Sitting in the motorhome after a morning of fishing, Zac and Landon Cassill are two typical teen-aged brothers, laughing about funny stories and joking with each other.

Typical, except when one considers that Landon -- who won't turn 19 until July 7 -- just finished third in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Milwaukee last weekend. And Zac, who is majoring in geology and ecology at Winona State University in Minnesota, is currently second in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Stren Series, Texas Division.

These are two guys with some serious career objectives.

But on a cool, cloudy day in early spring on Mountain Island Lake, a few miles northwest of Charlotte, the two were more interested in catching up on family and friends than worrying about where life will take them next.

"It was pretty cool," Landon said about fishing with his older brother. "I definitely had a good time on the water and it's always good to get the chance to get outdoors and enjoy the weather and kind of relax. And fishing's a good way to do it.

"We're so busy, and I was joking that he takes it so seriously that I can't hardly fish with him. We're both so busy with racing and fishing and we live 1,500 miles apart. But we definitely keep in touch and who knows? Maybe we'll get to put something together soon."

Even though the two, born 16 months apart, now live in different parts of the country, they stay connected through the Internet. Zac keeps an eye on Landon's racing career, while Landon checks in on Zac's angling.

"We keep in touch pretty well so we talk about whatever," Landon said. "We share a lot of common interests like music. He keeps up on racing and I get to see some of the fishing that's going on."

"He's always calling me right while I'm weighing in," Zac added.

Landon admitted as such.

"I watch all his weigh-ins on the Internet, his tournaments," he said. "It's pretty cool. We keep in touch, keep up with what's going on and keep in touch with our friends and stuff like that."

It's been that way since they were young. When it came to winning wrestling matches, Zac had the advantage of being bigger, but Landon had a secret weapon.

"I guess as kids we were definitely the All-American brothers," Landon said. "We fought all the time and had fun. We played games together and were competitive and beat up on each other and stuff.

"I always beat him up," Zac interjected. "He was a pretty bad biter when he was little. He's got some chompers."

Not surprisingly, both brothers can relate to what motivates the other.

"He's driven before," Landon said of his brother. "He's raced go-karts. And we've had a lot of fun doing that, too."

"I won my first race before Landon won his," Zac joked.

Landon's quick comeback: "He quit while he was ahead, I guess."

The two learned to fish from a family friend. While Landon gravitated toward a sport more suited to dry land, Zac found his calling on the water.

"I've been fishing with an old friend of ours named Poppa from the time I was 2 years old," Zac said. "His grandson, Jonathan, took me fishing when I was 12 or 13 and got me into bass fishing. I read BASSMaster Magazine and fell in love with the sport. I always wanted to be a pro bass fisherman and now I've got with the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and trying to move up."

"I always liked racecars and that was what I was into and Zac was into fishing," Landon added. "You grow up and you get the chance to do what you love to do."

There's a third Cassill who the two brothers admitted might be the best athlete in the family. Echo Cassill, 13, is a nationally-ranked figure skater. That meant mom and dad traveled a lot of miles between racetracks, boat launching ramps and ice rinks during the past few years.

"I guess we were staggered just right apart so that it worked out all right," Zac said. "We definitely kept our parents busy, both of them."

During the pro-am tournament, Landon did his part, catching a pair of fish late in the event.

"He caught them good, too," Zac admitted. "It was super exciting, the last 10 minutes, he caught two fish. He didn't have any fish until then and I was ribbing him all day about it."

"For a couple [of minutes] there, I felt like Superman," Landon added. "I just figured I could throw out a raw hook and they would bite it."

Zac feels at home on the water -- and his education is part of that.

"I love learning about the Mississippi River," he said. "It's my passion. I get to fish it and study it in school as well.

"A hydrologist, geologist is what I'd like to get into. But I'd like to be a pro bass fisherman. That's been my goal since I was 11 years old. Having that degree just to fall back on gives me a sort of 'peace of mind,' if you will."

Landon races and Zac fishes. And both Cassill brothers are enjoying every minute of it.

"It's pretty cool," Landon said. "We both get to do what we love to do and have fun doing it. You're always trying to make yourself better. You never let go. You're always trying to improve and do the best you can do."

"We went with what we liked the best," Zac added. "And we followed our passions and we followed our dreams."

• Zac Cassill at FLW Outdoors