Quitman High School (QHS) has a tremendous reputation for producing top-flight angling teams. A new addition to the legacy came this past Saturday, September 12th, when Jaxen Culpepper and Hayden Essmeier won first place in the season-opening Northeast Louisiana High School (NELAHS) Anglers fishing tournament on Caney Lake in Jackson Parish.

The pair took first place over 39 teams that competed by weighing four fish with a combined weight of 20.48 pounds, with the biggest being a 5.28 lb lunker, the fourth-largest bass caught of the 99 fish that were weighed.

They weren’t the only ones from QHS to have a productive day, as Jake Vail and Jaxon Cheatwood, fresh off their SAF national championship fishing tournament appearance this past summer, came in third place with five fish weighing 15.82 lbs.

Additional local competitors were:
Sheppard Norred / Jackson Ables (QHS) – 18th Place Overall, 3rd Place in Junior Division
Cruz Nomey / Asher Norred (NELAHS) – 19th Place Overall, 4th Place in Junior Division
Raylan Layfield / Ryder Pardue (QHS) – 21st Place Overall, 6th Place in Junior Division
Ridge Lewter / Drew Caldwell (QHS) – 26th Place Overall, 8th Place in Junior Division
Mason Lemoine / Brody Halbrook (GCA) – 29th Place Overall

NELAHS Fishing Tournament Final Standings
September 12, 2026