Ben Milliken is a young angler from the American Midwest who started fishing for walleye with his granddad. He became YouTube’s bass fishing king with over 550,000 subscribers hanging on his every cast. Ben Milliken’s story reads like a proper fishing fairy tale – except 2024 threw him a curveball that nobody saw coming, involving handcuffs, fraud charges, and a fishing licence mix-up that’s turned his world upside down.
Quick Facts About Ben Milliken
Name: Ben Milliken
Age: 35 years old (born 28th June 1989)
Star Sign: Cancer
Nationality: American
Home: New Caney, Texas (originally from Nebraska)
Marital Status: Married to Rebecca Christine Milliken (since 2016)
Kids: Two sons – Max (11) and Osborne “Ozzie” Moe (4)
YouTube Channel: Milliken Fishing
Net Worth: Estimated £1.2 million ($1.5 million)
Famous For: Bass fishing videos, Bassmaster Elite Series competitor
Biography
Born and raised just outside Omaha, Nebraska, Ben didn’t start as a bass fishing fanatic. His fishing journey began with his dad, Scott, and grandad Moe, who taught him the ropes using crawlers under bobbers for walleye and white bass – proper old-school stuff!
Everything changed when 14-year-old Ben watched Michael Iaconelli win the 2003 Bassmaster Classic on TV. That moment sparked something fierce in the competitive lad, and he was soon hitting local ponds chasing bass from the bank.
At 17, Ben got his first proper boat – a 16-foot aluminium rig with a dodgy outboard that only started when it fancied it. He even built his front deck to cast like the pros he’d watched on TV. Talk about dedication!
Education
Ben’s competitive spirit saw him excel in four sports during secondary school, but university brought a choice: stick with traditional sports or chase his bass fishing dreams. He chose fishing, joining the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s bass team.
After bouncing between a few colleges (including a stint playing baseball at Iowa Western), Ben graduated with a degree in environmental biology. He then landed what he calls a “proper job” in Omaha, inspecting buildings for asbestos and lead paint.
Whilst it was steady work, Ben knew his Monday-to-Friday routine wouldn’t get him closer to his professional fishing dreams. Still, he kept grinding, fishing 15-20 tournaments yearly whilst working full-time.
Career
Eight years ago, Ben’s life took a massive turn when he discovered people were actually making a living from YouTube videos. His wife, Rebecca (absolute legend), bought him a GoPro and encouraged him to give it a go.
Those first fishing tip videos? They smashed it – 40,000 to 50,000 views each! Ben was gobsmacked. He didn’t even know what views and subscribers meant back then.
By June 2017, Ben had done the maths and realised he could match his day job income by posting more videos. So he took the plunge, quit his job, and started uploading six or seven videos weekly for ten months straight.
“I was basically throwing things at the wall and finding out what would generate the most traction,” Ben admits.
The gamble paid off massively. Within a month, his YouTube earnings surpassed his previous salary. Today, his “Milliken Fishing” channel boasts over 550,000 subscribers and more than 139 million views!
Some of Ben’s most popular videos include:
- “FLASH FLOOD Draws BIG Fish to Urban Spillway!!!” – over 3 million views
- “BULL FROG Catch and Cook! (SO DELICIOUS!!!)” – 2.5+ million views
- His 60-pound, five-bass haul from O.H. Ivie Lake – nearly 400,000 views
Professional Tournament Career: The Big Leagues
Ben’s YouTube success funded his tournament fishing dreams. In 2023, he made his Bassmaster Opens debut and absolutely smashed it, particularly in the Elite Qualifiers series.
2023 Elite Qualifiers Highlights:
- 5th place at Lake Eufaula
- Winner at Toledo Bend (massive 77lb-14oz total weight, earning £41,600 in prize money!)
- Multiple top-10 finishes throughout the series
His Toledo Bend victory was particularly sweet, showing he could compete with the absolute best when it mattered most.
Family
In 2021, Ben relocated the family from Nebraska to New Caney, Texas. The move was partly influenced by his partnership with 6th Sense Fishing (where he’s now part-owner) and Texas’s year-round fishing opportunities.
Ben and Rebecca have been married since 2016, and they’re proper fishing partners in every sense. Rebecca regularly features in his videos, and together they’re raising two lads who are already showing signs of inheriting the fishing gene.
Their eldest, Max (11), and younger son Osborne “Ozzie” Moe (4, born March 2020) often appear in Ben’s content, showing the next generation of Milliken anglers in action.
2024-2025: The Controversy That Shook Everything
Just when everything seemed perfect, Ben’s world got turned upside down in late 2024. He was arrested and charged with freshwater fishing tournament fraud – a situation that’s still ongoing as of 2025.
The drama started with a 13.15-pound bass Ben caught at Lake Naconiche in February 2024. He submitted it to Texas’s ShareLunker program, which rewards anglers who contribute big bass for breeding purposes.
The problem? Ben’s Texas fishing licence had expired when he caught the fish, though he’d purchased 14 licences across different states that year and claims it was an honest mistake.
Since ShareLunker participants enter prize drawings worth thousands (including a £4,000 Bass Pro Shops spree), Texas law considers it a fishing tournament. Catching the fish without a valid licence and submitting it anyway landed Ben with fraud charges.
Ben’s Response
Ben’s been upfront about the situation, calling it a “complete misunderstanding” and an “honest mistake.” He’s released videos explaining his side and says he’s happy to pay fines and even participate in license awareness campaigns.
“I am bitter about it. I think it’s ridiculous,” Ben admits, though he’s using the controversy as motivation for his 2025 Bassmaster Classic appearance.
Net Worth
Ben’s built a proper fishing empire with multiple income streams:
Primary Revenue Sources:
- YouTube Channel: £89,000+ annually from ad revenue and sponsorships
- Merchandise and Gear Sales: Significant income from his online store
- Tournament Winnings: Over £70,000 from 2023 alone
- Sponsorship Deals: Partnerships with 6th Sense Fishing, Waterland Sunglasses, Powerhouse Lithium
Estimated Annual Earnings:
- 2020: £89,300
- 2021: £100,000
- 2022: £112,000
- 2023: £124,000
- 2024: £135,000+
Current Net Worth: Approximately £1.2 million ($1.5 million)
Ben’s known for his polarised fishing sunglasses (available through Waterlandco) and his mastery of forward-facing sonar technology. His current setup includes a custom 36-foot wooden boat that’s 12 feet wide – a proper, serious kit for a serious angler.
He’s particularly renowned for his offshore fishing techniques and forward-facing sonar expertise, though he jokes that spring fishing is his weakest season.
Despite the legal drama hanging over him, Ben’s not slowing down. He’s competing in the 2025 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Ray Roberts in Texas, where he feels his knowledge of Florida-strain bass gives him a home advantage.
“It would make it even sweeter basically,” Ben says about potentially winning the Classic amid the controversy.
With his YouTube channel still growing, tournament career flourishing, and business ventures expanding, Ben Milliken remains one of fishing’s most compelling personalities – even if 2024 proved that success doesn’t always come without complications.