November 22, 2024
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Twelve of the top high school anglers in the country have been selected as new members of the prestigious Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team.
“Over the past 10 years, the Bassmaster High School All-American program has spotlighted some of the hardest-working and most successful student anglers in the country,” said Chase Anderson, B.A.S.S. CEO. “Since the inception of this program, we have seen former All-Americans go on to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series, excel in the Bassmaster Opens, take the Bassmaster College Series by storm and even compete in the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing, the famed Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. I have no doubt that the 12 outstanding anglers selected for 2024 All-American honors will follow suit and continue to make a wonderful impact in the fishing community.”
Nearly 300 applications nominating students in grades 10-12 were submitted from 31 states across the nation. Of these, 45 students were chosen as Bassmaster All-State Anglers. After considering tournament résumés, conservation efforts, community service activities and recommendations from school officials and coaches, a panel of judges consisting of representatives from the sportfishing industry, media and conservation groups further narrowed the field to the Top 12 high school anglers in the country.
“Congratulations to this outstanding group of student athletes,” said Mandy Pascal, Managing Editor of B.A.S.S. Publications and Director of the Bassmaster High School All-American program. “I have had the pleasure of watching this program grow over the past 10 years, and I am continuously blown away by the passion, drive and talent each of these student anglers possess. It has been such a joy getting to see them excel at the collegiate level and beyond after receiving this honor, and I could not be prouder of each angler.”
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The 2024 All-American team has been invited to the 2025 Bassmaster Classic, which will be held March 21-23 in Fort Worth, Texas. Each All-American angler will be honored on the biggest stage in bass fishing and have the chance to meet and interact with some of the greatest names in the sport.
Congratulations to the following student anglers (listed in alphabetical order) for being named to the 2024 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team.
Carsen Adcock
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A junior at Haughton High School, Carsen Adcock earned four wins from spring of 2023 through 2024. Notablym Adcock beat a field of 200 teams to win the 2023 Bassmaster High School Series event held on the Red River, and in March of this year he won the North Louisiana High School B.A.S.S. Nation event on Toledo Bend, again defeating over 200 teams to place first. Later in the month, he won the Bassmaster High School Classic on Keystone Lake. Alongside his wins, Adcock has amassed five Top-5 finishes, including second place at the MLF/TBF High School World Finals out of a field of 390-plus teams and a third-place finish at the MLF/TBF High School National Championship out of a field of over 250 teams.
“Carsen is well-balanced and excels at all he does,” says Sarah Thrash, guidance counselor at Haughton High School. “He goes above and beyond expectations while exhibiting the most positive attitude.”
Alongside being a member of two fishing teams, Adcock is also on his school’s baseball team and is a member of the Random Acts of Kindness Club, the ACT Domination Club and the FCA. This past year he was nominated by his school’s faculty to represent Haughton High in Louisiana’s Boys State. Adcock volunteers his time at both Carriage Oaks Church of Christ, where he assists with food and clothing drives as well as trash cleanup initiatives, and First Baptist Haughton Church, where he helps with neighborhood cleanups. Adcock also donates his time to cleaning up around local lakes as part of a project headed by local fishing leagues and churches and was highlighted by the Louisiana B.A.S.S. Nation Youth Director Tommy Abbott for his time and dedication to staying after tournaments and cleaning up trash to ensure that tournament venues are left for the better. Adcock manages all of this around his schoolwork, taking AP and dual-enrollment courses and maintaining a 3.81 GPA.
Elijah Coleman
Montgomery County High School senior Elijah Coleman amassed an impressive three wins from 2023 to 2024, including beating out a field of over 435 boats at the 2024 15th Annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship. He earned an additional six Top-5 finishes, including fourth place at the 2024 Bassmaster High School Series event at Clarks Hill Reservoir out of a field of 200-plus boats, and also bagged five Top-20 finishes, placing 12th out of a 200-plus-boat field at the 2024 Bassmaster High School Series event at Douglas Lake. Coleman qualified for the Kentucky B.A.S.S. Nation State Tournament in 2023 and 2024 and is a three-time Kentucky High School Athletic Association Regional Tournament qualifier, as well as a Bassmaster High School National Championship qualifier.
