SYCAMORE – A father’s lesson will come to fruition on Friday at Pierce Lake.
As the Sycamore bass fishing team prepares for the inaugural IHSA Bass Fishing Sectional at Pierce Lake in Rockford, fisherman Kyle Szychlinski will compete for the first time in an outdoor activity his dad, Andy Szychlinski, helped him fall for when he was just a little kid. “My dad took me on the water and taught me everything he knew,” Szychlinski said. “He is an inspiration to what I do in fishing. We’ve fished all over the Midwest and have made a few trips to Arkansas, too.” A center on the basketball team and an infielder on the baseball team, Szychlinski always has used fishing as an escape from the rigors of school and sports. Cody Bex, a linebacker on the Spartans’ football team will also be a member of the bass fishing team. “I just like being outside on the water,” Szychlinski said. “It doesn’t even matter if I catch any fish. All my stresses just go away when I get out there. It is very relaxing.” But there won’t be many relaxing moments at Saturday’s sectional, which means Szychlinski will have to change gears this weekend and fish competitively for the first time. “It would be nice to advance,” Szychlinski said. “I’ve never been competitive with fishing like it was baseball or basketball where I am always trying to win. I usually just want to have a good time with friends and family. The competition should be a cool thing.”
The location change was fine with Szychlinski, who, after a practice round at Pierce Lake on Saturday, came away impressed with the fishing grounds. With plenty of points, Pierce Lake has a structure Szychlinski said that should have many different locations where the fish should be biting.