Evan and Maddox are two student anglers from Danville, California who recently earned a spot in the Student Angler Federation High School Fishing National Championship and will also be competing at the World Finals at Lake Cumberland, Kentucky this June.

This opportunity means so much to us because we are true underdogs. Many teams at this level come from bass fishing families and have years of experience. Evan only started competitively bass fishing a couple of years ago, and this is Maddox’s first season competing.

We got here by putting in hundreds and hundreds of hours on the water and spending as much of our free time as possible fishing, researching, and learning. We learned on local waters like Oak Hill Park and Lafayette Reservoir, watched countless fishing videos, studied everything we could, and did everything possible to keep improving. Evan even spends much of his free time building and designing fishing lures.

We also made friends and built connections in the fishing community that helped us find more opportunities to get on the water, learn from others, and keep getting better. We have worked hard for every bit of progress and tried to make the most of every opportunity.

On March 22, we won the Clear Lake Open Challenge against around 50 teams - the tournament that earned us our spot at the High School Fishing National Championship. It was also our second first-place finish in a row.

Qualifying for the National Championship in our first season fishing together is something we are incredibly proud of, especially because many student anglers fish for years and never get this opportunity. With Nationals coming up soon, we are now working quickly to cover the cost of the trip and make this opportunity possible. The total cost of making this trip is over $10,000 once flights, lodging, food, tournament expenses, gear, and the nearly 5,000-mile round trip to tow the boat are included.

Any donation truly helps, and even sharing this fundraiser means a lot to us. Thank you for helping two Danville kids chase this opportunity and represent our community on the national stage.

Evan & Maddox