When Szymon Piton joined the bass fishing team his freshman year at Sandburg High School, it did not take long for him to stand out to coach Jim Corcoran.
“Right away, we had an opportunity to look at his angling abilities, and the kid was just incredible,” Corcoran said. “He’s just got unbelievable skills.”
Piton knows how to read the water and assess the situation well, Corcoran said. He understands the patterning of fish and has the right touch when presenting bait. The coach watched Piton out fish adults at just 14 years old, and he is only getting better.
“He just makes the right decisions that usually pay off,” Corcoran said. “His knowledge of bass fishing is just immense for a kid his age. … He’s the whole package.”
So when Piton, now a senior, was one of only two high school fishers from Illinois named last week to the 2022 Bassmaster High School All-State team, it came less as a surprise and more a validation.
“I knew the caliber of his ability, but then to see it in print and come to life is pretty cool,” Corcoran said. “I’m very proud of the kid. I think he’s going places in the fishing industry.”
The annual honor from the BASS organization recognized 53 students from across the country, based on tournament success, academic achievement, conservation and community service. Piton said this was his first year in the running, and he was selected from nearly 400 nominations.
“I was in disbelief,” Piton said. “There’s a lot of really good competitors who compete in all of my tournaments. I knew it was going to be really tough. I’m just super thankful that it happened.”
Students must have a current-year grade-point average of at least 2.5 and be nominated by someone such as a parent, teacher or coach. Piton’s nomination came from Josh Sokol, of Orland Park, who was a senior when Piton joined the Sandburg team.
“As much as I taught him, he taught me just as much,” Sokol said. “I thought he needed to be recognized on a national level.”
For the last couple of years, Sokol has served on and off as boat captain for Piton and his fishing partners. The two have also fished together in the Angler’s Choice division on the Cal-Sag. Sokol said what impresses him most about Piton is that he does not have some of the same resources, such as constant access to a boat, as his competitors.
“He’s still been super successful doing it,” Sokol said. “Any challenge that Szymon has seen, any challenge that has come his way … he just does not back down from that kind of stuff. That’s one of the main things that’s separated him from everyone else I’ve ever seen.”
While Piton does not exactly love the added challenges, he understands the trials have pushed him to learn and become a better fisherman.
“It’s a disadvantage, but it’s really an advantage,” Piton said. “Because of that, I’ve met so many awesome people in my community that I probably never would have reached out to or talked to at all.”
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Piton fell in love with the sport when his father first took him to a pond when he was just 7 or 8. He regularly finds himself on Lake Michigan, Lake Calumet, the Des Plaines River or Orland Park’s Lake Sedgewick. But no one in his family fished competitively like he does. So Piton said he is thankful the high school provided an opportunity for his competitive spirit, as well as a door to a community of people who love the same thing.
“It allowed me to develop into the fisherman that I am today,” Piton said. “I just love it so much.”
Sokol said one of the toughest things about bass fishing at that age is managing life on top of the tournament scene. It requires a lot of mental preparation to work through three tournaments a week, as Piton sometimes has. But Piton works hard to take advantage of every opportunity to be seen for his talent, Sokol said.
“Tournament fishing is a tough deal, especially if you want to make a living doing it,” Sokol said. “It’s the highest of highs and it’s the lowest of lows. … He’s had a ton of success doing it.”
Piton said he sees fishing a lot like any other sport. It takes time and a drive to go out every day to get better.
“I try to fish as much as I can,” he said. “Just like any other sport, you need to put in the time to see results.”
A second panel of BASS judges will review the nominations and narrow the field to 12 members for the 2022 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team by the end of April. The winners of that honor compete in a one-day bass fishing tournament in May during the 2022 Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork in Texas.
Piton said it would be a dream this season to find his name among those 12 and fish with an Elite series pro. It would be the next big step toward his ultimate goal.
“Ever since I really got into it, I’ve wanted to become a professional fisherman,” Piton said. “I would just love to pursue it.”
Until then, Corcoran said he is happy to have Piton on the Sandburg team for one last season. The coach has a few promising freshmen who gain a lot from the upperclassman’s presence.
“The other kids look up to him,” Corcoran said. “If we had a captain, he’d be it. It’s really spurred a lot of excitement in the young guys.”
Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.