In a school filled with high achievers, Luca Caniato stood out.
Before graduating in June, he played violin in the orchestra; served 3 years as president of the Italian Club; founded the Photography Club and Aquatic Habitat Alliance; was elected to 4 Honor Societies; played varsity soccer, and was one of 2 seniors chosen by his classmates to turn the tassel at graduation.
Luca Caniato and Alex Hackett get ready for the finale, at Staples’ June graduation. (Photo/Ryan Allen)
It sounds like Luca had no time for anything else.
But the teenager — who heads soon to the University of Colorado, where he’ll be one of just 50 new students in the elite Leeds Scholars Program — has one more passion. It challenges him, calms him, and feeds his soul.
And — because he is on the go, even when relaxing — it’s been both a summer job, and a way to give back to others.
Luca Caniato (Photo/Melissa Alves)
Luca is an avid, and very accomplished, fisherman.
It started in 8th grade, when Bedford Middle School language arts teacher Steve Rexford taught Luca’s friends Josh Ginsburg and Preston Siroka how to tie flies and cast rods.
Intrigued by the “cool, unique” sport, Luca joined them. He got a fly rod and waders.
When Rexford met him at a Pennsylvania river — both families were vacationing nearby — Luca caught a 4-inch bass.
“I was hooked,” he says (pun fully intended).
Fishing is “so different from anything else. How you choose the right fly, tie it, cast a rod, engage the fish, land it — the whole approach is magical.”
Luca has fished with some very big fish: 3-time world champion fly fisherman and former French national captain Bertran Jacquemin, and Yannick Rivière, another world champion.
His mentor is Antoine Bissieux, 2025 Orvis Guide of the Year.
Luca fishes in Connecticut’s Farmington River — and far beyond, in Wyoming and Idaho.
Two summers ago — using money saved from painting and mowing lawns — he spent 2 weeks in Montana with former soccer teammate Ryan Thomas, who worked in a fly fishing shop. It was a great experience, including fishing off a boat at 3 a.m.
“Trout don’t live in ugly places,” Luca notes.
Luca Caniato, in the Italian Alps. (Photo/Luigi Mautino)
Other scenic spots are more local: the Saugatuck River at Ford Road, Compo Beach and Long Island Sound.
This winter, Fairfield students Matt Menozzi, Ryan Leavay and John McCloskey — who ran a fishing camp there — reached out to Luca. They wanted to start a Westport branch. Would he be interested?
Do fish swim?!
The Faifield camp supplied all the rods and equipment, and taught youngsters to fish in a safe, fun environment.
Luca marketed the camp through flyers, videos and social media.
It was fully booked. Through last week, 60 kids ages 7-14 (10 or so each week) fished with Luca and his counselors — his friends Josh and Preston, who first got him into fishing — at Burying Hill Beach, Old Mill, and their favorite spot, Compo.
Josh Ginsburg, and a happy camper.
They met weekday mornings, from 9 to noon. Some were already experienced; they’d take a rod, and run off. Others had to learn how to cast, lure a porgy and more.
“They may not be as big as a striper or bluefish,” Luca notes. “But when they catch even a porgy or sea robin, kids go crazy.”
He and the counselors make sure to celebrate every achievement, no matter how small.
One day, with the tide particularly low, few fish were biting.
Suddenly — at 11:40, as they all got ready to pack up — the boys started hooking fish.
Luca texted the parents to pick them up there, so they could keep angling to the end. “That was so much fun,” he says. “It was awesome!”
Casting on the Compo jetty.
(Yes, all the campers this year were male. Luca hopes girls will join next year, but notes, “guys are generally more interested in fishing.”)
Already a patient fisherman, Luca says that running the camp has helped him realize the time it takes to learn a new skills.
He adds, “Everyone learns differently. But fishing is hands-on. We have to do a lot of demonstrations.”
He’ll be back at the beach next year, introducing another group of boys (and girls?) to one of his many passions.
Just as he got hooked on the sport 4 years ago, Luca Caniato will reel the next generation of fishermen in.
(To learn more, email lucagcaniato@icloud.com, or click here. You can follow Luca’s fishing and photography adventures on Instagram: @lgcflicks.)
(“06880” regularly highlights the achievements of Westport’s great young people. If you enjoy stories like these, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
(All photos/Luca Caniato unless otherwise noted)
What a great story. You can’t be on a screen of any kind while fishing. These young men have found a sport to last a lifetime.
Good luck at CU-Boulder Luca. You will find an avid fisherman in Coach Prime. Two words of advice – GO BUFFS!
This story is great!
Teaching kids about the outdoors and conservation and getting them involved is so important. I was a Boy Scout leader for 10 years and one of the merit badges I taught was one of the most difficult to get was the fishing merit badge. The hardest requirement was that the scout needed to catch two different fish (preferably using two different lures) and release one of them unharmed and keep the second one, clean it and prepare it, cook it and eat it. If they didn’t like fish I would have them take a small bite to fulfil the requirement.
One year, a scout who never went fishing, was overjoyed with the opportunity to learn and go fishing. On the first of two scheduled fishing trips he never caught a fish. On the last fishing trip we had to get ready to leave for the day and he was very frustrated and sad. I was about 20 yards away when I heard the scout yelling and shouting with excitement. That scout hooked into his first fish! I ran over to him and had him ease the fish in. It was a large bluegill and when he lifted it out of the water he was so excited that his knees buckled and he fell into the water! That was his first fish that he ever caught and a short time after he released it unharmed, he caught a perch! That one he kept. We all arranged to meet at one of the other leader’s housed to clean and cook all the fish that were caught that day. That scout happily ate the perch that he caught. By the way, bluegill and perch are very tasty!
At the next Court of Honor when all the leaders had the merit badges presented and handed out, I actually got choked up when I announced a special meaning fishing merit badge that day.
When the scout came up to accept it he started to cry.
I’m not sure where a lot of the scouts are that I taught fishing, backpacking, camping, canoeing, art, and hiking merit badges to, but I do know that the ones that my son, who is an Eagle Scout, keeps in touch with all remember the great times they had in scouting.
As Luca’s Italian teacher for two years (and Italian Club Advisor for four) I’m not at all surprised he’s turned another one of his passions into something so meaningful. In my 19 years of teaching, Luca is by far one of the most responsible, reliable, friendly, and selfless teens I’ve ever had the privilege to work with (and I don’t say that lightly, as I have worked with some pretty amazing kids at Staples over the years!!) I look forward to following his journey in what will surely be a very successful future. Bravissimo, Luca, ti voglio tanto bene!
I hate that in the endless thread of controversial stories, stuff like this gets buried.
I’ve known these Fairfield founders for a bunch of years, and they’re great kids doing everything by the book. Pretty sure one of the camps was in our backyard and I told them to go hang out at the Strittmatters….
This kind of stuff is 70’s stuff. No phones, interacting with nature, learning a life skill.
Celebrate this stuff, don’t get all twisted in the Hamlet mess.
These kids are our spirit animals.
Strongest possible endorsement for Luca and his camp! Our 8 year old has been begging to go fishing for a few years now, so we jumped at the chance to sign him up for this when we saw it and the experience completely blew away our expectations. We’re talking highlight-of-the-summer stuff, and not only are we eager to do it again next year but in just four short days he armed even little kids with the knowledge and skills they need to do it on their own.
That it all started with Mr. Rexford – one of our daughter’s faves at BMS and who *also* happened to live in my own PA hometown when he was little – just makes it an even better story.
Thanks Luca – and Preston and Josh! – and thanks Dan for highlighting this awesome story.
I’ve heard of flying fish but are those fish with wings…?