“Elijah is always competing, always striving to get better and is a great representation of what hard work, dedication and determination can get you,” says Seth Sparks, an English teacher at Montgomery County High School. “Elijah loves his community and wants to see his community thrive. Not only does he want to see it thrive, he wants to be one of the contributing factors to its success.”
When he isn’t competing, Coleman volunteers at the nursery at his church and assists the church with events and repairs. He is a longtime member of the FCA and has volunteered at the Montgomery County Food Pantry and at Mapleton Elementary School’s Fall Festival, where he ran a fishing booth. Coleman has also assisted Kentucky Fish and Wildlife with conservation efforts at Cave Run, his home lake, by working to create habitat attractors for fish. Coleman is an honors student and has flawlessly balanced his advanced course load to maintain a 4.0 GPA.
Max Flatten
Watertown High School senior Max Flatten has three impressive wins spanning 2023 to 2024, including winning the South Dakota TBF High School State Championship in back-to-back years as well as winning the 2024 South Dakota Bassmaster High School State Championship on Lake Sharpe. Flatten has an additional win on the Glacial Lakes Extreme Team Trail as well as eight wins through the Kampeska Bass League. He qualified for the 2023 High School Bass Fishing World Finals and, in the past, has captured wins at the South Dakota TBF High School State Championship and the South Dakota TBF Junior State Championship.
“Max’s love for the outdoors is very apparent,” said Nathan Clark, teacher at Watertown High School. “He is a growing sportsman who has sacrificed countless hours in preparation as successful outdoorsmen do. He puts in early mornings, late nights and long drives across the United States. Living in a region of the U.S. dominated by walleye angling, Max stands out as a competitive bass angler.”
Flatten is a founding member of the Glacial Lakes High School Bass Fishing Club. He is also very involved in the FCA Leadership Committee, a lead donator to Sportsmen Against Hunger and a Gifted and Talented Education member. Flatten is also the co-founder of the Wednesday Night Kampeska Bass League, which helps promote fish care and catch and release. Flatten balances all of his extracurriculars alongside his schoolwork, maintaining a 3.35 GPA.
Rylan Hamlin
Rylan Hamlin, a senior on the Jackson Bass Fishing Team, has an astounding 24 wins spanning 2023 to 2024, including multiple wins on the B.A.S.S. High School Team Trail and, notably, the 2024 Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation High School State Championship on Sault Ste. Marie this past August. In addition to his gamut of wins, Hamlin has earned 17 Top-5 finishes, including a second-place finish at the 2024 Bassmaster High School National Championship on Chickamauga Lake out of a field over 270 teams, as well as five Top-20 finishes, with a sixth-place finish at the MLF/TBF National Finals and a 10th-place finish at the MLF/TBF World Finals, with both events having a field size of nearly 400 teams.
“Rylan’s fishing résumé almost doesn’t look believable,” said Brady Cook, superintendent at the Michigan Center School District. “I come from a fishing family, and I know how hard it is to consistently be successful. Rylan seems to excel no matter where he drops a line, and no matter who he is fishing with. He is a model of hard work, high character, determination, ingenuity and grit.”
Hamlin is a three-time Michigan High School All-State champion, a three-time Michigan High School Angler of the Year winner and an eight-time B.A.S.S. High School Team Trail champion. He is very involved in his community and spends much of his time helping youth anglers learn to fish and get comfortable on the water. Hamlin also dedicates his time to local lake cleanups and has participated in the AFTCO Conservation Clean Up Program over the past two years. He does all of this whilst maintaining a 3.59 GPA.
Kyle Herrman
Jefferson West High School senior Kyle Herrman earned a notable four wins from 2023 to 2024, including first place in the 2023 World Fishing Tour High School Event and the 2023 Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation High School Qualifier 1 online event, as well as wins across two other Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation High School Qualifiers. He captured one Top-5 finish at the 2024 Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation High School State Championship at Cedar Bluff Reservoir alongside three additional Top-10 finishes. For the past three years, Herrman and his partner have qualified for the Bassmaster High School National Championship and have won the Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation High School Team of the Year title in their freshman, sophomore and junior years.
“Kyle exhibits exceptional character and integrity,” says Jefferson West High School science educator Mark Farr. Describing Herrman's remarkable work ethic and commitment to excellence, Farr continues, “He holds high expectations for himself and encourages those around him to strive for greatness. His respectful demeanor fosters a positive environment in the classroom, and he treats his peers and teachers with kindness and respect.”
