One of the lesser known sports here at THS is our fishing team. Senior Tanner Sims is one of the star members, and he has made his way to the best of the best in Virginia.

Sims recently scored an entry into the State tournament– to be held at the end of May– at Kerr Lake. “I got 2nd place out of 62 teams with just over 13 pounds for 5 fish,” Sims said. This accomplishment didn’t come easy, and it required a lot of practice. Getting in the zone is easy for Sims; he explained, “I just have to keep my head down and grind the whole day out until it’s time to weigh in.”

Practicing a sport like fishing isn’t like practicing other sports. Yes, it requires lots of repetition; however, there are other aspects to it. “Practice is mostly riding around looking at the contour lines on the map and finding high percentage spots for that time of year,” Sims elaborated. 

Fishing tournaments last almost all day, so that just means the nerves are prolonged. “Tournament days are usually full of stomach butterflies,” Sims elaborated, “You constantly wonder if you’ll make the right decisions throughout the day.” Sims clearly had nothing to worry about at Kerr Lake because he proved his ability.

Sims recently had the honor of signing on at a college to join their fishing team. “I was excited when Catawba Valley signed me on to their college bass fishing team,” Sims expressed. Sims was invited to a weigh in with them in Santee, SC, where he was already fishing for a high school tournament. 

Moving forward, Sims is eager to continue his fishing career. “I look forward to carrying my passion as far as it will take me and praise God in the process,” Sims explained.