Local youngster on national stage with CastingKids

In July, 9-year-old Jacob Lescenski of Las Vegas jumped in the car with his dad and sister for what the youngsters thought would be a simple trip to Peter Piper Pizza. Neither one knew that by the time lunch was over Jacob would be headed down a road that eventually would take him to the 2008 Bassmaster Classic in South Carolina.

While Joe Lescenski took his kids out for pizza, he also wanted to give them a chance to participate in the CastingKids event sponsored by the Nevada BASS Federation. Wanting that to be a surprise, Lescenski didn't tell his kids the event was on the menu until they arrived at the restaurant.

Founded in 1991 by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, the CastingKids program is similar to the NFL's Pass, Punt & Kick competition but with a fishing twist.

The challenge in the CastingKids event is to flip, pitch and cast a hookless lure to a bull's-eye target. Folks at BASS believe the ability to use these three techniques will help young anglers find more success in their pursuit of largemouth bass.

Volunteers from local BASS Federation Nation chapters teach kids the basics before competition begins.

"The friendly spirit of competition in the CastingKids program is wonderful, and it's very rewarding to see a child's self-esteem thrive and self-confidence flourish from what this program teaches," said Stacy Twiggs, the BASS senior manager for youth programs.

Participants in the CastingKids program compete in local qualifying events. Scoring is based on a point system with participants competing in one of two age divisions, 7 to 10 and 11 to 14. The winners in each category move on to the next level of competition.

Though the event at the pizza parlor was his first, Jacob went home with a win in the 7-to-10 age category and a ticket to the state qualifying event at Dick's Sporting Goods in August.

After a victory there, Jacob found himself on the way to Kissimmee, Fla., for the national semifinals. He came away with another victory and the Western Divisional Championship.

With the division championship wrapped up, Jacob will join 11 other finalists at the National Championships to be held in conjunction with the 2008 Bassmaster Classic on Feb. 21-24 at Lake Hartwell in Greenville, S.C.

Six finalists will compete in each age category while representing Northern, Southern, Eastern, Mid-Atlantic and Central divisions. Winners will compete for $21,000 in scholarships and a collection of prizes.

The national champion in each age group will take home $5,000, second place $2,000, third place $1,500, fourth pace $1,000, fifth pace $500 and sixth place $500.

Jacob said he has been fishing since he was 2 or 3 years old and has caught brown trout, tiger trout, largemouth bass and striped bass.

"I like catching fish because I like the feeling of reeling them in," he said. "Like when it's tugging and you have to try to get it in."

One of the things he said he has enjoyed about being involved with the CastingKids program is meeting new people and making new friends. In addition, Jacob said, "I'm having fun with it. It's challenging, so I get challenged a little bit."

If that sounds grown up for a 9-year-old, it's probably because Jacob spends time on the links as well. I asked Jacob if he thought the CastingKids program made him a better angler.

"Probably," he said, "because if (the water) is smaller or bigger, I can use the flip or the pitch or the cast. I've been fishing a lot since and seem to do better."

Joe Lescenski said he was surprised at how well Jacob has done.

"We never flipped or pitched before in our life. We didn't expect to win," the father said. "We don't practice a whole lot because I want him to think of it as a fun thing."

In fact, the entire family made the trip to Florida and put more emphasis on its Disney World adventure than it did on the competition.

Doug Nielsen is an award-winning freelance writer and a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His "In the Outdoors" column is published Thursday. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.