Haughton High School senior Jase White one of 12 nationally named Bassmaster All-American

HAUGHTON, La. (KSLA) - “I want to fish for the rest of my life. Fishing as a career is the overall dream.”

Jase White holds trophy following tournament — Jase White holds trophy following tournament(KSLA)

The nation’s next great fisherman is in our backyard. Haughton High School’s Jase White received a recent boost to help get him there.

“So, I was in class at the time and I was just talking to my teacher, " says White. “All of a sudden, I got a text on my phone and it was from my sister. She was asking for an update on it. I already knew that some news had already came out, so I checked my phone.”

The message received was him being named one of 12 Bassmaster High School All-Americans. The honor is given to the top prep anglers, who are in grades 10-12, and maintain, at least, a 2.5 grade point average.

“It still hasn’t hit me yet, " says White. “We have our tournament beginning of June. When I get to meet the other All-Americans, then it’ll start to hit me.”

Jase White fishing on the waterway — Jase White fishing on the waterway(KSLA)

White’s love for the waterways began before his time as a Buccaneer.

“I caught my first fish when I was three. So, my dad and grandpa have had it going on for years. I started tournament fishing when I was 10. Since then, I’ve kept it going.”

Jase White fishing as a young child — Jase White fishing as a young child(KSLA)

In 2022 alone, White had six wins along with five top six finishes. His success earned him a fishing scholarship with Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.

“I was in my sophomore year and I was looking at colleges. I knew I wanted to go for fishing. From there, we just kind of built a relationship. Come the end of my junior year, I decided that’s where I officially wanted to go. I had my signing earlier this year. So, it was pretty sweet.”

Jase White's signing day at Haughton High School — Jase White's signing day at Haughton High School(KSLA)

Despite his success, there’s still work to be done. That includes, perhaps, discovering the next Jase White.

“Everyone who has helped me along the way, just trying to put back into the community. We have our junior middle school league. I’ve been helping out with their tournaments. It’s pretty sweet. Kind of seeing the next group of kids who are going to be fishing in a high school series. You never know, they could be the next All-Americans one day.”

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