Over at Port Barre High School fishing is the catch to many locals.
Braxton Speyrer and Bennet Fontenot are two of the best fishermen in the state. Last year, they went to South Carolina for the high school fishing World Finals Championship to prove that they could reel in with the best of the best, but it didn’t lure the results that they wanted.
“We knew we had something to work with at the tournament,” said Fontenot. “We finished in the lower 200 and that stuck with us heading into next year.”
This year the line was set and there were plenty of fish to catch in the sea. Bennet and Braxton finished fifth in the state tournament, which qualified them for a second chance in the South Carolina tournament. This time they won second place and so far it has been their biggest catch, but they still want more.
“Winning second place is a great achievement”, said Speyrer. “Next year we want first place, that’s the only thing that we are striving for.”
Besides coming home with a trophy, the pair would win some scholarship money to attend college. They won $160,000 to attend Simpson University, $32,000 to Bethel University, and $70,000 to Kentucky Christian University.
Although some will say it’s a hobby, to others it’s not something you can catch and release.
“When we started this, I had no idea that it would be like this, said Derrick Fontenot. “It’s a relief it is to know that they have options and fishing made all of this happen.”