Zeke Gossett and Hayden Bartee reeled in a top-10 fin-

ish during the Pell City Fishing Team’s first outing of the

season.

The freshmen fishing partners came in ninth of 138

teams during this year’s first Alabama Student Angler

Association tournament. The team’s next outing is another

tournament Saturday in Eufala.

Gossett, a five-time individual state bass fishing champi-

on, and Bartee anchor this year’s 10-member team from

Pell City High School. As eighth graders, they finished

13th in last year’s state tournament at Lake Wheeler, after

fifth and ninth place finishes earlier in the season.

They are joined this year by senior Alex McCloud, junior

Trey Clardy, sophomore Andy Isbell, freshmen Anna King

and Zack Kirk, and eighth graders Hunter Shell, Ryan

Parks, and Blanton Hayes.

“The team may be young, but the expectations are high,”

said coach Curtis Gossett. “You can make up all kinds of

excuses for not catching fish, and sometimes you just don’t

get the bites, and sometimes you don’t get the right kind of

bites to win tournaments. But what I want from my team is

effort and a never-give-up attitude when they are on the

water. If you fish hard, do your homework, winning or hav-

ing a high finish will come. This team has a lot to learn,

but I think we can do well.”

The Panthers’ schedule isn’t favorable, according to

Gossett. After visiting Lake Martin in Alexander City last

month and Lake Eufala this weekend, the team travels to

Demopolis and to Lake Pickwick for tournaments before

competing in the state championship on the Alabama River

at Miller’s Ferry in Camden on May 5.

“As the coach, I would like to have at least one of the

tournaments held on the Coosa River because that is where

most of my team are used to fishing,” Gossett said.

“However, we do not control the scheduling, and like I tell

the team, you have to worry about the things you can con-

trol, not the things you can’t control. Some of these lakes I

have never fished, and I have been tournament fishing for

30 years. I just hope we can get good enough directions to

find some of these places.”

A plus for the student anglers this season is that they’re

sporting new jerseys, an accessory they didn’t have last

year.

“I am really happy for our kids,” Gossett said. “The jer-

seys turned out really well and were purchased through

donations from individuals and local companies. I would

like to thank each and every one of them for helping out

team out.”