The Teche Area’s two high school fishing teams continue to make waves on the Louisiana High School Bass Nation circuit that recently stopped at the Calcasieu River in southwest Louisiana.

The Calcasieu River has been fishing better this year than the previous two years when its fishery was impacted from the after-effects of back-to-back hurricanes in 2020 – Hurricane Laura, then Hurricane Delta. This area’s young bass anglers, the future of competitive bass fishing, and their dedicated captains got on ’em over there the last Saturday of October.

Two Erath High School Fishing Club bass anglers boasted the highest finish among area teams when they fished the Calcasieu River. Bradley Gravouia and Phillip Shexnaider, captained by Gravouia’s father, Kevin Gravouia, finished a lofty fourth in the 167-boat field with five bass weighing 9.07 pounds. They punched their ticket to the Louisiana High School B.A.S.S. Nation State Championship Tournament scheduled to be held May 3-5 on the Calcasieu River.

Erath’s only other team in the high school angler field was that of Brayden Landry and Branson Word.

The Catholic High School Fishing Team, meanwhile, hit the leaderboard often as six two-man teams competed in the third LHSBN tournament of 2023-24. Three teams fished the High School Division while three teams entered the Junior Division.

All but one of the six CHS duos caught at least one keeper bass (11-inch minimum) to carry to the digital scale.

CHS Fishing Team coach Jacob Shoopman of Lafayette, formerly of New Iberia, said he was proud of the way the young bass anglers represented the high school and the local bass fishing community. He tipped his cap to the captains who took the time and effort to take the teams on the water.

Jarrett Baquet and Seth Switzer, whose five-bass limit weighed 6.49 pounds, notched the highest finish among the CHS Fishing Team’s two-man teams at Calcasieu River with a 23rd-place showing in the field of 167 boats. That result came close to getting them into the LHSBN state tournament next spring in a return to the Calcasieu River.

“It’s a good finish. It’s impressive to go find fish on a body of water and go compete on that level,” Shoopman said a few days after the results were released.

Baquet and Switzer were captained by Baquet’s father, Dr. Shawn Baquet.

Two other veteran CHS Fishing Team members hit the water together for the first time. Mason Ditch and Tyler Templeton teamed up to put a limit on the digital scale that tipped to 5.19 pounds, good enough for a 53rd-place showing.

“I’m glad to see Tyler as a senior getting back in the game. For him to come back his senior year and fish with Mason, who needed a partner, and getting a limit is pretty cool, as well,” Shoopman said.

“To have two teams finish in the top third is pretty impressive, especially going to compete against a lot of local teams in that area.”

Grant and Bella Moreau, captained by their father, Gerald Moreau, made their high school debut with the CHS Fishing Team and fished the Calcasieu River.

The three Junior Division teams were paced by Hollis Daigle and Vincent Soprano, who got back on track in a big way with four keepers weighing 3.92 pounds for 14th-place in the 30-team field. Captained by Brock Daigle, Hollis’ dad, they appear to be on target for a return to state and, even, national competition again 2024.

“For them to have four fish on a tough fishery, they did a good job,” Shoopman said.

Greyson Young and Cannon Leger, who have enjoyed a solid start to the new season with their captain Mark Leger, Cannon’s father, put a nearly 2-pound bass on the digital scale. Their fish weighed 1.81 pounds, good enough for 19th-place.

Roman Segura and Walker Hidalgo, captained by veteran local bass tournament angler Vic Segura, also put a keeper bass on the digital scale that weighed 1.32 pounds for 20th.

Shoopman, a 35-year-old salesman for Coca-Cola United who started the CHS Fishing Team in August 2021, was proud of all the youngsters.

“They’re really getting some good experience down at the junior level. That’s going to really help the high school team in the future,” Shoopman said.

He also can’t wait to see what the growing and improving CHS Fishing Team, the older boys and the younger boys, can do in the next tournament Dec. 2 out of Doiron’s Landing, Stephensville.

“With a local tournament coming up next at Doiron’s, with a lot of teams competing, we should have some favorites going into the tournament being a ‘local’ school,” he said.

The Calcasieu River tournament was won by Live Oak High School’s Codi Carboni and William Reynolds with five bass weighing 10.73 pounds, including a 4.32-pounder. Most of their fish bit on a trick worm.

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.