The bass fishing team had its last practice two weeks ago, but for two of its members, the season is not over yet. Junior Michael Gobeli and sophomore Jonah Frueh are busy preparing for the state championship after making history by becoming the first pair of New Trier casters ever to win first place at Sectionals.
According to Gobeli, sectionals this year were different than past years; the weather was warmer, creating better conditions for fishing. Still, Gobeli and Frueh did not expect the competition to be easy, and they approached it with a game plan.
Frueh explained that their choice of fishing location helped set them apart from the other teams.
“We had been watching the weather and the wind, and we were hoping the fish would be at the shorelines in the wind,” he said. “Most people weren’t willing to go in there [into the wind], but we used an anchor.”
Gobeli added that he and Frueh knew in advance what colors and presentations of lures to use and later narrowed down their choices down to select specific lures. “We were using lures that were a lot different than everyone else’s, shads instead of worms,” said Frueh.
But despite these strategic risks, Gobeli and Frueh were not confident that they would succeed at Sectionals until Gobeli caught the first bass early on in the competition. Five minutes later, Frueh caught a second one, and that was when Gobeli knew they would place.
The fishers ended up with three fish that weighed in at a total of four pounds more than the second place teams.
“It was textbook. It also helped that Michael and I are really good partners,” said Frueh.
Indeed, the camaraderie between Frueh and Gobeli apparently exists among all their teammates as well. Head coach Stephen Gagliano said the team this year has “a good mix of personalities and good chemistry.”
Gagliano added, “All the casters have helped each other through our weekly casting competitions. We have good casters who set the bar high.”
While the team was limited this spring by bad weather, they made the most of the time they had outside.
During the week before Sectionals, the entire team participated in the Argenta Oreana Bombers Invitational Bass Tournament at Clinton Lake. According to Gagliano, every fisher brought in a “keeper”, a fish weighing in at least three pounds. This was also the first time that Frueh and Gobeli competed together.
Now, Gobeli and Frueh are focusing their energies in a new direction: State. While they hope to take home the big prize, Frueh said, “Realistically, a Top 10 finish would be fantastic.”
Similarly, Gagliano said that his goal was for the fishers to catch the maximum five keepers a day.
This year, State will be held at the 42,000-acre Carlyle Lake. Gobeli and Frueh will be on one of 66 competing boats. The competition was originally scheduled for May 5-6, but it was postponed until May 30 due to flooding.
According to Gobeli, the timing of the meet presents a few changes. Not only will it be difficult for the rest of the bass fishing team to come support the fishers during finals weekend, but Gobeli and Frueh may have to experiment with a form of fishing they have little experience with.
“Because it’s been postponed so long, bass will either be spawning or post-spawn, so they’ll probably be in really shallow water,” said Gobeli. “It’s more sight fishing.”
Yet Gobeli and Frueh are hopeful that their thoughtful strategy and foresight can make up for any inexperience. Frueh said that he checks the weather, checks the winds, and talks with Gobeli daily to prepare.
“We will bring every lure shape and color possible, and test out what the fish are riding on,” Gobeli said. “What we’re using is kind of secret. Not a lot of people know about it.”
Gobeli explained that he and Frueh would soon draw up another gameplan, perhaps in hopes of repeating their Sectional performance. “A lot of people think fishing is luck,” he said, “but fish are a lot more predictable than people think.”