Fleming County High School Panthers Bass Fishing Team

06/05/2026

The Summer Series began June 4, 2026.
Daniel Mekelburg took the win with two fish weighing 4 lbs 6 oz.

Garrison Kinder and Brady Kramer took 2nd with 4 fish and 3lbs.

New team members Gave Drake and Harbor Ison found 1 fish for 12 oz.

The next round takes off from Scott’s Creek Boat Ramp June 11 from 6:00-9:30 PM.

05/10/2026

FCHS Bass Fishing Competes at KHSAA State Championship
May 9, 2026

The Fleming County High School Athletics Bass Fishing Team competed in the KHSAA State Championship on Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley May 8–9, 2026.

After earning a state berth with an 8th-place finish at the Region 4 Tournament, Samuel Archer and Daniel Mekelburg traveled to western Kentucky to compete against 116 of the top high school teams in the state.

The tournament proved to be a grind for much of the field, with changing conditions and a tough bite making quality fish difficult to find. Over two days, Samuel and Daniel caught 12 fish, but only found two keepers.

After weighing a 1 lb, 13 oz fish on Day 1, the duo made a long morning run to Lake Barkley on Day 2 and found a solid 2-pound keeper to finish out their tournament.

Samuel and Daniel finished 63rd out of 116 boats—not the finish we wanted, but we’re always proud for the opportunity to represent Fleming County on the state stage and show people who we are and where we come from.

Congratulations to Montgomery County High School on the Girls State Championship and Muhlenberg County on another state championship.

The KHSAA State Championship wrapped up a grueling 13-tournament season for the team. Along the way, Samuel and Daniel earned two runner-up finishes and four top-5 finishes while continuing to help raise the standard for Fleming County Bass Fishing.

Now, we’re ready to kick off our annual Summer Series. Keep an eye right here on Facebook for the upcoming schedule and details.

A special thank you to Debbie Archer and LaCassa Riddle for providing tournament photography throughout the event.

We’d also like to thank the businesses and supporters who help us roll down the road and get to the ramp each week:

SterlingGray Outfitters
Cheap Chevrolet
Peoples Bank of Kentucky, Inc.
Bypass Bait & Tackle
Hinton Mills
Callie Natasha (C&N Custom Baits)
Hartzel Worm Company (Jacob Hartzel)
Encon Equipment
Adams Anesthesia
GreenTree Forest Products
Premier Auto & Truck Repair
Denham-Blythe Company
Shep’s Sports World

Want to get involved with Fleming County Bass Fishing? Please reach out to head coach Dr. Todd Watts at [email protected]

05/06/2026

Join us in wishing a HUGE good luck to our very own Fleming County Anglers, Samuel Archer and Daniel Mekelburg, as they head to the KHSAA State Championship! May 8-9 🚤💨

We are incredibly proud of your hard work and dedication on the water this season. Go out there, fish your best, and show them what Fleming County is made of 🐾🖤💛

Let's fill the comments with good luck wishes for Samuel and Daniel! 👇

04/26/2026

04/26/2026

FC Bass Team Earns KHSAA State Championship Bid
April 25, 2026

The Fleming County High School Athletics Bass Fishing Team competed in the Region 4 Bass Fishing Regional Tournament at Herrington Lake April 25, 2026.

Five teams launched in search of a top-16 finish to punch their tickets to the KHSAA State Championship at Kentucky Lake.

The teams of Samuel Archer/Daniel Mekelburg and Cooper DeAtley/Bentley Crouch set a new school record of a 5-bass limit in Regional competition.

Archer/Mekelburg brought a 10 lb, 13 oz bag to the scales, taking 8th place and punching their ticket. DeAtley and Crouch found a 7 lb, 5 oz bag just short of the cut.

Garrison’s Kinder and Braxton Fields found a good fish and brought it to the scales. Brady Kramer and Mason Hill ground out a tough day to come up just a little short.

Thank you to our captains—the unsung heroes of High School Bass Fishing:

Chad Hill
Gary Kinder
Tripp Watts
Alan Watts

We'd like to thank our partners who help us roll down the road and get to the ramp each week:
SterlingGray Outfitters
Cheap Chevrolet
Peoples Bank of Kentucky, Inc.
Bypass Bait & Tackle
Hinton Mills
Callie Natasha(C&N Custom Baits)
Hartzel Worm Company (Jacob Hartzel)
Encon Equipment
Adams Anesthesia
GreenTree Forest Products
Premier Auto & Truck Repair
Denham-Blythe Company
Shep’s Sports World

Want to get involved with Fleming County Bass Fishing? Please reach out to head coach Dr. Todd Watts @ [email protected]

03/22/2026

FC Bass Team Shows Resilience at SAF State Championship
March 21, 2026

The Fleming County High School Athletics Bass Fishing Team competed in Round 7 at Lake Cumberland in the Student Angler Federation State Championship

The recent cold snap put many fish still in a pre-spawn, non-committing bite that produced a winning weight nearly 6-8 pounds less than a typical weigh-in at Lake Cumberland.

