Trailer Life Has Helped Focus

"Get me outta this thing!"

I can tell you one thing, there have been many a time I have cried out something along those lines, frustrated by the tight living quarters in my travel trailer.

I have lived in my 27-foot (no pop-outs) trailer for about 5 1/2 years now, and although one side of me would like to tell you it's been a curse, my more reasonable side would have to tell you that it's been a blessing.

When I was making my preparations to move from California to Florida back in 2006, my main concern was how and where I needed to live. My main focus was to train myself to become the best tournament angler I could be, and my living situation needed to help facilitate that growth instead of hampering it. I decided that being mobile, solitary, versatile and keeping costs to a minimum were the main factors that would decide where I could live.

Renting a house was out of the question. I didn’t have enough time to look for a house, nor did I know anyone in Florida to rent one with. And with me leaving to work in Alaska every summer, I doubted I could find someone I trusted with my boat and all my beloved equipment for a couple months. Cost also eliminated this choice.

Next I looked at getting an apartment. Again, the roommate issue put that down real quick, along with the fact that apartment complexes with boat parking are few and far between.

In the end, living in a travel trailer won by a long-shot, satisfying all four of my basic needs: It kept me mobile, definitely kept me solitary (since I never wanted to have anyone see where I lived) and kept me real versatile (I could leave for extended periods whenever I liked), Oh, and how could I forget, it was soooo cheap!

So, with help from my dad, in the summer of '06 I moved into my brand Roadrunner Travel Trailer that I quickly deemed “The Bass Wagon.”

Margaretville?

Honestly, I’d have to say that when I first made the decision to move into a trailer, I was so stoked!

I had just started becoming addicted to Jimmy Buffet’s music, his books and his overall lifestyle, and I kid you not, my vision for how my life in a trailer would be was parking the Bass Wagon under a palm tree, rolling the awning out, grilling hot dogs, blending margaritas and watching the sun set while the faint buzzing of one of those bug-zapper thing-a-ma-jigs would serenade me to sleep. Oh, and I never planned on wearing a shirt either, since a tan wasn’t something I had gotten too many times in Northern California.

Wake up, man!

Boy, was I dreaming!

First off, I wasn’t going to be in the shade of anything but a street light, or maybe a pine tree. There are too many darn mosquitoes for me to be sitting outside without a screened-off area. I couldn’t afford the blender for the margaritas, nor could I afford the grill for the dogs. If I was to buy one of those bug zapper thing-a-ma-jigs, the constant bug zapping would keep me up all night. Finally, I realized that I was part Italian and part Yeti and didn’t want anyone seeing my ridiculously hairy back every day – so no tan.

Aside from that, I’ve had to learn to live with 4 minutes worth of hot water in the shower, several insect infestations, sleeping with my tackle boxes, hot days and cold nights.

I guess I wasn’t meant to live like Jimmy after all.

Forced Focus

Despite the fact that my life in a tin can wasn’t what I 'd hoped it would be, I honestly believe that it is a major factor in all my progress over the last half-decade. The fact of the matter is that to reach your full potential in anything, you need focus, and for me, that is what living in a trailer really gave me.

Every night, instead of hanging out with roommates or inviting people over, I go to bed thinking of nothing but fishing. Also, given the choice between loafing around in the stinkin’ Bass Wagon and getting out on the lake, I would choose the lake every time.

Another big thing I have been able to do is once I’ve learned a particular body of water, I can move onto the next one, like a locust on wheels.

First I lived in Fort Pierce, learning to fish Lake Okeechobee. Then I moved to Kissimmee to learn the fabled Kissimmee Chain. Finally, I moved into my buddy’s yard in Orlando to learn even more lakes.

The best thing is that there are so many cheap trailer parks located on the best bodies of water, where waterfront property would usually just be a pipe dream for those of us craving fast access to fishing bliss.

This ability to strategically move around has really enabled me, at this point in my learning process, to be very versatile, which is something I hold in high regard, and is something I believe will help make me successful in the sport.

A Social Leper

There is nothing glamorous about living in a travel trailer. It has been a source of frustration at times over the years. I have been left wanting socially, especially when it comes to relationships with women – sometimes I think they can just smell the trailer on me. But after the first couple of years, it really has worked out well.

As I have said time and again, I believe sacrifices are really important to achieve lofty goals in life, and in this sport I believe that it is difficult to ascend to the upper echelon if you don’t accept suffering a little as a necessity.

To all those fellow “youngsters” out there who are trying to make it big in the fishing industry, I’m not recommending that you suffer. I truly haven’t suffered at all with my trailer living. It’s a roof over my head and I have all the necessities, but I would recommend looking into living in a similar manner as you work hard and pay your dues, because I truly believe that it will help you stay focused, save money, stay mobile, and it might just help you appreciate your successes a little bit more when they happen later on down the road.

Look at some of the successful anglers in the sport, such as Takahiro Omori, who started out living in a small car, and then moved up and into a trailer. His sacrifice paid off.

I hope to see you at the trailer park.

Miles "Sonar" Burghoff is a student at the University of Central Florida and the winner of the 2011 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. He's an aspiring professional angler who writes a regular column for BassFan. To visit his website, click here.