Jaxon Huggins and Jacob Michael of Hundred High School in Hundred, West Virginia took the win this past Sunday on the Kanawha River. Huggins and Michael made the three hour trip to compete with the BASS Nation of West Virginia High School Series and took a win against local schools around the area. We caught up with them for a quick interview of their success they found on the river.

DockTalkWV: First and foremost congratulations on the win. It’s impressive at any stage to win with WV BASS Nation. You should be proud of the accomplishment for sure. Was this your first tournament with WV BASS Nation? What grade are y’all in, what school are you from and how long have you been fishing?

Jaxon: This is the first year our school has ever done bass tournaments. We have been wanting to start a High School team but we needed a boat and someone with experience in tournaments, so we reached out to Pic & Wil and they agreed to allow us to use their boat and donate their time to captain for us. Without their help we wouldn’t have a team and we are extremely thankful that they are giving back to their community. We are both sophomores this year. We are from Hundred High School. I have been fishing since I was little but I really got into fishing during COVID in 2020.

Jacob: Yes this is our first Bass Nation tournament, actually this is the first year our school has had a team. I’m a sophomore at Hundred High School. I have been fishing since I was a kid, but this year is the first time fishing competitively.

DockTalkWV: What was the key for y’all in this tournament, I saw you had a big largemouth? Did you guys go fishing in the creeks for largemouth or did you stay on the main river? Any key techniques? You don’t have to say specific baits but anything key would be cool!

Jaxon: It was a tough day, we tried a few creeks but not much luck. For the most part we stayed in the main river. We caught two by mid day but nothing with any size. About 1:30 Jacob hooked into the 4.99lb large mouth and once we landed it in the boat, we knew we had a shot. For the most part we mainly fished rocky banks and docks.

Jacob: I think the key for the win was our mindset but we mostly fished wood and docks in the main part of the river. This was new water for us so I would say a few tips in a new place would be to take your time in breaking down an area and fish as much structure as you can. A chatterbait is what worked for me. When I set the hook on the big one, I knew it was game on. It felt good to land that one!

DockTalkWV: Kind of run through the day and tell me what all happened from beginning to the end.

Jaxon: The first few hours of the day were rough. But, at around 12 we started to get a few bites we missed some fish but managed to land three. The rest of the day was pretty calm but we still got a few bites but no hookups.

Jacob: The day was a very slow and the bite was tough but as the day went on we started figuring them out a little bit. We started getting more hits but missing hookups. Then we landed two small ones and about an hour later I landed the five pounder. That’s when we both thought we have a shot at this. Originally I thought my fish was only about four pounds until they weighed it at 4.99 pounds. I believe that is my largemouth personal best. We were nervous watching other teams weigh in. It felt good when they called our names for first place. It always feels good to win, but I think this felt a little sweeter since this is all new to our school and for us.

DockTalkWV: I saw that Pic took y’all out? How do you guys know Pic and Wil?

Jaxon: We are family. Pic’s wife Tina and my dad are first cousins.

Jacob: I didn’t know them. I met them for the first time at the Ravenswood tournament.

DockTalkWV: What does it mean for y’all to win this tournament?

Jaxon: I think it means a lot, being that this is all new to us, the tournaments and the bodies of water. We didn’t have time to practice before the tournament due to football and the distance from home. So we spent most of the day trying to figure it out. This win did a couple of things for us. One, it got us back within striking distance of the top teams and two, I believe I may be hooked on competitive fishing.

Jacob: This means a lot for our school and for starting this program. It also means a lot to Jax and I that we have more confidence going into the next tournament.

DockTalkWV: After a win like that what are some goals you guys have moving forward?

Jaxon: I would say that a goal would be to keep that momentum going into the next tournament and try to place in the Top 5.

Jacob: After this win we are taking it a little more seriously and will be researching Summersville Lake, which is also new to us. One goal would be to finish in the Top 3.

DockTalkWV: Anything extra add below!

Jaxon: With these being our first few tournaments we are learning a lot under the guidance of Pic and Wil.