Ben Milliken has only been on the Bassmaster Elite Series for a little over a year, but it seems like he’s had a target on his back for far longer than that.
The Texan by way of Nebraska built a huge social media following before qualifying, which bred resentment, innuendo and more than a few online scuffles. On tour, he experienced immediate success, which only fueled the fire. And then this past offseason, Milliken got into a public battle with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department over an arrest related to a lapsed fishing license that he said was little more than a witch hunt.
Next week he’ll fish his second consecutive Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. The arena cheers will be loud, the autograph lines will be long, and he freely admitted the pressure might get to him.
“I would be lying if I said my emotions are all in check now,” he stated. “But I’d also be lying if I didn’t say that I wanted to win it just to stick it to the few people that have been working hard to damage my career and reputation.”
If he fails to win, the haters will pounce. If he does win, they’ll probably come at him with even greater fury.
Not since Ike got disqualified at the 2006 Toho Classic has there been a pro angler whose talent axis and controversy axis coexisted at such a high level. As with the 2003 Classic champ, sometimes Milliken finds the spotlight and sometimes it finds him. Despite being unafraid to state what he believes, and to stand up for himself, he would still rather let his fishing do the talking.
“I feel that last year I had a strong season,” he said. “I got six checks, a couple of Top 10s and finished 28th in the Angler of the Year race. But what I realized is that no one really cares if you’re not winning or in the top five. So I’m out to win. I can’t allow myself not to try to win. I mean, I beat myself up if I’m in the middle of the pack.”
And now he has another target on his back – as a perceived local, sometimes he feels like he’ll be tarred and feathered for anything worse than a dominating performance, Accordingly, he’s quick to shift attention elsewhere.
“The absolute favorite is Lee Livesay,” Milliken said. “He has quietly won just about every major tournament at Ray Roberts over the past 10 years. Meanwhile, I live 4 1/2 hours away, and I’ve been on the water just a total of two days.”
He’s nevertheless happy that he won’t have to make a long trip to get there. The venue is not quite as much to his liking as the East Texas lakes closer to his adopted home, which he believes have much healthier populations of bass, but he nevertheless said it fishes a lot more to his strengths than Grand Lake. He finished 50th at Grand last year, ahead of only a handful of pros, and was out after two days. With a war chest and a fearless attitude, though, that’s an outcome that’s actually preferable to finishing in the middle of the pack and never taking a swing at the big prize. Like Denny Brauer, a fellow Nebraska native now residing in Texas – albeit one with a Classic trophy on his mantel – Milliken is not afraid to finish at the bottom of the barrel.
“I’m going to treat it exactly like I treated Toledo Bend and Lake Fork last year,” he explained. “On these Texas lakes, if you’re catching 3- and 4-pound fish you need to move. I’m strictly fishing for 6- and 7-pounders. It would drive me crazy to ride into the arena without a fish, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
Despite the online presence and outward bravado, it seems Milliken still wants to prove he belongs, noting that it’s hard to constantly be the subject of derision and speculation.
“People who know me know that I’m not a drama-filled person,” he explained. “It’s not all what you see on social media and on YouTube. I love fishing. It’s my passion, and I want to get as many people into it as I can. That’s why I do everything I can to help and sign as many autographs as I can. Right now I’m just focused on following the rules and staying in my lane. I treat people with respect and try to do things the right way.”
And while it would mean just as much to Milliken to claim the trophy as it would any other angler in the field, he would take particular satisfaction not only in proving the doubters wrong, and solidifying the respect of peers, but also in the opportunity to utilize his pre-existing platform.
Not since Kevin VanDam last won a Classic well over a decade ago – in what was effectively a pre-social media era – has such a big name had the chance to use a Classic win to springboard into the next category of fishing star. Indeed, having burnished his credibility both on the small screen and on the Elite Series, Milliken is effectively one of one, the lone member of his class.
“I could actually grow my brand a lot more if I didn’t fish the Elite Series,” he explained. “But I think if I win the biggest thing I’d try to do is to get as many mainstream celebrities as possible to understand what we do – people who are interested in fishing but don’t necessarily know much about the competitive side of fishing.” Those include comedians, rappers, athletes like Travis Hunter and “Matthew McConaughey comes to mind.”
L-I-V-I-N, indeed.
But again, until the Day 3 podium is dead within his sights, he just wants to keep the target on the backs of others like Livesay, instead of his own. Unlike the rest of his Elite Series peers, Milliken’s jersey and boat wrap are relatively plain, because in a world where every eye seems to be on you all the time, sometimes the best way to stand out is to keep things simple. “I’m just a fisherman from Nebraska,” he demurred.
