Riverdale angler Colton Caskey said he would hop in the boat and fish every day of the year if he could.

Caskey, who shrugged off gloomy weather to fish in a tournament in Lake Charles this weekend, is full force into his final year of high school fishing.

 

But the Riverdale senior won’t be done with competitive fishing once his high school time is up.

 

Caskey is on his way to becoming the Riverdale Academy Bassmasters first-ever college angler after he committed to a nationally ranked LSU Shreveport program this past week.

 

“I can’t wait to make this dream come true with some great fishermen to help me grow as an angler and a person,” Caskey said. “I had a lot of coaches reach out to me from different parts of the country, but (LSUS coach Charles Thompson) is a really good guy who’s a created a similar culture in his program that we have at Riverdale.

 

“Staying close to home was important as well, and it gives me a chance to live at home or stay close to family and friends.”

 

Caskey learned the sport from his grandfathers and older cousin on ponds in Red River Parish, and as an LSUS angler, he’ll use those lessons he learned trolling the murky Louisiana waters.

 

LSUS, which consistently ranks in the top 10 nationally, competes throughout the Southeast on a multitude of lakes, rivers and reservoirs with varying environments.

 

Fishing has taken Caskey far and wide as well, including finishing in the top-third of high school anglers at the 2024 Strike King Championships on Lake Chickamauga (Tenn.) in August.

 

Caskey and teammate Brayden Pearah placed 86th in a 273-boat field in the national event.

 

Caskey has at least one event win when he captured the Major League Fishing High School Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir this past year.

 

He got his competitive start as part of the Riverdale squad as a seventh grader, fishing in the junior division for two years before competing at the high school level.

 

“It was in the 10th grade that I thought maybe I do have a shot at fishing in college,” Caskey said. “I would love to do that if the opportunity ever came around.

 

“So I fish year-round trying to get better. You’re always learning something new.”

 

By the 11th grade, Caskey had dropped his other sports of football, basketball and baseball to focus on his first love.

 

He’ll dedicate himself to making the most of his final high school fishing season and enjoying the bond with his teammates.

 

But he’s also looking toward his future as an LSUS Pilot and navigating the waters that lay ahead.