Blake Williams and Tate Webb aren’t yet old enough to drive, but put a fishing rod in their hands and they are veterans on the water.

The two incoming sophomores teamed to win the junior division of the Bass Federation state championship May 19 in Moses Lake.

Their bounty of fish weighed in at 13.26 pounds and earned them a trip to the Bass Federation Junior World Championship from Aug. 8-11 in Hot Springs, Ark.

“We had three fish by noon, and we knew where a big one was,” said Williams, who attends Chiawana High School in Pasco. “We went there and caught it. We made all the right decisions.”

Webb, who goes to Richland High and plays on the Bombers football team, started fishing with Williams two years ago, after competing against one another.

“You have to match skill level, and you have to get along,” Williams said. “We work well together.”

And they share their knowledge of the sport with each other.

“I have definitely learned a lot,” Webb said.

Little anglers

Webb, 15, started fishing when he was 12. He and his dad Tanner would drop their lines in a trout stream and hope for the best.

“I fell in love with it,” Webb said. “Then we went to bass fishing. After that, trout fishing was boring.”

Williams caught the fishing bug a bit earlier. By 5, he and his dad Dale were on the river, with dad sharing his knowledge.

“I grew up fishing in tournaments, and my dad fished in tournaments,” Dale Williams said. “It has been passed down to him.”

“My dad is the source to my skill,” said Blake.

And make no mistake, while there is luck in fishing, skill plays a big part of an angler’s success.

“You get practice days where you can study the lake and make a game plan,” Blake said. “You study maps and talk to local fishermen. Good fishermen know what they are doing. My key is to stay focused and not lose my concentration. Once you lose focus, you get fatigued.”

Webb said it is easier to run receiver routes in football than it is to catch a fish.

Using the right lure also is key.

“If you put the right lure in their face, they will bite, even if they aren’t hungry,” Dale Williams said. “There’s a lot more action in bass fishing.”

No matter where they are fishing, the teens are bound to have just the perfect lure — they each own more than 100.

According to their parents, their lures are well taken care of and very organized, unlike their rooms.

Down the road to Arkansas

Dale Williams will drive the two young anglers and his bass boat to Lake Hamilton in Arkansas. He also will act as boat captain during the tournament.

The trio will leave Aug. 1, and the boys have set up a GoFundMe page to help with their expenses.

They also will get help from local and regional sponsors like Ranch and Home, Sloan Leavitt, Van Rijn Farms, Gambler Lures, Cascade Marine, Three Rivers Tackle and WOO Tungsten.

The water is warmer in Arkansas than in Washington, which means certain lures and fishing rods will be packed. Each boy plans on bringing 15 rods.

“Tournament fishing is different than recreational,” Webb said. “It’s like throwing the football around at the park vs. playing high school football. Each rod has it’s own specifications, and techniques can change by season.”

A good showing at the tournament could means good things for the teens, who both would like to land fishing scholarships, which are are offered at several schools in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Texas, just to name a few.

Each tournament win comes with a scholarship prize. Should the teens win in Arkansas, they each would land $5,000.

Going pro also is a dream for both, who already are planning their days for when the Bassmaster Elite Series makes a stop on the Columbia River next summer.

“Fishing and making money. That is my dream,” Blake said.