One of the top fishing YouTubers and Bassmaster Elite angler Ben Milliken was arrested last week in Nacogdoches County, Texas, and charged with freshwater fishing tournament fraud over a 13-pound largemouth he caught in February.
Milliken, 35, of New Caney, Texas, turned himself in to law enforcement at 9:27 a.m. Thursday, according to an emailed statement from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office records indicate he was released within 30 minutes. Milliken allegedly falsified information on a submission form for the Toyota ShareLunker program Legacy Class, which recognizes anglers in the Lone Star State who catch largemouth bass that weigh at least 13 pounds between January and March each year.
In February, Milliken caught a 13.18-pound largemouth at Lake Naconiche, a 693-acre lake in west Texas, which he entered in the TPWD Toyota ShareLunker Program.
“I noticed the big ones were really starting to raise up out of the brush on the bottom of the lake,” Milliken told TPWD in February. “I was using a little 6th Sense juggle minnow on a 1/16-ounce jig head and dropped it down and led her by a long ways. Lucky enough, she came right up to it and ate it while I was twitching it in, so it was pretty awesome. I caught her using a spinning rod with a six-pound braid and six-pound fluoro leader, so it was a really light line. I fought it forever, but she came right up to the surface, and when I saw her, I knew it was a giant one so I took my time and got her in. It was pretty exciting!”
When officials reviewed the details of Milliken’s catch, they discovered some discrepancies.
“During the due diligence process this fall, prior to distributing program prizes at the Toyota ShareLunker Banquet, it was discovered that Milliken did not have a valid fishing license at the time the fish was caught and knowingly falsified the contest/tournament entry form,” TPWD wrote in a statement. “In addition to the charge for fraud in a fishing tournament, Milliken was disqualified from the Texas ShareLunker Program and cited for fishing without a valid license.”
Milliken’s catch has since been removed from the Texas ShareLunker archives list.
Under the ShareLunker Program, anglers who land qualifying largemouths over 13 pounds can loan the fish, which qualify as “Legacy Class,” to TPWD for selective breeding and stocking. Anglers must weigh Legacy Class catches on a certified scale. To be accepted into the spawning program, the fish must also be alive and in good health.
Anglers who catch and loan a Legacy Class bass receive a prize package consisting of decals, a replica mount of the fish, and a “swag package” from Bass University. Qualifying anglers are also entered into two separate drawings, each with a grand prize of a $5,000 shopping spree from Bass Pro Shops.
TPWD spokesperson Maggie Berger could not verify if Milliken’s massive largemouth was used in the selective breeding or stocking program at the time of publication.
Milliken did not land his 13-pound bass during the course of a Bassmasters Elite tournament. According to Texas statute 66.119, however, a fishing tournament is any contest “in which a prize is to be awarded to one or more participants in the contest based on weight, length, number, or type of fish caught.”
In Texas, freshwater fishing tournament fraud is a class A and B misdemeanor. Residents must purchase a $30 license to fish legally in the state.
“I can’t make any statements or comments about [the arrest] because it is an ongoing investigation,” Milliken said in a YouTube video. “But I didn’t want to leave you guys in the dark or make you think I was trying to hide something. The good thing is, eventually, I’m going to be able to share a video once this is all figured out explaining what exactly has happened in what I feel is a massive misunderstanding. I don’t know if that will be cleared up and figured out in the next week or if it will take five or six months.”
Making an Example of Milliken
Ben Milliken’s recent arrest has raised a lot of questions and sparked plenty of controversy and rumors. Because the charge was “tournament fraud” many wrongly assumed that Milliken was caught cheating in a pro tournament. But, as the dust settled over the weekend and some of the details emerged, it seems much of the controversy was blown out of proportion.
Milliken is one of the most well known Bassmaster Elite Series anglers after just one year on tour. This stems mainly from his YouTube fame which he built over the years prior to making the Elite’s. With more than 572,000 subscribers, Milliken Fishing is one of the biggest bass fishing YouTube channels out there. Throughout his rise to fame, he’s always been a bit polarizing and rough around the edges — like starting his videos with the slogan, “What is up MFers.”
Still, his ability to catch big bass — and loads of them — has led him to where he is today.
Just days prior to his arrest, Milliken was appointed to the brand new Bassmaster Elite Angler Advisory Board, which was launched in “an effort to facilitate better communication and collaboration with Elite Series anglers.”
Obviously, all anglers should be properly licensed before hitting the water, but if the allegations are true, Milliken wouldn’t be the first professional angler to have forgotten to buy a license. It’s important to remember that this incident had nothing to do with tournament fishing, and is simply being regulated like one. Milliken was reportedly fishing recreationally in his home state at the time.
While it’s not clear exactly what happened, the root of the charges center around when, exactly, Milliken may have realized his alleged error. To be eligible for the Share Lunker program, participants must have a current fishing license and complete all of the required forms. It’s unlikely a participant would be able to correctly fill out the paperwork without realizing they didn’t have a current fishing license.
Many anglers have argued that an arrest in this incident was overly aggressive. The reality is, if you make your living from fishing, you must follow all of the rules or pay the price. Everything Milliken does on the water is documented on video, and that comes with an extra level of public scrutiny.
If it plays out as TPWD asserts, this Milliken incident is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to YouTubers bending the rules in the name of fishing content. YouTubers have fished in private ponds so that they can film the local “Karens” losing their minds, and some have even gone into restricted areas so they can catch fish on camera.
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It seems as if these small-time rule breakers don’t get caught; even when they do, they’re not big enough to make a splash. Unfortunately for Milliken, he’s a big fish in the YouTube pond and TPWD clearly chose to make an example out of him. Milliken has already posted a statement on Instagram acknowledging his run in with law enforcement, though he didn’t provide an explanation for what he says happened. Hopefully we get his side of the story and he owns any mistakes so that we can all move on in time for the Elite Series season to get underway in February.
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