Marble Falls fishing club crowns Angler of the Year

JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF

MARBLE FALLS — The fishing club at Marble Falls High School ended the 2014-15 school year by crowning Lyle Schmidt as the Angler of the Year after he won the last tournament of the season.

That event was May 9 on Lake Marble Falls.

Club organizer Craig Orton said eight fishermen were vying for the crown going into the tournament. Each angler earned points for their bags throughout the year. Schmidt entered the event with a two-point lead over the angler in second place.

“This award is extremely sought after, especially for the seniors,” Orton said.

The rules for this tournament include:

• each high school angler competes as an individual. Typically, each boat has a two-person team plus the captain.

• weigh-ins are limited to three total fish per angler.

Schmidt changed his routine for this tournament, Orton said. Instead of heading back out for 30 more minutes of fishing as organizers were getting ready at 1:30 p.m. for a 2 p.m. weigh-in, the youngster asked coordinators to immediately weigh his fish.

“He was a little anxious and excited to say the least,” Orton said.

His first fish weighed 8 pounds and 11 ounces for a total weight of 15 pounds 1 ounce.

“This is an excellent bag for a five-fish tournament, but this was a three-fish tournament, which made the results even more impressive,” Orton said

Five other fishermen had weight totals that were more than 11 pounds, which usually is enough for first place, Orton said.

“ These kids are all friends,” he said, “and though they each want to win every tournament, regardless of who wins, they always do a fantastic job supporting each other.”

jfierro@thepicayune.com

TOURNAMENT RESULTS: 1, Lyle Schmidt, 15 pounds and 1 ounce;  2, Chris Hooten, 11 pounds and 13 ounces; 3, Colby Orton, 11 pounds and 11 ounces. BIG BASS – Lyle Schmidt, 8 pounds 11 ounces