NAUGATUCK — Naugatuck resident and Nonnewaug High freshman Noah Winslow is making a name for himself in the fishing circuit.
Winslow, the two-time Connecticut champion, is a member of the Junior Bassmaster club Bass Lightning. Winslow won the Junior Bass Nation Eastern Regional championship at Lake Sebago in Casco, Maine, in September with a weight of 9 pounds, 11 ounces.
As the regional champion, Winslow went on to compete in Russellville, Ark., for the Junior Bass Nation World Championship in October. Winslow finished second at worlds after a good showing last year, when he competed as the state champion and fished the Charles River in Boston at the regional.
“I have been fishing in these tournaments four years now,” Winslow said. “It began when I went to a fishing show at the Harford Civic Center and I entered in the Casting Kids tournament.”
Winslow said the world competition was a dream come true.
“My parents, Keith and Chris, along with my sister Saige, went out to Arkansas with me and it was a dream of mine to compete at the world championship,” Winslow said. “I was part of a group that is the top six in the country in my age bracket. I finished second and won $2,000 in scholarship money.”
This is becoming a family affair as Saige, a 9-year-old at Western School in Naugatuck, was a state champion two years ago in her age bracket of the Casting Kids competition, which is run a lot like the NFL’s Punt, Pass and Kick competition held throughout the country. The Casting Kids involves three essential fundamentals: the cast, the pitch and the flip.
Winslow said his passion is something around which he hopes to build his life.
“I love the outdoors and have been fishing with my dad since I was 2 years old,” Winslow said. “It seems like I’ve always been around fishing and boats growing up. This program helps you to get scholarship money, and I would really like to go on to college and work as a fish and game warden or as a state park ranger. Of course, being a professional fisherman hasn’t escaped me, but getting an education is the first thing on my list.”
