One of many prime fishing YouTubers and Bassmaster Elite angler Ben Milliken was arrested final week in Nacogdoches County, Texas, and charged with freshwater fishing match fraud over a 13-pound largemouth he caught in February.
Milliken, 35, of New Caney, Texas, turned himself in to regulation enforcement at 9:27 a.m. Thursday, in response to an emailed assertion from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division. Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Workplace data point out he was launched inside half-hour. Milliken allegedly falsified data on a submission kind for the Toyota ShareLunker program Legacy Class, which acknowledges anglers within the Lone Star State who catch largemouth bass that weigh at the very least 13 kilos between January and March every year.
In February, Milliken caught a 13.18-pound largemouth at Lake Naconiche, a 693-acre lake in west Texas, which he entered within the TPWD Toyota ShareLunker Program.
“I observed the large ones have been actually beginning to elevate up out of the comb on the underside of the lake,” Milliken instructed TPWD in February. “I used to be utilizing a bit sixth Sense juggle minnow on a 1/16-ounce jig head and dropped it down and led her by a protracted methods. Fortunate sufficient, she got here proper as much as it and ate it whereas I used to be twitching it in, so it was fairly superior. I caught her utilizing a spinning rod with a six-pound braid and six-pound fluoro chief, so it was a very mild line. I fought it endlessly, however she got here proper as much as the floor, and once I noticed her, I knew it was an enormous one so I took my time and received her in. It was fairly thrilling!”
When officers reviewed the small print of Milliken’s catch, they found some discrepancies.
“Through the due diligence course of this fall, previous to distributing program prizes on the Toyota ShareLunker Banquet, it was found that Milliken didn’t have a sound fishing license on the time the fish was caught and knowingly falsified the competition/match entry kind,” TPWD wrote in an announcement. “Along with the cost for fraud in a fishing match, Milliken was disqualified from the Texas ShareLunker Program and cited for fishing with out a legitimate license.”
Milliken’s catch has since been faraway from the Texas ShareLunker archives listing.
Beneath the ShareLunker Program, anglers who land qualifying largemouths over 13 kilos can mortgage the fish, which qualify as “Legacy Class,” to TPWD for selective breeding and stocking. Anglers should weigh Legacy Class catches on an authorized scale. To be accepted into the spawning program, the fish should even be alive and in good well being.
Anglers who catch and mortgage a Legacy Class bass obtain a prize package deal consisting of decals, a duplicate mount of the fish, and a “swag package deal” from Bass College. Qualifying anglers are additionally entered into two separate drawings, every with a grand prize of a $5,000 buying spree from Bass Professional Outlets.
TPWD spokesperson Maggie Berger couldn’t confirm if Milliken’s huge largemouth was used within the selective breeding or stocking program on the time of publication.
Milliken didn’t land his 13-pound bass through the course of a Bassmasters Elite match. In keeping with Texas statute 66.119, nevertheless, a fishing match is any contest “by which a prize is to be awarded to a number of individuals within the contest primarily based on weight, size, quantity, or kind of fish caught.”
In Texas, freshwater fishing match fraud is a category A and B misdemeanor. Residents should buy a $30 license to fish legally within the state.
“I can’t make any statements or feedback about [the arrest] as a result of it’s an ongoing investigation,” Milliken mentioned in a YouTube video. “However I didn’t wish to go away you guys at nighttime or make you assume I used to be attempting to cover one thing. The nice factor is, ultimately, I’m going to have the ability to share a video as soon as that is all discovered explaining what precisely has occurred in what I really feel is a large misunderstanding. I don’t know if that can be cleared up and discovered within the subsequent week or if it’ll take 5 or 6 months.”
Making an Instance of Milliken
Ben Milliken’s current arrest has raised numerous questions and sparked loads of controversy and rumors. As a result of the cost was “match fraud” many wrongly assumed that Milliken was caught dishonest in a professional match. However, because the mud settled over the weekend and a few of the particulars emerged, it appears a lot of the controversy was blown out of proportion.
Milliken is likely one of the most well-known Bassmaster Elite Collection anglers after only one 12 months on tour. This stems primarily from his YouTube fame which he constructed through the years prior to creating the Elite’s. With greater than 572,000 subscribers, Milliken Fishing is likely one of the greatest bass fishing YouTube channels on the market. All through his rise to fame, he’s at all times been a bit polarizing and tough across the edges — like beginning his movies with the slogan, “What’s up MFers.”
Nonetheless, his means to catch massive bass — and a great deal of them — has led him to the place he’s at this time.
Simply days previous to his arrest, Milliken was appointed to the model new Bassmaster Elite Angler Advisory Board, which was launched in “an effort to facilitate higher communication and collaboration with Elite Collection anglers.”
Clearly, all anglers needs to be correctly licensed earlier than hitting the water, but when the allegations are true, Milliken wouldn’t be the primary skilled angler to have forgotten to purchase a license. It’s essential to do not forget that this incident had nothing to do with match fishing, and is just being regulated like one. Milliken was reportedly fishing recreationally in his dwelling state on the time.
Whereas it’s not clear precisely what occurred, the basis of the costs focus on when, precisely, Milliken might have realized his alleged error. To be eligible for the Share Lunker program, individuals will need to have a present fishing license and full all the required varieties. It’s unlikely a participant would be capable to accurately fill out the paperwork with out realizing they didn’t have a present fishing license.
Many anglers have argued that an arrest on this incident was overly aggressive. The fact is, in the event you make your residing from fishing, you could comply with all the guidelines or pay the worth. The whole lot Milliken does on the water is documented on video, and that comes with an additional degree of public scrutiny.
If it performs out as TPWD asserts, this Milliken incident is simply the tip of the iceberg in the case of YouTubers bending the foundations within the identify of fishing content material. YouTubers have fished in personal ponds in order that they can movie the native “Karens” dropping their minds, and a few have even gone into restricted areas to allow them to catch fish on digicam.
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It appears as if these small-time rule breakers don’t get caught; even once they do, they’re not sufficiently big to make a splash. Sadly for Milliken, he’s an enormous fish within the YouTube pond and TPWD clearly selected to make an instance out of him. Milliken has already posted an announcement on Instagram acknowledging his run in with regulation enforcement, although he didn’t present a proof for what he says occurred. Hopefully we get his facet of the story and he owns any errors in order that we are able to all transfer on in time for the Elite Collection season to get underway in February.
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