Hokamp and Redding No. 1 ranked Female High School Team for 2021
Anna Hokamp and Leslie Redding were bestowed with the “Bait N’ Thangs, Lake Washington Crappie Legends Youth of the Year” award at a recent banquet held in Greenville.
“It is our highest honor that we give to people who inspire others and work hard in God’s creation or have served this great nation and share their passion with others about the outdoors,” said Mike Jones, Mississippi fishing and tournament promoter. “These two young ladies are very inspirational, and they epitomize what we like to see in young people today. The fact that they fished against anglers from all around the world and came out ranked as the No. 1 female team after the season ending world championship was icing on the cake!”
This dynamic duo were a huge part of the D’Iberville High School fishing team which was the only team to win 3 division-1 state championships while fishing through the Bass Tactix tournament organization.
From 2019 through 2021 they won three major tournaments and finished in the top 10 in five others sponsored by the Bass Federation and Major League Fishing.
The new No. 1
Hokamp and Redding finished 2020 ranked as the No. 4 female team, and in 2021 they became the No. 1 ranked female high school team at the World Championships.
The team’s total earnings came to $172,000 in cash, prizes and scholarships. Randy Kroll was the coach and team captain the first three years that they fished, and Billy Redding was the coach last year.
“Last year we won back-to-back tournaments at the Mobile Delta and at Ross Barnett,” Hokamp said. “My favorite places to fish are Ross Barnett, Pickwick, Mobile Delta, the Pascagoula River and the Pearl River.”
And that’s when they knew special things were happening for the young ladies. Steven Ramsey is the school adviser for the team and Hokamp is the president of the team. During the World Championships the talented duo beat other young ladies from around the world, including some lady anglers from Zimbabwe. In true sporting fashion they traded jerseys with the Zimbabwe ladies also.
“Fishing is my life,” Hokamp said. “To go from the bottom to the top in three years is great!”
What the future holds
Hokamp, a senior in high school this year, won scholarships to fish and go to school full time, but she’s forgoing that at least for now to pursue a career in the Air Force. She was also in the ROTC and earned a Commander’s Pin at Camp Shelby and was promoted to Captain her junior year and Liaison Officer this year.
“I made a promise to my grandfather that I’d keep Air Force in the family if I got the opportunity,” Hokamp said. “And that’s just what I’m going to do.”
Redding has one more year to compete on the high school level, but she may take a scholarship to attend Simpson University in California after she graduates. Though she’s been the younger member of the female team she is certainly a force to be reckoned with when she’s on the water. She has also been battling an illness through her fishing tournament career but she’s overcoming that while succeeding in a tough sport.
“A lot of kids are getting opportunities to go to college as a result of the fishing scholarships and that can mean changing a kid’s, even a family’s future for generations to come,” said Richard Parker.
Parker was the first person to start a high school fishing team in Mississippi back in 2015. Parker also founded the Bass Tactics tournament trail. There are four divisions including the Junior and High School divisions as well as Fishers of Men Legacy, and TBF/MLF Adults tournament series. For more information on fishing the Bass Tactixs trail or the related trails contact Parker at 601-307-8492 or online at http://www.basstacticsmshs.com.
Be the first to comment