For the first time in almost a decade, the Montana Student Angler Federation is taking Flathead Valley anglers to the national finals competition for bass fishing.

Next week, four high school students, and their coach and director, Randy Siemens, will drive to La Crosse, Wisconsin, for nearly a week of bass fishing on the Mississippi River.

“It's pretty phenomenal that it's not just a fishing club, it's much broader and much deeper than that,” Siemens, the state youth director for the Montana Bass Federation, said. “It's educational and values conservation, sportsmanship, decision making skills, leadership skills… all those things are incorporated into fishing.

There are two teams headed to Wisconsin to represent Montana in the 14th annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship.

Incoming sophomores Christian Rensel and Drake Dawson, both students at Columbia Falls High School qualified for the national championship after securing first place with a fish weighing just under 19 pounds at the Montana state championships on the Noxon Reservoir in May.

Both Rensel and Dawson have fished for as long as they can remember, beginning somewhere around the age of 4.

“I’m so glad that I am able to do this,” Rensel said. “Especially with Drake as my partner.”

“I take it for granted,” Dawson said, regarding how lucky he is to fish for both competition and fun.

The pair’s boat captain is Dawson’s father, Jerid Dawson, and the boys will be using Jerid’s boat come competition time in Wisconsin.

The other team, who placed second in the state championship but took first place in three other competitions across the state, are attending nationals as anglers of the year. Aidan Curriz, an upcoming senior from Noxon, and Silas Jones, an upcoming senior at Stillwater Christian School, will compete alongside, and against, the Columbia Falls anglers.

“I’m excited to get out there and fish new water,” Curriz said.

According to Curriz and Jones, they are looking forward to the opportunity to be scouted by colleges, many of whom will be in attendance for the national competition. Siemens is the pair's boat captain — a bass federation adult competitor himself.

“It’s fun, especially getting to meet kids our age who fish as much as we do,” Jones said. “It’s more than just fishing at the end of the day.”

The Bass Federation’s Student Angler Federation is a nationwide organization with approximately 200,000 members, Siemens said. In Montana, there is only one branch that for years was pushed to the side. Siemens resurrected it and last year was the first year back in competition.

The group holds meetings on the third Monday of each month, where Siemens talks with the kids about conservation, fishing techniques, sportsmanship and more. There are four statewide events each year for kids to compete in.

Nationals will showcase 400 teams from across the country, with a handful of winners moving on to compete against international teams. The winners are determined by the weight of the fish caught.

All four, and Siemens alike, hope to bring back a trophy and are excited to represent Montana to the highest degree of high school bass fishing yet.

Students interested in joining a bass fishing team are encouraged to contact Randy Siemens at 406-249-1132 or montanastudentanglers@gmail.com. Live coverage of the event, where competition days are scheduled for June 22-24, can be viewed at https://highschoolfishing.org/saf-live/.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.