Competing with 25 other college teams including two from Chico State University, a 2005 Paradise High School graduate and current University of Central Florida marketing student will be fishing for $100,000 next week.
While Miles "Sonar" Burghoff, won't call himself a professional fisherman, the possibility of winning a $100,000 purse certainly comes close. The event will be televised following the event which brings college fishing one more reel towards the professional boat. Until he makes his living entirely from fishing, he refrains from using the term "pro" preferring the titles ambassador or promoter.
"I'm a college student as well and having sponsorship and school and working fulltime as a waiter, and the financial issues as well, it's difficult," he said. "Basically - I live in a trailer down here I moved in to keep my overhead low."
The college fishing national tournament runs April 7-9 and is the largest such event in the world, Burghoff said.
"Everybody that fishes them is pretty serious," he said during a phone interview from Florida. "Pro fishing is what a lot of these guys want to do. And when you have $100,000 for first prize people get real competitive."
College fishing has really surfaced in recent years and lures in the same audience as that of NASCAR, Burghoff said.
"Fishing is one of the largest participation sports in the world larger than football," he said, adding that more people fish than participate in many other sports.
"There's a lot of money to be made."Burghoff's fellow teammate had a conflicting scholastic schedule, so Berghoff will be fishing solo for a five pound limit, he said needs to reach 25 pounds to have a chance at placing. He'll be piloting an FLW-sponsored 21-foot Ranger with a 250 hp outboard around Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee border to try to find those big bass before weighing in at Murray State University, he said.
His mother, Elisabeth said Miles has always had extreme focus when he gets into something, starting with reptiles as a child.
"He's been fishing since he was really little," she said. "The thing about Miles is when he's interested in something there isn't anything else there, he's got to be an expert When he has a focus he's focused and there's nothing else around."
Sonar, as he has become known, for his avocation of fish-finding and his father's character "Radar" on the TV show MASH, will have to have some serious focus to come out on top. But Sonar said he would be extra focused without his partner.
"The only thing that changes is I don't have that extra line in the water," he said. "This is a very individual sport."
Chico State brings four fishers to the event, including the tournament's only female fisher, Allison Shaw who will partner with Thomas White. Parker Moran and Marshal Smith fill the other CSUC boat.
The 24-year-old Sonar has secured a host of sponsors since his leaving Paradise, which his mother said was just days after graduation. His sponsors include Jetworks Air Center, Business-Air, Topwater Clothing, Ouzo Baits, Secret Lures, Colmic Performance Fishing Rods and Navionics.
He also has his own website, www.SonarFishing.com, and contributes to bassfan.com, co-hosted by another Paradise man.
"I'm working every angle I can to make it to the top," he said. "I want to be the top competitor in the sport both on the fishing side and business side." But still the path to the top water is a choppy ride.
"Like any professional sport you have to work hard at it and you fall down quite a bit. And most of the time your tripping and you're not succeeding at the level you'd like to."
The event will televised on versus at a yet to be announced time and date. Thursday and Friday, all 25 teams fish and Saturday, the top five compete.
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