Judson Touchstone and Gavin Seewald will represent Hoover Thursday-Saturday in the 2023 Strike King Bassmaster High School Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina.By Rubin E. Grant
Gavin Seewald was 12 years old when he went fishing for the first time. Little did he know it would become his passion.
“I went on a deep sea fishing trip with my older brother and we caught a ton of fish,” Seewald said. “I really enjoyed it and then I started fishing.”
Seewald learned that Hoover High School had a fishing team and decided to join it when he was in the eighth grade.
Now a rising junior, Seewald has become a first-rate fisherman. He and his partner, rising junior Judson Touchstone, will represent Hoover Thursday-Saturday in the 2023 Strike King Bassmaster High School Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina.
The High School Championship will feature more than 480 teams from 35 states and Canada. It will take off from legendary Green Pond Landing each day at 6:20 a.m. Eastern time and return at 2:20 p.m. for weigh-in. Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.
“This a big deal, the biggest tournament I’ve ever fished,” Seewald said. “We have been trying to make this tournament four years in a row.”
Touchstone said, “This means everything to us. We’ve been working toward this for a while and now it’s actually happened.”
Seewald and Touchstone secured their spot at nationals with a great finish at the Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association State Classic June 23-24 in Eufaula.
They placed seventh with a total weight of 21.33 pounds, including a 7-pound bass caught by Seewald. After day one they were in second place, and although they caught their three fish limit on both days, they slipped to seventh at the end of day two. But that was good enough to qualify them for nationals.
Captained by Lee Seewald, the entire Bucs’ fishing team placed third in the ASABFA Classic, finishing the tournament trail with an overall fifth-place finish in the State for the season.
Gavin Seewald and Touchstone became friends through fishing.
“Gavin had been fishing since the seventh grade and would tell me about it, that it was lot of fun,” Touchstone said. “He told me that Hoover had a fishing team and asked me to join it. In the eighth grade, I joined it and got hooked.”
The two anglers didn’t become partners immediately. Seewald had another partner, but after that partner quit fishing, he turned to Touchstone.
“We help each other out, telling each other what we should be doing,” Touchstone said.
Seewald said, “It’s better having two people work together than one. We decide what things to throw out as bait and figure out what fish to try to catch.”
‘It’s Hard Work’
A lot of preparation goes into getting ready for a tournament.
“It’s more than just throwing a pole in the water waiting on a fish to bite,” Seewald said. “You have to figure out what are the patterns of the fish, what they’re eating and what rods and reels to use. It’s hard work.”
The fishing buddies realize they face a daunting task to win the Bassmaster national tournament.
“There’s going to be a lot more competition than we’ve had in the past, so it’s going to be a challenge,” Touchstone said. “I’m hopeful we can do it.”
“It would mean a ton if we could win it,” Seewald said. “There’s going to be a lot of sponsors and college (recruiters) there, and then there’s the recognition of the fishing world that goes with winning it.
“But it’s a lake we’ve never been to before, so it will be difficult to win.”
English (US)