Fishing tournament brings in thousands of visitors; local fishermen have strong showing

June 29, 2026 Zac Oakes WJRS News

The 17th annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship concluded this weekend.

By all accounts, the event was a great success with thousands of visitors making their way into Russell County with several positive testimonials from visitors about their experience visiting the community, resulting in a major economic impact for the local economy.

On the water, Russell County’s fishermen had a strong showing.

Caden Hall and Kaleb Wilson finished 6th overall, and were the highest-finishing team from the state of Kentucky in the World Finals on Saturday.

In the second-chance competition on Friday, Russell County’s Tate Reynolds and Blane Smith finished in the top 50.

Of more than 330 teams competing in the second-chance competition on Friday, Russell County’s Evan Bradshaw and Ryan Stanton finished in the top 125, and Andrew Bennett and Kinley Pierce finished in the top 150.

About Zac Oakes 9799 Articles

Zac Oakes is the News and Sports Director for LakerCountry.com and Laker Country WJRS 104.9 FM.

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