Wailes Brothers & Anderson / DeVore reel in the victory at the SWIFT TBF Bass Tournament on Viking Lake

(Stanton) The Southwest Iowa Fishing Team kicked off their 2024/2025 AgriVision Elite boat series season this past weekend on Viking Lake. Forty student anglers launched their boats in rainy conditions but were greeted with sunny weather for late September by the end.

Atlantic Trojan anglers Joaquin and Jake Wailes of Wiota reeled in the Powerade High School Series winning bag at the McDermott and Son Roofing / Dump Truck Jig TBF bass fishing tournament. The brothers found the fish early and hauled in an impressive bag of 5 fish weighing 14.88 pounds. Again, the rest of the teams were highly competitive. Kade Wilson and Zach Bass finished in the runner-up spot with a total of 14.12; third place went to Colin Rudy and Matt Pollack from Atlantic with 11.14; Cody Swank, Harlan, and Gavin Dougherty, Atlantic were fourth with 9.94, and rounding out the top five Atlantic Trojans Braxton Hass / Hunter Quist, 9.83.

Joaquin Wailes hooked a monster 5.23 pounder to win the AM Cohron & Son Big Fish for the tournament.

Fairlife Junior teams also competed, with Colton Anderson and Holden DeVore from Atlantic weighing in their winning bag of 5 fish totaling 12.61. Runner spot went to Letty McSorley, Riverside / Brendan Wilke Atlantic, 6.94; Colton Krueger, Riverside, and Bennett Dorr, Riverside, finished third with 6.02; and rounding out the top four were Blake Siefken and Bentley Runge with Woodbine, 4.88.

Other winners from the tournament were.

Big Bite Baits Fish On- (first fish caught)- Christian Thompson

Fast Metal First Five in the Box- Colton Anderson / Holden DeVore

Ole Blue Bait & Tackle –Gannon Otte, Colin Rudy, Tim Donovan

Fishing Assault Beat your best- Matt Pollack

Dump Truck Jig- “Haulin in the Bass”- Joaquin Wailes

The next event for SWIFT will be Sunday, Oct13th at Green Valley, both Fair Life Junior and Powerade High School division will fish together.

For complete details and updated information, visit www.swifishingteam.com

For regular updates, photos, tournament news, and more, follow SWIFT’s social media outlets on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Photo credits to Jill & Callie Rudy and Hade DeVore.

Thanks to all the sponsors, boat captains, parents, volunteers, and anglers for making an awesome event.