RUSSELL SPRING, Ky. (June 28, 2026) – Bobby Lane III and Bryden Tyler of the Lakeland Christian Vikings made the first two days of competition at the High School Fishing National Championship tournament on Lake Cumberland look easy. The final day on Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland was anything but.
The two recent graduates only mustered four bites and three keepers on Championship Friday. But with teams fishing for three-bass limits at this event, that proved to be just enough.
Lane and Tyler mustered 6 pounds, 11 ounces on Day 3 – well shy of their Day 1 and 2 bags, but combined with the 4-11 lead they’d amassed, it was enough to cap a wire-to-wire win. Their three-day total of 30-6 topped runners-up Keaton Coe and Macoy Johnson of Minnesota’s Anoka Junior Bassers by 2-5.
For the victory, both anglers earned $5,000 in scholarship money plus entry into the Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake this fall as co-anglers. Lane and Tyler will put those scholarships to use next year – Lane will fish for Emmanuel University, while Tyler will compete for Carson-Newman.
“There’s not a better feeling in the world,” Lane said. “This is what we dreamed about when we came up here, and we made it happen.”
Coming from Florida, Lane and Tyler had never visited Cumberland prior to this week. The duo found a unique pattern during practice, and while they had to adjust a bit, they used it to dominate each of the first two days. Lane and Tyler’s Day 1 limit of 12-2 (anchored by a 5-12 kicker) represented the second-biggest bag weighed all week, and their Day 2 tally of 11-9 was third.
Lane said finding bass that were grouped up and actively feeding on baitfish was key to generating bites in Cumberland’s clear water.
“Some of the success this week was just schooled up fish – multiple fish in an area that were feeding,” he said. “We were just finding the ones that were on bait and active and biting. That’s kind of what keyed us in on everything that we were fishing.”
Friday, they struggled to find those active schools. But they stuck with the pattern and wound up with exactly what they needed.
“The first two days, we absolutely went out there and we put a hurting on them,” Tyler said. “And then this last day was a little tough on us. I think we got a total of four bites, and we lost one, but we put three in the boat. And if we did not, I don’t think we’d be with these trophies right now.”
Once their win became official, Lane and Tyler let their emotions flow. Not only did the championship mark the perfect ending to their high school careers, they dedicated the win to their late Lakeland Christian teammate Jonny Bulger, who died in a car crash earlier this year.
“He was watching over us,” Tyler said. “Jonny was a great, great kid. He loved the outdoors more than anything, and when we told him it was on Lake Cumberland, I remember him telling me every single fact about how clear the water was and why it was clear. So, it was just meant to be.”
The Top 10 teams at the 2026 Columbia PFG High School Fishing National Championship on Lake Cumberland Presented by Abu Garcia finished:
1st: Lakeland Christian High School, Lakeland, Fla. – Bobby Lane III and Bryden Tyler, nine bass, 30-6
2nd: Anoka Junior Bassers, Anoka, Minn. – Keaton Coe and Macoy Johnson, nine bass, 27-15
3rd: South Forsyth High School, Cumming, Ga. – Chad Dupree and Maddox Ferrell, nine bass, 27-5
4th: Gloria Deo Academy, Bulverde, Texas – Caden Ball and William Kuzemka, nine bass, 26-9
5th: Portland High School, Portland, Tenn. – Mason Pearson and Blaine Gregory, nine bass, 26-3
6th: Southern California High School Anglers – Brenner Lynn and Bryce Deheyn, nine bass, 25-11
7th: Anoka Junior Bassers, Anoka, Minn. – Samuel Crest and Wyatt Dahlmeier, nine bass, 25-5
8th: Smith Mountain Lake Student Anglers, Va. – Cutler Wooten and Peyton McAndrew, nine bass, 25-0
9th: Casey County High School, Liberty, Ky. – Landon Pierce and Eli Childers, eight bass, 21-11
10th: Shelby County High School, Columbiana, Ala. – Caston Carden and Sawyer Sheffield, seven bass, 20-6
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/hs-cumberland-62826.html
High School Fishing Tournaments