Critical Year Has Arrived

So, what’s my next move?

That’s a question I've asked myself numerous times since making the move back to California. I have absolutely no regrets moving back to be with my fiancée while she completes her dental hygienist program, but it’s not lost on me that, for various reasons, most bass anglers are moving from Cali, not back!

It was that reality that had me pondering that very question leading up to – and for the first few weeks after – my move. Now that I've spent more than a month here, I can say with all honesty that I’m happy with the relocation.

Though Cali is a different atmosphere for a developing professional angler, 2015 is looking very bright.

Sweetwater On The Rise

If you're trying to make a living in a sport like professional bass fishing, you always want to be moving forward and keep those windows of opportunity opening. With Sweetwater TV now hitting the airwaves a half-dozen times a week on three networks, it's been exciting to see things progress with the show and I believe it represents a new window opening for me.

So far, the show has received rave reviews from everyone I’ve talked to and those who've visited our social media sites. Of course, I always feel there's room for improvement, but overall I'm extremely happy with how the show has developed. For that we owe a great deal to the editors and the production crew.

Overall, it is a really cool process to see and I'm very proud to be part of it.

Fishing On the Front Burner

Fishing is what makes me tick. Great opportunities mean don't mean anything to me if I don’t get to spend an ample amount of time on the water.

Last year I had some great opportunities. I'm very thankful that I kept as busy as I did, but I didn’t get to spend as much time on the water as I’m accustomed to. In fact, instead of fishing four or five days a week, I saw myself fishing only about five days a month during parts of the year.

I wasn’t sure what my weekly fishing schedule would look like with my recent move to Cali, but since getting settled, I've been on the water almost as much as I was back in college – which is pretty darn good.

So far, I've fished an event on my old home lake (Oroville) and have been re-learning techniques that I've kept in the rod locker for the past several years. Things like darter-heads, dropshotting and other finesse techniques are mainstays on NorCal lakes, but I've become more of a shallow-water power fisherman, so it’s great to brush up on what I consider weaknesses in my repertoire.

One thing I was rather surprised by was how easy it was to get into the swing of things on the West Coast. I had thought that my eastern fishing experiences would be a disservice to me coming back to Cali, since fishing over here can be very different, but I think the things that I've learned elsewhere have kept me fishing with a more open mind. Overall, I feel that more West Coast experience will improve my fishing throughout the country.

Aside from some of the local trails that are available to here, my main focus tournament-wise is the Western Rayovacs, beginning with Lake Havasu. That's a fishery I've been looking forward to fishing an event on, but I must confess it makes me a little anxious because smallmouth are likely to be key. Though I love catching smallies, I usually focus on largemouth in tournament situations. I still have time to do some more research, but Lake Havasu might see me fishing outside of my comfort zone, which I'm nonetheless up for the challenge of.

Finally, on the sponsorship front, it’s been exciting recently to ink deals with Huk Performance Fishing Apparel and Z-Man Lures, which are both innovative companies in the fishing industry. Both are partners of Sweetwater, which is how I became familiar with their product lines, and after gaining much respect for their business models and products I was fortunate to sign them on as tournament sponsors as well. It's really cool to be part of their growth and I look forward to working with both of them for many years.

Wedding Prep and 2016 Planning

Though I want to be as active as I can in tournament fishing this year, my primary focus is my wedding and laying the foundation for 2016, which will be the year I fish all three divisions of the Opens in order to hopefully qualify for the Elites.

As far as the wedding goes, Katie and I are getting really excited, but there is still much planning to do, which means this once-in-a-lifetime ceremony will be commanding much of my energy this year.

As to why I couldn’t fish the Opens this year, well, let’s face it; this sport is expensive, and if I was going to put an honest number on fishing one division of the Opens it would be something in the $10,000 to $15,000 range. Fishing all three divisions is obviously a rather large investment that can be difficult to make a solid return on, which is a more important consideration now that I’m saving for a wedding.

The Opens will have to wait another year. That being said, I do confess that I signed up for the Central Opens, just to at least fish one division this year, but the division filled up so fast I won’t be getting in, which works out just fine.

Crucial '15

Since graduating college in 2012 and transitioning into the semi-pro level of the sport, 2015 will be the most important year ever for my personal life, as well as my professional fishing career. I’ve always been a forward thinker, and looking forward to the next few crucial years, this is a very important year to do some framework for what’s to come.

It’s going to be a great year, and I look forward to sharing what it brings with you all.

(Miles "Sonar" Burghoff is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and an aspiring tour pro. To visit his website, click here. You can also visit him on Facebook and Twitter.