One giant leap
Bass fishing is a popular outdoor activity across the country, but the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) became the first governing body in the country to make the sport an official activity at the high school level. There is a national tournament at the collegiate level each year, but even that is not officially sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

“There’s going to be huge buzz across the country because it is the first,” said Dave Gannaway, IHSA assistant executive director and bass fishing administrator.

Exceeding expectations
About two years of research and discussion led to the IHSA making bass fishing an official activity (Gannaway emphasized it is not a sport). When the word came down last fall, a wave of excitement spread across the state.

Gannaway believed the state series would include 100 schools, each with one boat, fishing at six sectionals across the state. Instead, there are 214 schools that will be fishing at 18 sectionals across the state on Friday.

“There was much bigger support than I anticipated,” Gannaway said. “There is no one area of the state dominating. We’ve got sectionals all the way from Lake Egypt near Marion to the Chain of Lakes (northern Illinois).”

Rules are rules
The top three boats (based on total weight) from each of the 18 sectional competitions held Friday, April 24 will earn the state berths.

In addition to state berths by total weight, there will also be bids and awards based on heaviest fish by boat.

The IHSA rules are very similar to those used on professional bass fishing circuits. There is an eight-hour time limit (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) for the state fishing days May 8-9 (8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at sectionals). Boats may carry only two fishers (plus an adult captain) and five fish on board in a live well, but culling of fish is permitted. No live bait may be used. Late arrival to weigh-in and dead-fish penalties are counted against a boat’s total weight. Boat speed limits will be limited to 35 mph.

All the terms and conditions were decided upon by a committee of about 30 athletic directors, coaches and other interested parties.

“I’d say 98 percent of what they came up with is still part of the rule book,” Gannaway said.

Carlyle file
The state finals competition will be held at Carlyle Lake in Carlyle, IL. Located approximately 50 miles east of St. Louis and 100 miles south of Springfield, it is the largest man-made lake in Illinois. The lake was formed when Carlyle Dam blocked the flow of the Kaskaskia River. State-record flathead catfish and white bass have been caught in its spillway. The Lake’s 26,000 acres of surface area translate to over 40 square miles. According to the website carlylelake.com, bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, walleye and sauger are among more than 30 species of fish found in the lake.

Bass fishing defined

Angler A person using a pole or rod and reel to cahtch fish

Bass Name given to a variety of freshwater and saltwater gamefish of the order Perciformes

Live well An aerated hold tank on a boat where bait and/or caught fish are kept alive prior to weigh-in or release

Culling Like comparison shopping: Anglers store fish in the live well and if they catch a better fish, they throw one back

Lure Another name for bait. Typically, competitive bass fishers do not use live bait

Representatives at the Illinois High School Association stress the new bass fishing state series is an activity, not a sport.

Try telling that to the six-person teams at St. Charles East and St. Charles North.
In advance of Friday’s sectional tournament at Lake Shabbona, St. Charles East coach Jim Richter and his team have been looking for any way to gain an edge on the competition. It started with a planned trip there last Saturday, and has continued off the water.

“We did a google search and we found a local guy who goes there quite a bit,” Richter said. “We looked at an online forum about Shabbona Lake, and some of our kids and their parents have gone there to fish it.

“We’re looking for an much information as we can find.”

If that doesn’t sound like the kind of preparation football coaches put in before a big game, then what does?

Interest ran high at both schools as both Richter and St. Charles North head coach Tim Tinks had to hold tryouts and cut kids in order to get down to six anglers. Richter and the Saints headed to a pond adjacent to campus; Tinks took a unique path to deciding on his team.

“We took them up to the football field and had them do some casting and knot tying,” Tinks said. He also had each write a resume and interviewed each for 15 minutes.

In addition to their preparation away from the water, the Saints will also have help in the form of Rudy Albrecht, president of KaRu Lures, Inc., based in St. Charles. Along with Richter, a chemistry teacher at East, Albrecht will captain one of the Saints’ two boats at Friday’s sectional tournament at Shabbona Lake.

“He’s been a great resource,” Richter said. “He knows all the ins and outs of bass fishing. He’s as close to a pro as I’ve ever known.”

Senior Kyle Chaires is another helpful resource for the Saints. He is a competitive fisher who has been to tournaments far and wide. He suggested some area lakes for the team to fish in preparation for the section.

The North Stars, meanwhile, will be assisted by Dave Fuerst, a tournament bass fisher who will be skippering his own boat.

“He’s done a great job for me,” Tinks said. “I appreciate all his help and his time.”
Albrecht’s, Chaires’ and Fuerst’s insights may be an advantage for the Saints’ and Stars’ fishers in what is not necessarily the height of bass season.

The right kinds of lures need to be used at the right times of day to enhance success.

This early in the season, when the mean water temperature is still chilly, cold-blooded bass will be moving slowly. While some fish may be caught early in the morning, the general consensus says the best fishing probably comes in the afternoon when the water has had a chance to absorb sunlight, warming the temperature and making the fish more active. Areas where the lake floor is dark are best, as they take in more light and warm up faster.

“It’s hit or miss this time of year,” Tinks said. “It could take 15 pounds to win the tournament or five pounds. Bass are in the pre-spawn phase right now, but if they’re thinking about spawning (soon), they’ll be eating.”

Even if the fishing at Shabbona Lake isn’t great during the sectional tournament, it’s a chance for kids who don’t excel at traditional sports to represent their school.

“They’re all really excited,” Richter said. “The kids that came to our (informational) meeting came with folders and footnotes. I’m excited because I think it’s great to give kids a chance to represent their school.”

“It’s unfortunate we had to make cuts in something like this,” Tinks said. “But I don’t want it to discourage the kids (we cut) from fishing.”