If there is a favorite heading into the Student Angler Federation (SAF) Colorado High School Bass Fishing State Championship on Sunday, it almost certainly is Ryan Wood of Legacy High School in Broomfield.
Wood, who just completed his junior year, recently was named one of 12 high school students nationwide selected as members of the Bassmaster High School All-America Fishing Team. He is the sole representative from the Rocky Mountain West.
Before calculating Wood’s odds at Lake Pueblo on Sunday, let’s backtrack and answer a couple questions: Yes, there is a high school in Colorado (in fact, there are two). And, yes, earlier in May the sport recognized for the first time in history an .
“It definitely is an honor,” Wood said. “I was one of the two anglers selected to the Colorado all-state team (along with Josh Villa of Windsor), which was not so surprising because there’s just not that many (high school) bass fishermen in Colorado. I was definitely surprised to be on the All-America team, though.”
The level of surprise diminishes when you consider the criteria for inclusion evaluated by the committee at the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS), more commonly recognized as the folks behind the “Bassmaster” brand. From more than 200 nominees, judges reviewed tournament résumés, academic achievement, service activities and recommendations from coaches and school officials.
Wood stood out as the winner of the , a top-20 finisher in the 2014 Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship — where he was awarded the Costa Bright Future Scholarship — and winner of a Denver Bassmasters adult open at Horsetooth Reservoir. He was a charter member of the Front Range Bass Club and presently serves as its president.
He also has been a leader on the conservation front, helping his club earn a conservation grant to refurbish a pond in north Denver and volunteering with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to assess the aquatic health of local lakes, ponds and streams.
Meanwhile, he has managed to hold down an AP curriculum-enhanced 4.16 grade-point average while participating in church mission trips, volunteering at kids’ fishing derbies, doing charity work and fishing four days a week. With school out of the way, that number will bump to five or more days a week this summer.
“We’re definitely very proud,” said his father, Curtis Wood. “It’s definitely his passion and it has been for a long time, so it’s great to see him get this recognition. Fishing is a big part of it, but so is the community involvement.”
Ryan is the reigning BASS high school state champion and will attempt to defend that title in August. Sunday’s SAF tournament, expected to draw 40 to 50 competitors, is sponsored by The Bass Federation (TBF), with the top 10 percent of the two-person team finishers advancing to a regional tournament at Clear Lake in California this summer.
No matter the outcome, Wood will compete in a special Bassmaster High School All-America Bass Tournament in conjunction with BASSfest June 3-7 on Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Tennessee. Each high school angler will be paired with a Bassmaster Elite Series pro for the one-day tournament, a dream come true for a teenager with every intention of joining the tournament ranks after college.
“It’s definitely my aspiration,” Wood said. “Just being on a boat with (a pro) for eight hours in a tournament, I’m just going to ask everything I can think of about the circuit, the lifestyle, how they live doing the Elite Series. It’s going to be an awesome experience.”
Coming from a state known more for its cold-water fishing than as a hotbed for bass, it might seem like there’s less pressure for Wood to produce a top finish at the national level. But as a competition angler, he’s more prone to expectations than excuses.
“Definitely this weekend I’m hoping to win. Pueblo is probably my favorite lake in Colorado because it’s one of the very few lakes in the country that has spotted, smallmouth and largemouth bass,” Wood said. “For the All-American, I’m up against the kids who BASS chose as the 12 best in the country. That’s a lot of pressure, but I’d like to win that as well. I’m honored even to go, but there’s always that drive for first, so it would be hard to be satisfied with anything else.”
Scott Willoughby: swilloughby@denverpost.com or twitter.com/swilloughby
