CELEBRATION, Fla. - BASS' oldest active tournament competitor - an 80-year-old Florida woman - is fishing the Women's Bassmaster Tour.
Violette Sesco, 80, of Citrus Springs, Fla., recently competed in the first of five WBT events in Alabama. Sesco, a long-time angler and retired nurse, finished in 98th place.
"I keep going because fishing helps keep me fit," said Sesco. "As long as I can keep getting in and out of my boat, I will fish."
Sesco was born on Feb. 19, 1926, in Florida and was raised in Mississippi. She has lived through the Great Depression, World War II and four other major wars. She saw the birth of television, the demise of segregation and other American milestones that some WBT anglers have only studied in history books.
As the oldest competitor on the WBT, Sesco began fishing as a child with her sister and five brothers. They put crawfish on twine and tied it to a stick. At that time, the children tried to catch fish on a straight pin.
But when Sesco married in 1947 and moved to Memphis to start her family, her love for fishing flourished. She worked the nightshift at a hospital as a registered nurse and afterward, she fished from a rented boat. The brim she caught would be her dinner that evening. She caught her first bass by fishing with a cane pole and a bobber.
"My son caught a big bass, it was 4 or 5 pounds, and it broke the line and he started crying," she said. "So I took my bobber and when the fish came around, I brought that fish in."
Sesco's first marriage ended after about 15 years. In 1978, she moved back to Florida and competed in her first tournament. She cashed a check for $16 after finishing in 20th place. She continued tournament fishing as well as working, and she totaled 62 years of nursing service before retiring about eight years ago.
Now, nearly 30 years after her first tournament, Sesco has earned the nickname 'The Sesco Kid.' "When I go out there, I'm not playing around," she said. "I'm trying to catch a bass. But I love all of the girls, their husbands and children. That's my family."
With four more women's events left, Sesco said she will try to garner a sponsorship and complete the WBT season. "I want to fish the rest of the tournaments if I can," she said. "I love the competition."
The next WBT event will be May 18-20 on Lewisville Lake in Texas.