Reel teamwork
CMU students compete in competitive bass fishing
Sheldon Miller's fishing career began as a young boy with his father on the waters of Saginaw Bay.
“I never really liked to bass fish because I thought it was too easy. I was a walleye fisherman,” Miller said. “One day I saw a flyer for a tournament (on the Saginaw Bay) and my dad and I bought all this gear for bass fishing. We ended up taking third and winning $500 along with some boat motor oil, plus a brand new net. “
Miller was hooked.
“It became an addiction after that,” he said.
Now the president of the CMU fishing club, the 22-year-old construction management major leads the team commonly known as the Fishing Chips. They competed in the Michigan College Bass Circuit (MCBC) as well as Forrest L. Wood (FLW) College fishing tournaments throughout the summer months.
Miller is not the only angler in his family that fishes at a Mid-American Conference school. His twin brother Shandon competes at Western Michigan University.
“He helps me want to do more. With him being at Western we are both very competitive,” Miller said. “If we get a chance to compete against each other, we will. I can lose to other schools. But not Western.”
Each MCBC meet lasts eight hours. At these tournaments a random draw selects which team of fishers hits the open water first. Each team is allowed to catch a maximum of five fish.
The team that catches the most collective weight wins the event.
Other schools that typically compete in the MCBC include Michigan State, Ferris State, Kalamazoo College, and Northwood University. Fishing tournaments start in May and can last as late into the year as September.
Adrian College is the only MCBC member school that finances competitive fishing as a varsity sport.
Across Michigan, the team has fished on Gull Lake, Kent Lake, Lake Lansing and Hardy Dam Pond.
Yet the team still finds time to do some “catching” as they call it right here on campus.
“A lot of ponds around here have really good bass,” Miller said. “If kids have questions about how to throw something or use something we take them out to the ponds and teach them. Almost every pond has bass in it. The best ponds around here are the pond by the baseball field and a small, skinny field behind the softball field.”
Statistically, Miller said the biggest fish he ever caught was five pounds and seven ounces.
Shawn Elliott, a 42-year-old teacher and student on CMU’s Macomb Campus is one of is Miller’s fishing partners. The two qualified for the MCBC Classic on Aug. 16 at Lakes Manistee and Portage.
The pair of Chippewas placed sixth out of 11 teams. Other anglers include Brandon Carmen, Blake Goodell, Hayden Gosen and Brian Bustamante.
If you are interested in joining the Fishin’ Chips you can use OrgSync or message sheldonmiller8@gmail.com. Catch Brad Parson’s MCBC videos on YouTube.