Sophomore Cooper Deatley and Freshman Stetson Lewis found two fish for a weight of 5 pounds 9 ounces. They finished an impressive 29th out of 167 boats narrowly missing the National Championship cut by less than two pounds.

Thanks again to our captains—the unsung heroes of High School Bass Fishing:
Danny Archer
Gary Kinder
Tripp Watts

Also, special thanks to Debbie Archer for always getting great photos of our team and the rest of the KBF Trail!

The Panthers' next stop takes them to Nolin Lake Easter Weekend for round 8 in the SAF Team Trail

We'd like to thank our partners who help us roll down the road and get to the ramp each week:
SterlingGray Outfitters
Cheap Chevrolet
Peoples Bank of Kentucky, Inc.
Bypass Bait & Tackle
Hinton Mills
Callie Natasha(C&N Custom Baits)
Hartzel Worm Company (Jacob Hartzel)
Encon Equipment
Adams Anesthesia
GreenTree Forest Products
Premier Auto & Truck Repair
Denham-Blythe Company
Shep’s Sports World

Want to get involved with Fleming County Bass Fishing? Please reach out to head coach Dr. Todd Watts @ [email protected]

03/21/2026

Your Panthers are ready to take on Lake Cumberland and more than 160 other boats at the Student Angler Federation State Championship Saturday, March 21, 2026.

Weigh-ins begin at 3:00 PM CDT with our teams due at the scales at 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, and 4:30.

03/15/2026

FC Bass Team Begins Spring Schedule
Capture 16th and 30th in 62-Boat Field
March 7, 2026

The Fleming County High School Athletics Bass Fishing Team competed in Round 5 at Laurel River Lake this past weekend on March 7, 2026 on the Kentucky Bass Federation Team Trail.

Despite being limited to one boat ramp, the Panthers seemed to knock the winter rust off for the spring schedule.

Brady Kramer and Mason Hill found keeper largemouth and smallmouth for a two-fish bag weighing 4.56 lbs.

Bentley Crouch continued his streak of consistent days bringing one fish to the scales for 1.94 lbs.

The teams of Samuel Archer/Daniel Mekelburg, Garrison Kinder/Braxton Fields, and Cooper Deatley/Stetson Lewis battled stiff winds and short fish for most of the day.

Thank you to our captains--the unsung heroes of High School Bass Fishing:
Danny Archer
Gary Kinder
Alan Watts
Tripp Watts

Also, special thanks to Debbie Archer for always getting great photos of our team and the rest of the KBF Trail!

The Panthers' next stop takes them back to southern Kentucky as they take on a 200+ boat field at Lake Cumberland for the SAF Championship March 21.

We'd like to thank our partners who help us roll down the road and get to the ramp each week:
SterlingGray Outfitters
Cheap Chevrolet
Peoples Bank of Kentucky, Inc.
Bypass Bait & Tackle
Hinton Mills
Callie Natasha(C&N Custom Baits)
Hartzel Worm Company (Jacob Hartzel)
Encon Equipment
Adams Anesthesia
GreenTree Forest Products
Premier Auto & Truck Repair
Denham-Blythe Company
Shep’s Sports World

Want to get involved with Fleming County Bass Fishing? Please reach out to head coach Dr. Todd Watts @ [email protected]

10/28/2025

Join us Saturday, November 1, 2025 with our friends at Bypass Bait & Tackle for our Fish Fry Fundraiser!

Come grab a meal, talk with some team members, and learn about the Bass Fishing program here at Fleming County Schools.

10/28/2025

FC Bass Team Captures Second Consecutive Top 10; Stetson Lewis Sets New School Record at Green River Lake
October 25, 2025

The Fleming County High School Athletics Bass Fishing Team competed in Round 5 at Green River Lake on the Kentucky Bass Federation Team Trail.

Samuel Archer and Stetson Lewis (subbing for Daniel Mekelburg) continued their consistency finishing 10th. Stetson landed a 5.47lb largemouth for a school record PB during an offical tournament. That was also big fish for the 60+ boat tournament!

Garrison Kinder and Braxton Fields found several small fish and brought both a largemouth and a smallmouth to the scales.

Logan Crawford and Brady Kramer ground out a tough bite to being a couple of spots to the scale.

Thank you to our captains--the unsung heroes of High School Bass Fishing:
Danny Archer
Chad Hill
Alan Watts

Also, special thanks to Debbie Archer for always getting great photos of our team and the rest of the KBF Trail!

The Panthers' next stop takes them to Taylorsville Lake November 15.

We'd like to thank our partners who help us roll down the road and get to the ramp each week:
SterlingGray Outfitters
Cheap Chevrolet
Peoples Bank of Kentucky, Inc.
Bypass Bait & Tackle
Hinton Mills
Callie Natasha(C&N Custom Baits)
Hartzel Worm Company (Jacob Hartzel)
Encon Equipment
Adams Anesthesia
GreenTree Forest Products
Premier Auto & Truck Repair
Denham-Blythe Company
Shep’s Sports World

Want to get involved with Fleming County Bass Fishing? Please reach out to head coach Dr. Todd Watts @ [email protected]