25 Apr 2012 State fishing championship May 12

The event will be held Saturday, May 12, on the Arkansas River launching out of the Alltel Ramp in North Little Rock.

The championship is a two-person team event for students in grades 9-12. Registration for anglers and their coach, who will provide the boat they compete in, is online at HighSchoolFishing.org. Check-in begins at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 11, at the Riverside RV Park located just east of the Alltel Ramp, with a mandatory rules briefing starting at 7 p.m. Teams should preregister online or by phone in advance to avoid late registration fees.

"The city of North Little Rock is excited the SAF Arkansas High School Fishing State Championship has returned for a second year,” said Shannon Harris, sports and special events coordinator at the North Little Rock Visitors Bureau. “The event has grown since last year, which gives more people the opportunity to know what North Little Rock has to offer. This is great for our city and the entire downtown area."

Students and parents can go to HighSchoolFishing.org for details on the Student Angler Federation and to sign up for the championship. The winning two-person team from each state championship will advance to an FLW Outdoors/TBF High School Fishing Conference Championship held in conjunction with the National Guard FLW College Fishing Conference Championship. Those winners will advance to the FLW Outdoors/TBF High School Fishing National Championship held in conjunction with the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship in the spring of 2013.

All SAF members and state championship participants qualify for the largest event in high school fishing, the 2012 High School Fishing World Finals to compete for thousands of dollars in college scholarships and prizes.

Each team that qualifies for a conference or national championship will receive a travel allowance to help offset expenses. The national champions will each receive a $5,000 scholarship to use at the university of his/her choice.