Hook, Line and Ambition
September 6 at 12:30 PM ·
There is something about a quiet morning on Lake Anna that makes the rest of the world seem a little farther away, especially when it’s spent alongside a few good buddies with lines in the water and nowhere else to be.
For a few hours, homework, schedules and the noise of everyday life give way to a boat cutting across the water, fog rolling off a shoreline and the anticipation of when a rod suddenly bends.
It’s a thrill that every fisherman knows. For the Lake Anna Elite Anglers, however, those peaceful moments for the youth fishing club have become the backdrop for something bigger.
For the fourth consecutive year, the youth fishing club was recognized as the largest team in the state, with 36 anglers ranging from second grade through 12th grade participating during the past season.
And while the size of the team is impressive, its accomplishments on the water may be even more so. The club’s depth was on full display throughout the season, with four high school teams finishing among the top 10 in the state’s North Division and earning trophies from the B.A.S.S. Nation of Virginia Youth at the Richmond Fishing Expo. The junior division was equally successful, with Lake Anna’s top three teams capturing the 6 Man Team State Championship for the second time in three years.
That momentum carried into the sport’s biggest stage, as the Anglers’ high school team advanced to the Bassmaster High School National Championship on Kentucky Lake for the third consecutive year. The “dynamic duo” of Logan Brown and Caleb Southerly made their second appearance at the national event, and for Brown, the accolades have helped open the door to the next chapter of his fishing career. He recently committed to Kentucky Christian University on a bass fishing scholarship.
But the success was not limited to tournament standings or what was measured at the scales.
During the Richmond Fishing Expo, seven Lake Anna anglers were recognized with the John Crews Academic Award, which is presented to students who maintain a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
The recipients were Jackson Wagner, Wyatt Duvall, Bryce Cubbage, Levi Call, Caleb Johnson, Rylie Bott and Chase Murphy.
Murphy, a six-year veteran of the team, primarily fishes with a white swimbait and a Texas rig. Although he has caught plenty of monster fish across the Commonwealth, including at Lake Kerr, he said Lake Anna is a place that consistently gets his blood pumping.
“Some of the best spots are where the fish have a diverse area and multiple places and structures for them to relate, such as docks, laydowns, grass and rocks,” Murphy said, also mentioning the memories and friendships developed along the way. “The [Lake Anna Elite Anglers] have led me to accomplish way more than I ever thought I could. Every tournament morning I look forward to going out on the water with my partner Caleb and my captain Brad…also, staying at the hotel with your team and going out with them to dinner and tackle shops is a lot of fun.”
That anticipation helped fuel a season in which competition within the club was nearly as intense as the competition against other teams.
For four years, the team’s benchmark had been a five-fish limit weighing 17.62 pounds, a record set by former angler Logan Baber. It was a weight that every young fisherman on the team knew, talked about and, eventually, dreamed of breaking.
This season, that mark finally fell.
Junior anglers Jake White and Chris Fortune weighed in a 17.93-pound limit to establish a new team record.
The record did not last long. Just one month later, junior angler Bryce Johnson shattered it with a 21.06-pound bag. The 10-year-old Johnson also established a new team record for big fish with an 8.03-pound bass while winning the junior team championship.
Johnson recalled the moment he cast into the middle of the lake, targeting some stumps with a ribbon-tailed worm. As he worked the bait, he suddenly felt a powerful pull and set the hook.
Click the link below to continue reading about the father-son moment when Johnson reeled in the “once-in-a-lifetime” giant. Then dive beneath the surface for secrets surrounding Lake Anna’s closely guarded honey holes, the upcoming B.A.S.S. Nation of Virginia Youth State Qualifier on the James River and a season where big catches, competition and unforgettable memories came together on the water:
