Two suburban teams in top 10 of bass fishing contest

Only two suburban teams cracked the top 10 of the IHSA state bass fishing finals held this weekend.

Anglers from Marmion Academy placed sixth overall after catching three bass over the two-day tournament, whose combined weight checked in at 10 pounds, 13 ounces, while Zion Benton placed seventh. The two-day tournament played out on Carlyle Lake in downstate Illinois, approximately 50 miles east of St. Louis.

The Zee-Bees had a strong first day, catching five bass that weighed a combined 9 pounds, 9 ounces, but on Saturday they caught just one small bass that weighed just under 1 pound.

Naperville Central’s team, making their first appearance downstate, finished 21st overall, but their coach Brian Bakke was encouraged.

“We had a really good day today,” Bakke said. “If it had just been a one day tournament, we would have finished fifth.”

The two juniors on Naperville Central’s team, Charlie Sterrett and Andrew Mlotek, caught two bass on Saturday, including one 3-pound fish and another smaller one.

However, they had to overcome their haul on Friday, when they caught two bass that weighed in at 2 pounds 2 ounces, putting them in 32nd place out of 50 boats.

“The trick was to figure out where the fish would be, with the flooded conditions,” Bakke said.

Although IHSA officials delayed the state finals for six weeks, as they waited for floodwaters to recede, teams still faced water nearly seven feet higher than normal conditions.

To make matters worse, storms on Saturday morning forced officials to delay the start by four hours, condensing the second day into three hours of fishing, down from seven.

The delayed start put the tournament after most schools had dismissed for the summer, creating challenges for some schools in fielding a team. In the end, 10 of the original 55 teams did not compete at finals, reducing the field by 20 percent. Some of those that did not make the trip were Stevenson, Hinsdale Central and St. Viator high schools.

Others, like Wheaton Warrenville South, found their team reduced in numbers by the time change. Only one member was able to make the rescheduled tournament, sophomore Chris Bulaw and he did not catch any bass.

Suburban teams also had to do their homework. They had to research fishing on southern waters, like Lake Carlyle, whose average temperature over the two-day tournament was 79 degrees, coaches said.

“It’s very different from where we normally fish,” Bakke added. “It’s a southern lake with higher temperatures and less seasonal changes.” Basically, it’s just experience and being familiar with that body of water.”