Students Joey Elliott and Avry Morehouse need no compliments when it comes to fishing, as the duo recently took second place in a state fishing championship and qualified for a national championship.
The students were among 21 teams of two from across the state that competed in the Bass Federation’s Michigan High School Fishing Championship at Elizabeth Park Marina in Trenton on July 21. The anglers fished the U.S. side of the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair.
“Teams of two student anglers and a volunteer boat captain go to a specific body of water and bring back five fish to be weighed,” said Shawn Elliott, Joey Elliott’s father.
The event is organized by the Michigan Youth Bass Fishing Association, Shawn Elliot said. Other rules included that teams could only use artificial bait and follow all fishing regulations and laws.
Rylan Hamlin and Luke Hendrick took first place with a total weight of 21-65 pounds. The J&A Bass team of Joey Elliott and Morehouse, both residents of Chesterfield Township, took second place with a total weight of 21-03 pounds and claimed the catch of five fish.
Joey Elliott, 18, said he and Morehouse spent two weeks fishing in Lake St. Clair before the competition, visiting different areas to test their skills and find out where the most fish might be.
“I would say the conditions were very good and we spent a lot of time pre-fishing,” said Joey Elliott.
Shawn Elliott was the volunteer boater for J&A Bass and took them to Lake St. Clair. He said there are no pre-qualifying events to compete in the state championship, which is open to high school-aged anglers. However, J&A Bass did compete in Michigan Youth Bass Fishing Association events on June 1 on Lake Charlevoix and July 20 on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. They took first place in the June 1 event and third place in the July 20 event.
“They travel as a team and compete in Michigan and the Midwest,” Shawn Elliott said.
Shawn Elliott said the first and second place teams at the state championship will qualify for the 2025 Student Angler Federation/The Bass Federation High School Fishing National Championship, which will be held at Grand Lake in Oklahoma. Joey Elliott and Morehouse also received plaques for their second place finish at the state championship.
“Joey has been fishing with my son since he was four years old and is a very experienced competitive angler. Our family, the Elliotts, have 74 top-five or better finishes in fishing contests, tournaments and other similar events,” said Shawn Elliott. “Fishing under pressure is nothing new to us and Avry has plenty of experience with his father, Adam, a former traveling bass angler.”
Come fall, Joey Elliott will be a senior at New Haven High School and 15-year-old Morehouse will be a freshman at Anchor Bay High School. Joey Elliott and Morehouse are currently raising funds for their trip to the national competition. For more information about their efforts, email [email protected].
Nicole Tuttle is a freelance reporter for The Voice.
