Competitive high school fishing teams came along a little too late for Jefferson County Board of Education member Oscar Mann.

“I regret that they did not have fishing clubs when I was in school,” Mann said. “I missed a few days to go fishing.”

His remarks came just before the board voted to officially recognize such teams at JefCoEd schools, in a vote taken at the board’s regular monthly meeting last Thursday.

The approval gives bass fishing teams the same status as other extracurricular clubs, which allows them to promote themselves within the schools, among numerous other privileges. Previously, the status of fishing clubs in JefCoEd schools varied from school to school.

Bass fishing is not a varsity sport sponsored by the Alabama High School Athletic Association, though that organization has looked into doing so. Currently, high school bass fishing is governed by the Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association, with several dozen schools fielding teams last season. Three states — Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois — currently field bass fishing as a varsity sport.

A high school state championship is also sponsored by Fishing League Worldwide (formerly FLW Outdoors), the same organization which stages the Forrest Wood Cup championship for pro anglers.

Even without the official status, several Jefferson County high schools have had clubs that have placed highly in ASABFA competition. Mortimer Jordan was the state runner-up in 2014, and Corner placed eighth last season. Gardendale High had a two-angler team finish second in the FLW state championship last year. One of those anglers, Laura Ann Foshee, was also named a High School All-American by BASS, the other main pro-fishing sanctioning group that’s famous for its Bassmaster Classic tournament.

In other business, the board voted to give Neal Underwood the interim duties formerly held by Director of Support Operations Eddie Brown, who is retiring this month. Underwood, the former principal of Bragg Middle School, left that job to become the system’s director of transportation, a position he will retain in addition to the interim responsibilities.

Underwood will have the interim position through June 30, and will be paid $90.04 per day over and above his regular salary.