The Illinois Team Series kicked off the new season on April 10th at the southern tip of the state, Lake of Egypt. The word was that Egypt puts out some really big bass every spring, so this seemed to be a great place to start our season.
The day began with temps in the upper 30’s and the wind blowing 15 to 20 mph and a forecast for rain all day, being heavy at times. The rain began around 9:00 am and didn’t quit till just before the weigh in. There were some very heavy down pours with occasional lightening. The bad weather brought in some anglers early and we found out that the early bite was a good one. A few of the teams decided to go with the limit they had and not go back out to finish the day. One of those teams were A J Evans and Bryson Evans. They had a solid limit in the live well and felt really good about their chances.
As the boats started to come in the scales opened immediately because the ongoing threat of additional rain storms.
It soon became apparent that every team in the tournament had fish to weigh in. The line at the tanks began to grow and talk about some big bass could be heard. As the weigh in progressed A J Evans and Bryson Evans held the lead with 15.45 lbs. with many of the teams still to weigh in. Brent Swartz and Brian Marsinko came up with a limit that was topped off with a Big Bass at 6.29 lbs and put them in the lead. With just a few teams to go Vaughn Capasso and Chris Capasso seemed to be the only threat left to overtake the leaders. They weighed in a big bass at almost 6 lbs. and a total weight of 15.66 lbs. just 3 hundredths of a pound behind the leaders, putting them in second place.
The top 3 spots were very close and the top 6 teams received a payout.
| # | Angler 1 | Angler 2 | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brent Swartz | Brian Marsinko | 15.69lbs | 20 |
| 2 | Vaughn Capasso | Chris Capasso | 15.66lbs | 21 |
| 3 | AJ Evans | Bryson Evans | 15.45lbs | 20 |
| 4 | Kevin Rebouche | John Czajkowski | 14.59lbs | 20 |
| 5 | Allen Williford | Austin Moore | 13.98lbs | 19 |
| 6 | Josh Roby | Brent Lundstrum | 13.3lbs | 18 |
Because of their win, Swarts and Marsinko have locked in a spot in the Illinois Team Series Classic this fall. The winners of each event along with the top 15 teams by points will be in the classic to compete for the biggest payout the series has all season.
The top teams at the end of the series, by points will also move to complete at the Bassmaster Team Championship where they will have a shot at Bassmaster Classic birth in 2017. For more information about the Illinois Team Series and the IBN go to our web site at www.illinoisbassnation.com or visit us on facebook. The next event will be on Lake Springfield on May 15th.
Full current standings can be found here: http://illinoisbassnation.com/pdf/2016TeamSeriesStandings.xlsx
