Kalispell teen to compete in Big Bass Zone Championship

One Kalispell teenager will be taking his shot at $300,000 in cash and prizes this weekend as he competes at the 2021 Big Bass Zone Junior Championship in Missouri.

Fourteen-year-old Preston LittleEagle will be making the trip to Lake Taneycomo, near Branson, Missouri this weekend after capturing the Montana championship earlier this month with a five-bass total weight of 30.23 pounds. LittleEagle’s smallest fish (5.5 pounds) was larger than the largest fish of his closest competitor in Montana (5.23 pounds).

The unique Big Bass Zone Junior Championship is held online, giving young competitors ages 13 to 19 the opportunity to fish from anywhere and on their schedule. There is no need for expensive equipment, as anglers only need a camera or phone and an email address to register their catch. The competitors catch a fish then submit the fish to a virtual leaderboard for each state through the Fishing Chaos app. The angler with the heaviest five-bass limit from that state has qualified to move on to the 2021 BBZ Junior Championship world finals October 29-30.

According to his mother, Cassadie Hill, LittleEagle has been fishing since he was 2-years-old.

“I remember, one time when he was very little, he fell asleep in his car seat and we looked back and he was trying to reel in a fish in his sleep,” Hill said about her son. “He just really has a knack for fishing and always has. That’s the best way to describe it.”

As for LittleEagle, he says the tranquility of being in the boat and working on his skills is what draws him to the sport.

“I love getting out there, being on the lake and the challenge of the catch,” he said.

After hearing about the tournament from a friend, LittleEagle approached his mom about entering, but it took some convincing.

“I kept telling him we were too busy, but finally I gave him and let him compete,” Hill said. “I’m glad I did.”

Ready to get to work, the Flathead High School freshman hooked up with local mentor Randy Siemens and started reeling in fish.

Unfortunately to LittleEagle, his first two catches would be disqualified. The 7.8-pound and 8.4-pound lunkers would have been his largest fish, but were not allowed after he failed to follow the competition’s protocols for entry.

Undeterred, LittleEagle kept at it and was quickly back on the top of the Montana leaderboard.

A true fisherman, LittleEagle refuses to divulge the locations of the “secret spot” where he caught his largest bass, but he hopes to reel in an even larger fish as he and 54 other young anglers take to Lake Taneycomo Saturday.

Unlike the at the state level, the world finals will be a one-fish tournament, rather than a cumulative total.

“I just need to visualize the catch when I cast my line,” he said. “The rest will take care of itself.”

Reporter Jeremy Weber may be reached at 406-758-4446 or jweber@dailyinterlake.com.