

Napier said he has a few goals for himself during the remainder of his high school fishing career.

“I would really like to win a BASS tournament and finish first in the high school state tournament,” Napier said. “I will probably fish ‘til I can’t fish anymore, but I don’t know that I’ll fish for a university. Scholarships for fishing are only given out by a few schools in the country, so I doubt I will get anything like that. I hope to improve each year and find more baits to add to diversity.”

Reaves will be continuing his competitive fishing career at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

“I started fishing when I was in seventh grade and joined a junior bass club,” Reaves said. “I plan to fish through my four years at UAB and am trying to go pro if I can. Fishing at the college level will give me an opportunity to make it to the BassMasters tournament, which would be great.”

Napier said fishing was a family tradition.

“My grandfather and father have always taken me fishing, and my mom loves it too,” Napier said. “I think I was born with a rod in my hand, and I hope it’s something I can continue doing competitively and for fun with my future family.”

Ross Napier, left, and Collin Reaves of Hartselle High School placed third in the High School Bass Fishing World Finals at Pickwick Lake Sat., July 11. They competed against over 160 teams from over 20 states during the four-day tournament.| Special to the Enquirer