Jun 05, 2024

GBHS's Streck, Herrman just miss national fishing tournament

Posted Jun 05, 2024 11:35 AM
Great Bend High School's Blake Streck and Hunter Herrman recently finished fourth at the state fishing tournament at Cedar Bluff to miss a spot in the national tournament by just one placing.
Great Bend High School's Blake Streck and Hunter Herrman recently finished fourth at the state fishing tournament at Cedar Bluff to miss a spot in the national tournament by just one placing.

By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post

All fishermen have stories about the one that got away. Great Bend High School's Blake Streck and Hunter Herrman can add their names to the list. Needing a top-three finish at the Kansas High School and Junior State Championship at Cedar Bluffs on June 1 and 2, the pair placed fourth. The duo could not quite catch a final qualifying fish that would have kept their season alive.

"Day two, we had a lot of fish that were not big enough to keep so we ended up having to throw a lot back and only got four that were big enough to keep," Streck said. "If we would have had one more fish that was big enough, we would have been into nationals."

At the high school level, competitors can compete in four of seven regional tournaments to qualify for the state competition.

"It's the weight of your best five fish each day," said Streck. "You have to be in the top 10 percent of the field to qualify for state. Once you make it to state, you have to be in the top 10 percent of that to make it to the national competition."

This year's GBHS squad included six fishermen. Streck and Herrman placed as high as second at a regional competition at Perry Lake northeast of Topeka. The duo also competed twice at Wilson Lake. Thirty teams qualified for state, meaning Streck and Herrman had to place in the top three at Cedar Bluff to qualify for the national tournament at Lake Chickamauga near Chattanooga, Tenn. The pair was sitting in eighth place after day one and still finished fourth despite not being able to catch a fifth fish big enough to qualify. The pair tallied 25.28 pounds of fish and missed nationals by less than a pound.

"We did the same stuff both days of the tournament," Streck said. "We were just hoping to get lucky and get one that was big enough."

Fishing conditions are known to change. Streck competed in the national tournament in South Carolina last year, where competition the previous day put additional stress on the fish. The competition this year was no different.

"You go up a couple days early and check it out for yourself," said Streck. "We were on a small lake so there was a lot of pressure on not very many fish. A lot of people were going for them so there was definitely a change in the way they acted from the first day of practice to the days of the tournament."

Streck thanked GBHS sponsor Kevin Hoff and everyone who made another season on the lakes possible.