Once the long drive season ends, many players put down the clubs and opt for some time off from the sport, typically to relax and decompress; Not Colton Casto though. Colton Casto has one of the most unique experiences in the offseason in the whole sport. Colton spends his time off the teebox, on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska catching Crabs. As Colton has been around fishing boats since he was young, he spends the majority of his time fishing, up until their quota is met which can cut it close to the start of the WLD at times. Colton Casto has become one of the World’s longest drivers, all while staying committed to fishing and balancing the difficulties of both.
Colton Casto caught the fishing bug early on, as his dad was a commercial fisherman during Colton’s childhood. Spending countless summers fishing salmon, crab, and much more, Colton Casto decided to pursue his own career as a commercial fisherman. Right out of high school, Colton chose to pursue this lifelong passion, fishing all the way up until the start of the long drive season as the job is not finished until the team has met their quota. “The uncertainty of when that will happen can be a little stressful at times. There have been many season openers that I have barely made with very little or no training time.” Said Casto. Colton’s approach is drastically different than others who spend all offseason improving and focused on the next season; Colton is just rolling with the punches.
Colton’s long drive career began after he’d been fishing for years now, all while he was still in high school. After deciding to give up baseball, his focus shifted to the sport of long drive and trying his luck in a new sport. After not making it through his initial qualifier, Colton had his first taste of long-drive competition and was hooked. In 2019, Colton decided to take the sport more seriously, working with Long Drive guru, Bobby Peterson, which saw him qualify for his first world championships. Just two years later, Colton Casto won his first event on tour at the Long Drive for Heroes Invitational. This past year Colton was one of just eight winners in the open division in the inaugural season of World Long Drive.
Even with Colton’s success recently, he knows the amount of time spent on the boat holds him back from reaching his full potential. “I have to transition pretty quickly from fishing mode to Long Drive mode. I never really have any downtime between those two aspects of my life.” Said Casto. “Although I've been pretty successful the past couple of years it would be fun to see what I could really achieve in Long Drive if I was 100% committed to Long Drive only.” As the sport continues to grow, Colton Casto will continue to be someone to follow as an ambassador of the sport and a consistent winner in the sport.
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