Gaines, Wiggins win MLF tourney in Tennessee

October 24, 2024

Bill Gaines and Owen Wiggins of Woodland and Cartersville High Schools, respectively, won the Major League Fishing Abu Garcia High School tournament on October 19 at Tennessee’s Lake Chickamauga.

The local duo caught five bass weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces, to claim the title. The second-place team from Kingston, Tennessee, caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces.

A release by MLF stated Gaines and Wiggins bested 36 other high school teams. The win also qualified the anglers and the top 10 percent of the field for the High School Fishing National Championship on June 25-27, 2025, at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma.

The High School Fishing National Champions receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2025 MLF Toyota Series Championship.