FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PONCA CITY, Okla. (Mar. 20, 2012) – The Bass Federation (TBF), in partnership with FLW Outdoors, and the North Little Rock Visitors Bureau announced it will host the 2012 Student Angler Federation (SAF) Arkansas High School Fishing State Championship. The event will be Saturday, May 12 on the Arkansas River launching out of the Alltel Ramp (Pool 6) in North Little Rock, Ark.

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 4:30pm CST on Friday, May 11, at the Riverside RV Park located about three hundred yards east of the Alltel Ramp, with a mandatory rules briefing starting at 7pm. We highly encourage all teams to 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,” Sports and Special Events Coordinator at the North Little Rock Visitors Bureau, Shannon Harris, stated. “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 (SAF) and to sign up. Cost is only $25/ year and includes full TBF and FLW Outdoors benefits, including access to the all-new FLW Outdoors Magazine e-Edition and insurance coverage for students and their club. 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 a 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 and/or national championship will receive a travel allowance to help offset expenses. The National Champions will also each receive a $5,000 scholarship to use at the university of their choice.

If you’re not an SAF member, there’s a $25/per angler fee, which includes full TBF/FLW Outdoors membership benefits for the year, as well as, free entry to ALL SAF sanctioned events!

Another unique feature of an SAF sanctioned event is the “angler testing” component. Anglers can take a free online test at HighSchoolFishing.org about boater safety, conservation and angler ethics, which makes them eligible for contingency awards at their state championship. “It’s an industry first by TBF and a tremendous way to emphasize the importance of education to these student anglers,” SAF Program Manager, Alex Craw, commented. “The Federation is driven by our desire to promote education through fishing and the testing component is designed to do exactly that. We also offer all TBF/SAF members 11 free online training courses in our member’s only online store with Faculty of Fishing’s angler advantage program. Put this package together with all the programs our affiliated state federations like the Arkansas TBF have to offer, and our partnership with FLW Outdoors, and the sky is the limit,” Craw continued.  “These young anglers and their families have opportunities unlike anything the industry has ever seen.”

Event Details:

State Championship sign-up: PRE-REGISTER ONLINE at HighSchoolFishing.org.  Boat numbers are determined by date registered.  A $25 late registration fee applies to those registering at check-in. The best way is to pre-register online at highschoolfishing.org.

Mandatory Check-in: Friday, May 11, 4:30-7pm CST, at the Riverside RV Park about 300 yards east of the Alltell Ramp, 250 S. Locust St., North Little Rock, AR, 72114, 501.340.5312; Mandatory rules briefing to follow at 7pm.

Takeoff & Weigh-in: Saturday, May 12, at the Alltel Ramp on the Arkansas River (Pool 6), 250 S. Locust St., North Little Rock, AR, 72114. Takeoff is at 6am CST and flights will start weighing in at 2pm. Anglers are allowed to lock at their own discretion. Questions? alex@highschoolfishing.org or 580-765-9031

Host Hotels: Simply Home Inn & Suites, 110 E. Pershing Blvd., North Little Rock, AR, 72114; King and double twin rooms will be discounted at $52 plus tax. Call Assistant Operations Manager, Amitra Crutchfield, at the Simply Home Inn & Suites, at 501.758.2002 and ask for the SAF High School Fishing Tournament rate.

Holiday Inn Express, 4306 E. McCain Blvd., North Little Rock, AR, 72117; King and double twin rooms will be discounted at $90 plus tax. Call Director of Sales, David Nelson, at 501.945.4800 and ask for the SAF High School Fishing Tournament rate.

About FLW Outdoors

FLW Outdoors is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free, as well as, sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.

About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing organization. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years. Visit bassfederation.com.