Herrman participates in basketball, cross-country and track, and when he isn’t competing, he spends his time mentoring kids from the local fishing club and taking them out on the water to learn techniques, helping with setup and teardown for Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation youth tournaments and helping out at the local kids basketball camp. He has spent the past four years working on projects to improve fish habitat in lakes and ponds in his community, including cleaning up trash and creating structures. Herrman, an National Honor Society member, manages all of this while taking advanced classes and maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Nicholas Herrman
A senior at Jefferson West High School, Nicholas Herrman amassed an impressive five tournament wins from 2023 to 2024, including the 2023 Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation High School Qualifier 1 online event, the 2023 World Fishing Tour High School Tournament on Truman Lake and the 2024 Kansas TBF High School State Championship at Melvern Lake. Alongside his wins, Herrman netted one Top-5 finish at the 2024 Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation High School State Championship and three Top-10 finishes, the latter of which included adult-level events. Herrman has qualified for the Bassmaster High School National Championship for the last three years, and he and his partner have left quite the mark on the Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation High School Trail, winning Team of the Year in their freshman, sophomore and junior years.
Describing Herrman as compassionate, resilient and fiercely determined, Jefferson West High School science teacher Stephanie Magill says, “He demonstrates an excellence in all things that he puts his mind to. I believe he has no limit to his growth and achievements for his future.”
When he’s not on the water, Herrman dedicates his time to his school’s band and 3D printer club, as well as cross-country, basketball and track, all of which he has lettered in. Alongside his extracurriculars, Herrman volunteers to take youth members of the local fishing club out in order to teach them techniques and assists with the Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation’s youth and high school tournaments. He has accomplished all of this whilst continuing to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout the entirety of his high school career.
Presley Lannom
As a junior on the Mt. Juliet Fishing Team, Presley Lannom has an outstanding seven wins from spring of 2023 through 2024, including a win at the 2023 Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation High School event on Douglas Lake in a field of over 200 boats and a win at the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open at Pickwick Lake earlier this year. He has an additional six Top-5 finishes and 15 Top-20 finishes. In addition to his wins, Lannom was the Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation High School Central Trail champion from 2023-24 and was part of the 2023 Mt. Juliet Fishing Team of the Year for 2023-24. He also placed in the Top 5 in multiple trails' points races, including the 2022-23 Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation High School Central Trail, North Central Trail and State Trail, and for 2023-24 placed second in the Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation High School North Central Trail Points Race and third in the Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation High School Southeast Trail Points Race.
“Presley has won countless tournaments, Tennessee Regionals, State Trails, adult tournaments and other youth trails,” said Gary Redic, head coach of the Mt. Juliet Fishing Team. “He has made the Nationals the past three years. Presley leads the way for other team members on and off the water. He has been a big part of all the community service projects we have done.”
When Lannom is not making waves on the water, he is excelling in his community. He actively engages in community service and spends his time doing countless conservation projects that showcase his dedication to preserving and improving the fishing environment around him for generations to come. In 2023 when a competitor had two of his graphs stolen from his boat while parked for a tournament, Lannom put together an auction through his podcast, The Bass Lane, to raise money to replace what was stolen off the angler’s boat. Through his podcast, Lannom has hosted renowned professional anglers, including Logan Parks, Robert Gee and Ott DeFoe, providing valuable insight and inspiration to his audience. Even with all of his success on the water and his involvement in his community, Lannom still maintains a 3.62 GPA.
Kael Moore
Cedar Falls High School junior Kael Moore amassed an incredible seven wins from 2023 to 2024, including first place in the 2023 Iowa High School Bass Team Championship and in multiple legs of the Iowa TBF Eastern Division Team Trail. Alongside his wins, Moore placed second at the 2023 Iowa B.A.S.S. Nation High School State Championship and placed seventh in both the 2023 Iowa TBF High School State Championship and the 2024 Iowa High School Bass Team Championship, with the latter finish out of a field of 150 anglers. Heading into his junior year, Moore has already earned Angler of the Year twice for his school’s fishing team.
“Kael has had many successes as an angler on the Cedar Falls Fishing Team, but his leadership has been one of the team’s greatest benefits,” s
