PANHANDLE BASS ANGLERS - YOUTH

Panhandle Bass Anglers has one of the best youth fishing groups in the Pacific Northwest. Brandon Palaniuk who is now a professional bass angler started as youth in PBA.  Brandon was mentored throughout his early years from many of the same club members that are still here today.  PBA has a very generous, welcoming and family atmosphere that helps kick start youths life long passions in bass fishing. 

 

PBA and members take youth out fishing in tournaments and fun fishing throughout the year.  These experiences are extremely valuable for any youth. PBA holds several youth events where the youth will compete for bragging rights with members taking them out fishing. We have a consistent group of 20 to 30 youth that fish with PBA every year. 

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Below are a few items the club has done for our youth in 2017:

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• FISH IT FORWARD program was created with the goal of getting used equipment from adults. The program worked by the club donating $250 at every open tournament (total $750) into a FISH IT FORWARD side pot that only anglers who donated rod or reels could be eligible for  to obtain used fishing gear from the adults. The local fishing community donated over 35 rods and 40 reels to the program which were distributed to our youth at our fall youth event. 

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• Our club raised and donated over $1,200 to two of our youths that qualified at the state tournament to fish at a national bass high school tournament in Kentucky.  As you can imagine this is a very expensive trip and most kids yet alone adults can take 10 days off from work and travel all the way across america to compete.  Our club helps make those trips possible every year. 

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• In order for youth to fish and compete they need club members who have boats and vehicles to get them to and from the water and luckily PBA has plenty of great members to take these kids out.   One of the ways we help offset travel and boat fuel is by gas cards for the adults that take kids fishing throughout the year. 

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