Club Bass Fishing Team Headed to Regional Championships

High school bass fishing, a rapidly expanding sport, has found its way to the Frassati Catholic community and the school will be sending their club bass fishing team, made up of a pair of two-person teams, to the Texas High School Bass Association’s Houston Regional Championships at Lake Somerville on Saturday, April 20. Frassati Catholic will be represented by seniors Patrick Haggerty and Matthew Guion, junior Kailer Amador and his freshman brother, Riley.
High school bass fishing is a sport taking the country by storm. Today, there are nearly 300 school sponsored teams in the greater-Houston area alone. With such widespread popularity and momentum, even private schools like Frassati Catholic are taking part in the bass fishing revolution. Tim Haggerty, the past president of the Frassati Catholic club bass fishing team and father of Patrick, talked about the incredible sight on the mornings of Houston area bass fishing tournaments. “If you can imagine, it’s sunup and there are nearly 300 boats hitting the water. Each boat has a two-person team and an adult to drive the boat. There are about 1000 people on the lake, and they fish from sunrise to 3 p.m. nonstop. At 3 p.m. all teams head to the final weigh-in location to log in their catch for the day. It’s an awesome atmosphere and with so much competition we’re really proud of both our teams for their incredible work all season.”
 
At the March 16 Lake Conroe tournament, Patrick Haggerty and Matthew Guion had been in the boat all day with nothing to show for their efforts. 30 minutes before the final weigh-in, they thought they were going home with no weighable fish on the day. Just then, they hooked something. It was big. In fact, they had just caught the second largest fish at the competition, a bass weighing 8.4 pounds. With the last-minute catch, they were able to bring in a fish that won second place for heaviest bass and sealed their berth to the regional championships.

Kailer and Riley Amador’s season has been marked by consistency. Kailer has been a member of the Frassati Catholic club bass fishing team since his freshman year and at the start of this season, younger brother Riley joined his boat. As a team they’ve logged in solid results throughout the year. That consistency, combined with strong weigh-ins at the September 22 and February 16 Lake Livingston tournaments, carried them to the regional championships.
 
The club bass fishing team at Frassati Catholic was started in 2015, and current president and father of the Amador brothers, Danny Amador, talked about their past success and how they hope to compete at the upcoming regional championships. “In our first year the team made it all the way to the state championships and last year, they made it to regionals. Teams that finish in the top fifty percent will qualify for state and that is definitely our goal. Once teams make it to state there are all kinds of opportunities for college scholarships for top finishers.”
 
“We’re excited about regionals, and our newcomers to the teams, Matt and Riley, have really contributed.” Tim Haggerty said. “They’ve had lots of success all season and helped propel the teams to regionals.” The teams plan to continue training for the Houston Regional Championships and look forward to hitting the water at Lake Somerville on April 20.

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About Frassati Catholic High School: Founded in 2013, Frassati Catholic High School serves the families and parishes in the north Houston area of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Administered by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation from Nashville, TN, Frassati Catholic High School prepares students to walk on the path of true happiness through a robust college-preparatory curriculum rooted in the Catholic faith. The school currently serves boys and girls in grades 9-12. For more information about Frassati Catholic High School, contact Tim Lienhard, director of communications and marketing, at 832-616-3221.