By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Joe Sancho was 15 years old when he and a buddy attended their first Black Rock Bass Busters fishing club meeting. They were curious kids and wanted to get involved in tournament fishing. Some members weren't too keen on welcoming teenagers into the group, but club president Frank Ceriello saw it differently.

"Back then, kids didn't fish tournaments," said Sancho, a native of New Windsor, N.Y., a town of about 25,000 situated on the western shore of the Hudson River about an hour north of New York City. "It just wasn't the thing. I went to their meeting and somebody told me the story later that there was actually a big argument about letting kids fish the tournaments."

Rather than turn the kids away, Ceriello took a stand. As the story goes, he told club members that, "These kids could be doing a lot worse than wanting to fish, so if we don't let them fish, this club no longer exists."

That meeting took place 31 years ago.

"Because of a guy that like standing up, that's the reason I'm here," Sancho said.

"Here" would be on the verge of making his debut as a Bassmaster Elite Series angler. It's been a long, winding path for Sancho, who qualified for the 2014 Elites through the Northern Opens. A veteran of many club events, Red Man tournaments, and a five-time qualifier for the EverStart Series championship, Sancho couldn't let this opportunity slip past him. In a way, he feels like he owes it to Ceriello to see how he measures up against the best.

"I owe everything to Frank," he said. "Nowadays you see all of these high school clubs and college teams, it's awesome. It's because somebody realized you have to take a kid fishing.

"I'm excited just to be able to go out and be on the same level as those guys. They're the cream of the crop. To be out there and try to compete against them, I want to see what I can do. As far as what I'm fearful of, you're always fearful of falling on your face, but I'm fortunate to have a job to fall back on. It's not like I have to do this or do that. I don't have to fish fearfully. What I mean by that is I don't have to fish to make a check. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, oh well. I gave it my best and we'll go from there."

An electrician by by trade with IBEW No. 3 out of New York City, Sancho is grateful to have the support of his employer, Konsker Electric, in order to fish the Elites.

"At the end of the day, I still have my job," he said. "When I'm fishing, I'll be fishing, but when I'm done fishing, I can come back and go right back to work. That was another hugely important factor in this for me – that I'm not unemployed. I do have a job to fall back on and that takes a lot of pressure off. I wasn't going to take a second mortgage out to do this. I'm going to do it based on sponsorships."

Favorable Schedule

Part of Sancho's motivation to make the jump now was the inclusion of Cayuga Lake and the Delaware River on the '14 Elite Series schedule. He's fished Cayuga plenty of times and will be among a small handful of Elites with any meaningful experience at the Delaware.

"I decided with the Delaware River and Cayuga Lake being on the schedule, both of which I've fished a ton of times, it would've been hard to pass it up when there's two venues I'm real familiar with," he said.

He also fished the 2008 EverStart Series championship at Table Rock Lake, which is also among the Elite Series stops next year.

"Everything in life comes down to timing, even in fishing," he said. "When you have three bodies of water that you have confidence at and you know what the fish should be doing, it helps a lot. You're not just out there scratching your head. It definitely give me a big confidence boost.

"I haven't been to any of the other ones," he added. "I'll have to do some research and start looking at maps on the Internet and put a game plan together that way. Sometimes when you go into a tournament without any preconceived notions, it's a good thing. It makes you look at a lake different than if you've been there before. It still amazes me when guys come to the Hudson and they'll say they fished over there and I'd never thought of that because I'd always caught them on another spot."



He said he likes tidal fisheries, which means he shouldn't be too uncomfortable at the St. Johns River either.

"I try to consider myself a power fisherman," he said. "I like to have a jig rod in my hand most of the time. If I can catch them on a jig, I'll be alright."

Seeking Support

Sancho was able to secure sponsorship support from Aigner Label Holder, a company based in New Windsor, but he's still trying to line up additional financial backing. He also lists Reynolds Garage and Marine out of Connecticut and Ranger Boats among his sponsors.

He said he's even reached out to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office since he'll be the lone New York angler fishing the Elite Series.

"I was fortunate enough to get a sponsor that was willing to lay out some money for me so I could do the first deposit," he said. "I'm still looking for more sponsorship. I have a goal and I'm not close to it yet, but we had to make a decision on whether to do it or not. We decided to make the move and see what happens.

"I have a great wife [Evelyn] who stands behind me. I've been fishing a long time in EverStarts and things like that and I don't know if I'll ever get another opportunity like this. I was fortunate enough to finish where I did in the Opens and I had to go for it. It is nerve-wracking because I've been told everything already, good and bad about it."

He's been able to pick the brains of some friends who've been around the pro fishing game for a while. They've been helpful in showing him the ropes of establishing contact with prospective sponsors.

"I speak to Mike (Iaconelli) quite a bit," he said. "He's been helping me as far as giving me information on how to approach sponsors. He's been really helpful big time. I'll give him a call and tell him I'm trying to do this or that and he has all of that knowledge. That's what I'm finding out now – the business aspect of it. Am I doing this right? I've been able to reach out to Mike and he's been real helpful. Pete Gluszek has also been real helpful. I'm also good friends with Shaw Grigsby.

"I've spoken to all of those guys and they all gave me their opinions and tried to guide me in the right direction as far as what to do and what not to do. It's been real helpful and I really appreciate it."

Notable

> Sancho finished 7th in Northern Open points and secured the fifth and final Elite Series invite because Iaconelli and Randy Howell, who finished 1st and 3rd, respectively, had both already re-qualified for 2014. Sancho's Open finishes were 13th at the James River, 52nd at Oneida Lake and 27th at Lake Erie.

> It's hard not to pick up on Sancho's heavy New York accent right away. He jokingly calls it the "Brooklyn twang" and said a recent phone call to the B.A.S.S. offices resulted in an innocent misunderstanding. "When I called down there and was speaking to one of my girls and was trying to explain an email I'd sent, we were going back and forth and I said, 'Is it my accent? She said, yeah, you sound funny,'" he said. "I said, 'You can imagine what you sound like to me.' When people tell me about my accent, I'm like what are you talking about? You're the one that sounds funny."