Ringgold looking to reel them in during inaugural season

The Northwest Georgia High School Anglers Association, already the largest high school fishing organization in the nation, is growing even more this season.

The league, already with participants from northwest Georgia counties, is welcoming the anglers from Ringgold High School in 2017.

Now in its third year, the NWGHSAA also has teams at Heritage, LFO, Trion, Calhoun, Sonoraville, Murray County, North Murray, Gordon Lee, LaFayette, Ridgeland, Christian Heritage, Coahulla Creek, Dalton and Northwest Whitfield High Schools.

“As of now, they have 309 kids participating,” said Tigers assistant coach Larry Brown. “This is the first year for Ringgold High School to be involved, so we’re making history here.”

Ringgold will have 16 different anglers set to fish for the Blueand-White during the upcoming 2017, including one middle school student. Middle school student are permitted to fish with the high school anglers per league rules.

“We’re pleased to have this many kids sign up and show interest in the first year for fishing at Ringgold,” Brown said. “This will only grow as the years go on. Gordon Lee, for instance, started out with just four kids their first year and they had over 40 last year.”

The Tigers will be involved in seven tournaments on the league’s schedule, which starting on Feb. 25 on Lake Chickamauga at Chester Frost Park. A total of 157 boats are scheduled to fish in the tournament. There are two league anglers to a boat, plus a boat captain.

Additional tournaments will be held on Lake Nickajack in Jasper, Tenn., Lake Guntersville in Scottsboro, Ala., Lake Weiss in Cedar Bluff, Ala. and Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tenn.

Anglers earn points in the tournament and for attending monthly association meetings in Dalton, all of which goes toward to individual boat and team awards at the end of the season in May.

Brown said the league will award over $10,000 in college scholarships this season. College fishing is one of the fastest growing varsity sports in the nation.

“This is great for kids that don’t play team sports, like baseball or football, or aren’t in the band, but that love the outdoors,” Brown added. “It gives these students a chance to represent their school that may not want to participate in athletics or some other activity.”