Local Duo Heading to National Fishing Championship 

Writer / Kylee White
Photography Provided

In August, Cathedral High School juniors Wes Wodarz and Kyle Braun are headed to Lake Hartwell in South Carolina to compete in the 2022 Bassmaster high school national fishing championship. 

Braun and Wodarz competed in the Indiana BASS Nation state championship in order to qualify for the national tournament. More than 13,000 people participated over the course of four tournaments, and only the top two finishers in the state championship head to nationals, one team being Wodarz and Braun. Both are excited for the opportunity. 

“I’m most excited for the experience,” Braun says. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of deal. I may never get this experience again.” 

Wodarz says he’s excited not only to work with the lake and fish in South Carolina, but also to talk to locals to figure out the dos and don’ts of fishing in Lake Hartwell. 

“I’m most excited to spend a week down in South Carolina trying to figure out the lake and talking to the locals,” Wodarz says. 

Wodarz and Braun started fishing together at a young age, and have been able to make fishing a long-term goal. Starting at age 5, they began their fishing journey together and have continued ever since. 

“At my old house we lived right next to each other, and there was a pond we would walk to,” Braun says. “We would fish at that pond all the time. Eventually we caught more fish and kept fishing at more places.” 

Moving forward, both Braun and Wodarz are excited to take their fishing to the next level during nationals. 

“I’m just going to go out there and play with my heart out,” Braun says. 

“Scholarship would be great, maybe a sponsor or two,” Wodarz adds. “Nothing too big – we’re just happy to have made it as far as we did, really.” 

The national event will be televised. 

“It really means a lot,” Braun says. “It’s a big step in the career.”