Youth Bass Fishing League
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the South Carolina Bass Federation have teamed up to bring Youth Fishing Clubs to your school.
If we get 16 or more schools involved and a desire for a state championship, the South Carolina High School League can make bass fishing a high school sport in all areas of public school!
Here’s how it works:
- You need a minimum of 6 youth within the 11-18 age range to qualify to have a Bass Federation Youth Team.
- Membership dues are $40 a year for each student.
- You need an adult at your school to help lead the Youth Bass Federation club, provide advice and help arrange tournaments, fundraisers, speakers and other learning sessions pertaining to fishing.
- To become eligible to compete in the South Carolina Bass Federation Youth State Championship, all youth must participate in at least two club tournaments.
- Tournaments may be held by the Bass Federation clubs on ponds/bank fishing, piers or by boat. If using boats, there needs to be one boat per 2 anglers. In other words, to fish all 6 anglers (the minimum number to have a Youth Bass Federation Club), you need 3 boats.
- Boats may be donated for use by members of the community or local bass clubs.
- Bass Federation Youth are covered by Bass Federation insurance when operating in a Bass Federation Tournament (whether at the individual club level or at the state championship).
- Youth Bass Federation members may compete in other youth tournaments, other than those held by the club, and use these to qualify for the SC Bass Federation Youth State Championship as long as the Youth Club Leaders keep accurate records of club members weights within these other tournaments to validate to the SC Bass Federation.
- One youth from each age category (11-14; 15-18) will be determined by the State Championship and sent to the National Youth FLW Championship where kids compete from different states. 2008 FLW Youth Champion was from Aiken, South Carolina.
- Each club may send up to six members, three from the 11-14 age category and three from the 15-18 age category, to the state tournament. No matter what, an even number of anglers must be sent per the boat rule mentioned above.
