Rochelle bass fishermen Zach Capes and Lucas Anderson enjoy the rush of bringing each catch out of the water, and the boys reeled plenty of fish into their boat when they and head coach Curt Samo entered the water for the IHSA Sectional at Shabbona Lake on Monday.
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SHABBONA — Rochelle bass fishermen Zach Capes and Lucas Anderson enjoy the rush of bringing each catch out of the water, and the boys reeled plenty of fish into their boat when they and head coach Curt Samo entered the water for the IHSA Sectional at Shabbona Lake on Monday.
Rochelle began the sectional competition seeking to qualify for its fourth state championship in four years. Anderson had just one year of sectional experience under his belt, while Capes was fishing at the sectional level for the first time.
But the lack of IHSA experience didn’t hold the boys back from catching 14 pounds and 8 ounces of fish on Monday, putting Rochelle in second place at the end of the competition and earning the bass fishing team its fourth consecutive state championship bid.
“It’s pretty cool,” Anderson said. “Coach Samo gave us really good advice and he was boosting our morale… I’m looking forward to the experience at the state championship. It’s great having coach Samo in our boat because we always find the good spots.”
Rochelle will travel to Carlyle Lake next week to begin the two-day state championship competition, which starts on Friday, May 19. The experience will certainly be one to remember for the boys, who said they relied on using different baits at each fishing spot to create better opportunities to catch fish.
“One of us would throw one lure to imitate a shad or a bait fish that bass will eat,” Anderson said. “The other would throw a crawfish or something to hit all of the different water levels. We fished different things to give different presentations in the water.”
Capes is in his first year with the Rochelle bass fishing program, but the sophomore said he’s been fishing for nearly his whole life. He enjoys the big catch as much as any other fisherman, and he said he prepared for the sectional competition by practicing with different rigs with his head coach. Both Capes and Anderson are eager to finish at the top during the state championship next weekend.
“It was really fun and I enjoyed it,” Capes said. “It felt good having coach Samo in our boat and helping Rochelle get to state four years in a row. Coach took us to really good spots and he let us use some of his rods as well… During practice coach Samo showed me different rigs and he helped me out a lot with my casting.”
