Floatplane Ride Offers Time To Reflect

The intensely deep growl of the Beaver 60TF floatplane reverberates in my bones as the propeller struggles to free the pontoons from the water. The heavy load that the bush plane was carrying might have concerned me a bit had I not seen John, our pilot, conquer similar payloads every Monday morning.

As I had seen countless times before, the plane took every bit of half of Warm Springs Bay – the equivalent of several football fields – to finally clear the ocean’s surface. The roar of the engine began to lessen as John began adjusting his controls, setting the plane at a cruising pace, leaving a pleasant, concussive grumble as the Beaver floated over the coastal landscape of eastern Baranof Island.

In my 10th year working as a guide for the Baranof Wilderness Lodge, the short trips back to civilization in the Beaver, or the smaller Cessna 185, feel like one chapter in my life is ending as another one begins.

Guiding in the Alaskan wilderness is such an unbelievably stark contrast to my tournament bass-fishing aspirations in the Lower 48 that it has been a great opportunity for me to step back and reflect on my priorities in life.

In this particular session of airborne reflection, I realize I have some major work ahead of me in my personal life, as well as defining and achieving my professional goals.

The Plunge

When I got down on one knee in the San Francisco Giants' dugout at AT&T Park last March I knew that my life was crossing into new territory, wrought with new professional challenges and personal triumphs.

With the big plunge right around the corner, I must admit I am less focused on my fishing as I am on making sure the big day goes off without a hitch – and considering how my life has been ruled by fishing as my singular focus, that means a lot.

It’s all about balance, though. The best things in life, such as professional success or building a family, require priority adjustments from time to time, and sacrificing a little tournament-fishing focus to start off my marriage the right way has been an easy decision.

However, I can't lie, I’m looking forward to getting back to the level of focus and hard-earned confidence on the water I was at a couple years ago, but that will happen in due time.

Undecided

After graduating college three years ago, figuring out where I wanted to go next, between FLW and B.A.S.S., has been surprisingly difficult.

I’ve been flip-flopping between fishing the Rayovacs and the Opens, but at the same time I've been taking time to put extra focus on some of the other opportunities that came along, and what I've been left with is an unclear sense of direction and a lack of follow-through by the end of the seasons.

Moving forward, I've decided that in order for me to graduate to the next level –whether with the Elite Series or the FLW Tour – I need to make a decision and stick with it. No more flip-flopping.

Though I have a pretty good idea which direction I'm going to take, I'll wait until all the schedules are out to finalize my decision.

Back to Beans and Mustard Sandwiches

Another thing that needs a major readjustment in my personal and professional life is the way I handle my budget. It's been a major financial roller-coaster ride over the last few years, and I honestly haven’t budgeted well at all.

It was easy when I was back in college, living in my trailer and just fishing every moment I could. When you're dirt poor and you know it, you seem to have a clear set of financial priorities in place and you know where the line is drawn between luxury and necessity.

I remember times fishing a BFL when my bank account was in the single digits after I filled the boat with gas prior to the tournament. This meant that I would either have to borrow money to get home or make a check. However, I never felt that much pressure, and always seemed to produce a good finish under the gun because I never over extended myself as far as my fixed expenses, which were close to nothing. I knew that even if I did poorly, I had nothing to lose.

Now it’s a different story. I admit, a couple lucrative years had me spending beyond my true means, and lately I haven’t been taking the risks I once was because I have more at stake – higher truck payments, higher rent, etc.

In order to make it in this sport I firmly believe that taking risks and sacrificing luxury for tournament necessities is a very important factor for success in the beginning. I’m in a position now where I'm once again making it possible for me to take those risks.

Scorecard

Taking an honest look at where you've been, where you are and where you want to be is pretty important in my book.

Professionally, I'm in okay shape. I’m not quite where I want to be, but with a few adjustments I can get back on track.

On the personal side, I'm doing pretty darn good. I’m getting married to the woman of my dreams and I’m healthy.

Oh, and lest I forget, I have a pretty awesome job up in Alaska where I have an opportunity to experience the best that the natural world has to offer while taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of life’s aspirations, and put things in perspective.

It’s amazing how a short floatplane ride can get your life in line.

Thanks, Alaska, for another great summer!

(Miles "Sonar" Burghoff is an aspiring tour pro and host of the TV series "Sweetwater." To visit his website, click here. You can also visit him on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube (SonarFishing) and Instagram (@sonarfishing).