The Illinois High School Association decided to go ahead and attempt holding a state finals for bass fishing in 2021.
Originally, the IHSA only planned for sectionals on May 6 with no state finals. But, on Monday, the IHSA Board of directors decided to try for a state finals on Carlyle Lake from May 21-22, 2021.
No state finals or sectionals were held in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Since the spring of 2009, the IHSA held a state finals for bass fishing on Carlyle Lake, largest man-made lake in Illinois, until the streak was broken in 2020.
Click here to read more on the board action.
The IHSA started the innovative first state championship for high school bass fishing in the 2008-09 school year. It is officially listed as an activity.
Since the start, some Illinois student anglers have begun to earn scholarships for bass fishing.
