Bassmaster recently named Karson Hamilton of Hot Springs as one of the 12 members of the Bassmaster High School All-American fishing team.
Hamilton, a sophomore at Lake Hamilton High School and member of the Lake Hamilton Bass-N-Wolves fishing team, won five tournaments in the past 12 months and won angler of the year for the Lake Hamilton Bass-N-Wolves fishing team.
Off the water, Hamilton volunteered at several local derbies and participated on his school's football and trap-shooting team. He maintains a 3.6 GPA and is involved in youth fellowship at his church.
"Karson is a great young man, and he is very dedicated to the sport," said Greg Mundy, Hamilton's fishing coach. "He has become a very competitive fisherman and is competing at many different levels. Karson is also dedicated to his community. He has volunteered his time to lake cleanup projects and habitat construction."
More than 465 applications from students grades 10-12 were submitted from 38 states across the nation. Of these, 64 were chosen as Bassmaster All-State anglers. A panel of judges selected the top 12 based on tournament résumés, community service activities, and recommendations from coaches and school officials.
The team has been invited to participate in a special Bassmaster High School All-American Bass Tournament being held in conjunction with the 2018 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, a tournament and festival that will be held May 17-20 at Lake Travis, near Jonestown, Texas.
Elite Series anglers will serve as teammates and "coaches" of the student anglers in the tournament. The high school standouts will be honored on the main Texas Fest stage at the weigh-in.
Brody Jacks of Tull also made the Bassmaster All-State team. Colton Coffman of New Hope, Harrison Friddle of Cabot and Carson McBride of Springdale received honorable mention.
Sports on 04/22/2018