High school angler connects with thousands

Noah Pescitelli’s social media universe is about one half the number of 180,000 fans following Kevin VanDam on Facebook.

PARIS, Tenn. — Noah Pescitelli’s social media universe is about one half the number of 180,000 fans following Kevin VanDam on Facebook. Everyone knows KVD and much fewer people know Pescitelli, a qualifier in this week’s Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by TNT Fireworks.

More people will soon get to know Pescitelli through his daily interactions with a growing network of followers. And it’s no surprise he wants to be the next VanDam, but for other reasons than you might think.

“Guys like VanDam, Skeet Reese have a brand identity that complements them as a bass pro,” explained Pescitelli, 17, and soon to be a senior at Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Ga.

He refers to the KVD logo and distinctive yellow colors used by Reese in his brand campaign.

Pescitelli’s brand revolves around Kickin Their Bass TV, his video channel with over 10,000 subscribers on YouTube. Each video on average gets 5,000 views, and the channel is fueling the marketing behind a new Kickin Their Bass TV apparel line.

What has the makings of a viral marketing success story is humble in its roots.

“I just want to grow the sport of bass fishing at the high school level,” he said. “Beyond that I don’t know what I want to do with it, other than be a bass pro if the opportunity works out.”

Pescitelli is doing more than his part to recruit and stir interest in the B.A.S.S. High School Nation and the sport among his age peers. He is on track to reach 100,000 followers on the social media channels where he connects daily with fans.

“You can tell in the last couple of years it’s really blown up,” he said of the interest. “I inspire a lot of kids and it’s because we are all doing the same thing.”

Pescitelli connects with peers on his YouTube channel. He makes videos of everyday life as a teenager who likes to fish. Viewers can watch him prepping tackle at home or the lake. Even simple activities like a convenience store visit create a buzz and spike his video views. So do how-to topics that even capture attention of adults.

This week at Kentucky Lake he tapped into a new social media platform called Periscope, a live streaming app that allows users to shoot video while viewers interact in the moment.

One of those moments happened during practice when Pescitelli hooked up with fans while reeling in a 6-pound largemouth. The stream of fan interactions quickly jumped into the thousands. Later that night he reconnected again though a live web chat from his hotel room in Paris, Tenn. Several thousand fans joined him for that event.

Pescitelli’s angle on reaching the masses is not part of a grand scheme to be more than he is, which is a high school teenager sharing his love for bass fishing.

“When kids come up to me and thank me for inspiring them it inspires me to make more videos, connect us in a sport we all like as part of us being teenagers,” he said.

For now Pescitelli is focused on his senior year, which includes academics and bass fishing. Pescitelli was an all-sport athlete until three years ago. He quit all other sports and picked up bass fishing, even starting the high school club as a freshman. Before then his interest in the sport began on a Lake Lanier boat dock near home.

“Noah used his reward money from making good grades to buy plastic worms at Bass Pro Shops,” recalled Steve, his father and team captain for Mill Creek High School. “We thought at 9 years old that he just liked to play with creepy, crawly things.”

A thrill ride aboard a neighborhood friend’s bass boat proved the turning point. The boat returned to the boat dock with Noah, 14 at the time, behind the wheel. The purchase power moved from worms to a new bass boat and the father and son connected.

Tournaments followed and the two are inseparable on the lake, with one exception.

Steve Pescitelli is allergic to fish. That includes the touching of bass and handling of lures just used to catch them.

“I have one rule as a father and that is where my son goes, I go,” he said. “It’s really more hard on Noah but he understands the bonding we get from being together on the water.”

When a fish comes onboard the team coach quickly moves to the back to avoid getting splashed by a leaping bass. Steve Pescitelli handled his first bass just last year, wearing gloves to handle his own fish when the partners hooked into doubles.

“As a father those moments are what bonds a father and a son,” he said with a laugh. “That’s what it’s all about to me.”

There are more lessons learned that go beyond the sunrises and sunsets called out by Steve Pescitelli as special moments.

“Noah is mostly calm, cool and collected all the time and that’s something I need to be myself,” he said. “I’m the kind of guy who is on fire all the time, and he’s seen how being passionate about something you believe in is a good trait to have.”

Noah Pescitelli’s social media universe is on fire. That is a good thing for high school bass fishing to have in its growing world.