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Minnesota high school student competing in National Bass Fishing Championship

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Published  July 30, 2025 11:45am CDT
Arden Hills
FOX 9
MN student competes in national fishing tournament

MN student competes in national fishing tournament

Minnesota high school senior Ayden Khang was born with a blood disorder which makes him fatigue easily ? which makes fishing a great release for him. He?s now competing in a national championship.

The Brief

    • A Minnesota high school senior has qualified for the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship on Clarks Hill Lake in Georgia.
    • Ayden Khang was born with a blood disorder which makes him fatigue easily and contact sports not an option – this is where fishing as a sport became a great release for him.
    • Ayden is one of two teams from Minnesota competing in the 250-boat field.

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Minnesota high school senior has qualified to fish in a 250-boat national fishing tournament in Georgia.

Qualifying for the Big Championship

What we know:

Ayden Khang, a high school student at Hmong College Prep Academy in St. Paul, has been fishing since he was 2 years old. His dad, Danny, fishes competitively on a local level, which helped lead Ayden to fishing competitions while in high school.

This year he did well in three tournaments, which allowed him to qualify for the state tournament, where he placed second and qualified for the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship.

He will be on one of two teams from Minnesota in the 250-boat field in the championship that covers three days, with teams bringing in their three biggest bass to weigh-in each day.

Fishing an escape from blood disorder

The backstory:

Ayden was born with Alpha Thalassemia - a blood disorder where he can’t make enough red blood cells. This leads to him having low energy and also led to him having an enlarged spleen, which limits him to some physical activities like playing contact sports.

Ayden says he always wanted to play volleyball and football, but fishing has been a great sport for him instead.

He receives blood transfusions monthly to help keep his hemoglobin up along with his energy.

While there is no cure right now, Danny, his father, is hopeful for the future.

In the meantime, Ayden continues to pursue his competitive fishing passion, which he says brings a break from the bad times when dealing with the monthly transfusions.

How to watch:

The tournament starts on July 31 at 6:30 a.m., with weigh-ins starting at 2:30 p.m.

You can watch the 2025 Bassmaster High School National Championship 2025 livestreamed here.

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