Courtesy of the Caledonian - Record: Hes For Reel: Wells Lets Fish Catches Do Talking for Him Talk to Brandon Wells and youd hear all kinds of fish stories -- about how hes the states top high school bass fisherman three years running, about the tournaments hes getting ready to enter, the ones hes been in and where, his various catches ... Thing is, theyd be no fish stories at all. Bass fishing a high school sport? Indeed, and look no further than this 17-year-old St. Johnsbury Academy senior (SJA Class of 2015) when it comes to the most high-profile of Vermont high school anglers. The son of Scott Wells and Courtney Wood of St. Johnsbury, Brandon in reality is a humble, soft-spoken type. His accomplishments with rod and reel, however, talk emphatically. Wells has made a habit of winning the VPA-sanctioned high school tournament held every June -- whether on his own or wearing his Hilltopper-green shirt. He won the state tournament as an individual in 2012 and 2013; entered as a team for the first time last month, the Hilltopper team -- duo might be the better word -- of Wells and 2014 SJA grad Ethan Johnson did it again. They met the tournaments five-fish limit, whose total of 17.75 pounds was five more than runner up Colchester. Wells has been fishing all his life. He also plays for the SJA hockey team -- he was fifth in the Lake League in goal scoring last season -- but mentions fishing as his favorite sport and pastime. Reeling in a fish is a real adrenaline rush -- I just like being out on the water, he said. What is it that separates a consistently winning fisherman, from those who are striving to get to that point? Its hard to say, he said modestly. Theres a lot to it. Its like strategy. Sometimes you have to jerk the bait, you have to jerk the rod, move it from side to side. Theres finesse fishing, where you might use a lighter line and smaller baits. Theres power fishing, where you might go with a heavier line. Things like water clarity, water depth -- even the moon phases can be a factor. He lists Lake Memphremagog and Lake Champlain as his favorite spots (Memphremagog is where he reeled in his biggest catch ever, a 7.3-pound bass, two years ago). He won the 2012 Vermont tournament in St. Albans Bay, and again on Lake Champlain, St. Albans Bay, in 2013. His five fish in the 2013 tournament collectively weighed 18.8 pounds, the biggest take among his three state titles. However, because Wells was competing as an individual, he was barred from moving on to regional competition. They only allowed kids who were competing on teams [to go to regionals], he said. The tournament he and Johnson won for SJA last month was held on the St. Lawrence River in Clayton, New York, 20 minutes north of Lake Ontario. He competed in an 11-14 year old age category in winning the tournament as a freshman in 2012, but age divisions have since been done away with, Brandon noted. Wells and Johnson fished in the high school division. In terms of Vermont, the Academy last year became the sixth school to offer bass fishing, joining Burlington, Colchester, Rutland, South Burlington and South Royalton. During tournaments, the two fishermen angle for both small- and largemouth bass, leaving the operation of the boat to a boat captain. Brandon fishes from a 21-foot boat owned by his dad, Scott. There are no regulations as far as the type of boat used in tournaments, other than that it needs to have a livewell. Fish have to be alive when brought in, he added, or a half-pound is deducted from the total weight. Similar to other high school sports, bass fishing has regional as well as state competition. For Wells and Johnson, that comes in early September when they travel to Dover, Delaware representing SJA in a regional tournament on the Delaware River. There are six regions nationwide, Brandon explained; Vermont is in a region with the other five NE states as well as New York, Canada, and even Spain, he noted. From an administration standpoint, school bass fishing tournaments are overseen by FLW (Forrest L Wood), and by another organization, B.A.S.S. Theyre not competing organizations or anything, they kind of operate together, Brandon said. Their thing is to promote fishing. Thats what Wells would like to do at SJA, too, he added, as far as possibly getting a club started and just spreading the word about bass fishing, he said. Now comes the high school regional tournament being overseen by B.A.S.S. Sept. 7 on Malletts Bay. Wells and Johnson also plan to attend a FLW-sponsored regional tournament the following weekend, Sept. 20 on the Delaware River in Dover, Delaware. Wells is a serious fisherman, and seeks to continue at the college level. College bass fishing is popular, especially in southern schools, and Wells plans to apply to those schools. Theres even a pro league. The BassMaster Classic is like the Stanley Cup of fishing, or like the Super Bowl, he said, adding that the winner takes home around $500,000. He may not be given to blowing his own horn, much less fish stories. But its certainly no tall tale that Wells is one of the top bass fishermen in the state.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 21:50:00 +0000