Lindbergh High School student Trey Schroeder is making it big in the world of bass fishing.
Schroeder, who is the current Missouri State High School fishing champion, was recently selected from more than 200 students across the country as one of the 12 members of the 2016 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team.
As part of the Bassmaster All-American team, Schroeder was invited to participate in a special high school bass tournament held in conjunction with the GEICO Bassmaster BASSfast in Oklahoma earlier this month. Each All-American high school angler was paired with an Elite Series pro for a one-day fishing derby. Schroeder was paired with professional bass angler John Hunter.
“It was an amazing experience,” the 16-year-old Schroeder said. “He taught me some new techniques using electronics and we got to fish on a trophy lake.”
An Early Start
Schroeder, who had a fishing pole in his hands by the time he was 2 years old, took naturally to the sport.
“I’ve been fishing for as long as I can remember,” said Schroeder, who fishes nearly every weekend at Bull Shoals Lake, Table Rock Lake or Lake of the Ozarks. “It became a passion from the minute I touched a fishing rod.”
Schroeder participated in his first tournament at Bull Shoals Lake when he was 7 years old.
“I cannot remember a time when Trey did not fish,” his mother Debbie Schroeder said, recalling how her son wrote “Trey Fisher” on his first-grade papers and crafted a full set of handmade lures from spoons at the age of 8. “His grandfather had a true love for fishing. Trey never had the honor of meeting his late grandpa, but his fishing lives on in Trey. He fishes with Grandpa Rex’s fishing lures to this day.”
Debbie and Troy Schroeder saw their son’s natural talent and fostered it as much as possible. They even helped him start a fishing team at Lindbergh High School.
“When Trey was fishing in middle school he told us he really wanted to fish tournaments, but St. Louis is not known for bass fishing and there weren’t any teams around,” Debbie Schroeder said. “Trey asked us to help him start a fishing team as his soon-to-be high school (Lindbergh). Before he and his best friend started high school they fished the Missouri State High School Championship, finishing in sixth place. They went on to fish the High School World Finals.”
Lifelong family friend Jerry Cubbage, who hosts a charity tournament Schroeder has participated in since he was 7 years old, remembers how good the teen was at a young age.
“He would go out on fishing trips with his dad and me at an early age,” Cubbage said. “Even at 5 years old, Trey would often have better luck at catching than the adults.”
Schroeder continued to get better and better as the years went by. Last year, Schroeder and his best friend and fishing teammate Grant Nisbet won the 2015 Missouri State High School Fishing Championship at Lake of the Ozarks bringing a five-bass limit to the scale, weighing in at 14 pounds, 12 ounces.
The pair, who have been fishing partners since fourth grade, will head to Truman Lake this weekend to defend their title at the 2016 Missouri State High School Fishing Championship. As soon as that tournament is over, Schroeder and Nisbet will travel to Alabama to compete in the High School World Finals, which is a five-day tournament with over $60,000 in college scholarships available.
In addition to Schroeder’s hallmark victory at the 2015 Missouri State High School Fishing Championship, he’s clinched three other wins in the past year, including first place at the Southwest Missouri High School Tournament.
“Troy and I are very proud of Trey,” Debbie Schroeder said. “We love taking Trey fishing every weekend, and love watching him grow in the sport he loves. We are humbled by all of our friends, family and local sponsors who support Trey’s journey.”
“He Was Born To Cast”
When he isn’t on the water, Schroeder likes to share his passion for fishing with younger anglers, volunteer with local tournament organizations and help clean the shorelines of his favorite lake, Bull Shoals.
Community service, academics and being an ambassador for the sport were also factored into the selection process for the exclusive Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team. Roughly 220 students from 36 states applied for the opportunity.
After reviewing tournament resumes, community service activities and recommendations from coaches and school officials, a panel of judges named 64 students Bassmaster All-State Anglers. The judges then narrowed the field to the Top 12 high school anglers in the country to be members of the exclusive Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team.
“We launched this program last year to reward the most talented young anglers in the country,” B.A.S.S. Youth Tournament Manager Hank Weldon said. “These kids are not only exceptional fishermen, but they also excel as students and in community service.”
Family friend Cubbage has been watching Schroeder help his cousins and younger children how to fish for years.
“Trey has demonstrated outstanding commitment to fishing by getting poles in the hands of younger kids,” he said. “He is definitely spreading his love of the sport to younger kids.”
Schroeder is passionate about fishing, but he’s also dedicated to his school work and is recognized among many of his teachers and peers as a natural leader.
“Other students in class look up to Trey, and he uses his leadership skills in a positive way by participating in class activities and discussions,” Lindbergh High School social studies teacher Andy Butler said. “He loves fishing, but also understands that he must succeed in his academics to reach his ultimate goals in fishing.”
Schroeder, who will be a junior at Lindbergh High this fall, has high hopes of becoming a professional fisherman, and he’s well on his way to doing that.
“I believe that Trey Schroeder will be a lifelong angler and fulfill his dreams – he was born to cast,” Lindbergh High School counselor Julie Hosner said.