Pro fisherman, popular YouTuber Ben Milliken charged with fishing tournament fraud

[PhishLI]

5 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

If I'm not mistaken one of 6th sense staff guys ,who I won't name got into a little tiff with the law that had nothing to do with fishing and they dumped him.

It's going to be interesting to see how this gets handled. It isn't a good look.

Some time ago, Zaldain claimed that according to Megabass, Randy B is responsible for a big boost to their bottom line through his affiliate links to TW on YT.

 

Milliken has a much larger social media footprint. Combine that with his affiliate links I imagine he's huge driver of sales for 6th Sense. Also, they're currently hosting his "Free Ben" Hats, hoodies, and Ts merch on their site. They don't seem to be all that mad about it.

 

[Swamp Girl]

I'm guessing Ben and some of his fanboys have read this thread. I think Ben would like it, thinking that "even bad press is good press," but his followers might be less than pleased. I just know that he's clickbaity and clickbait is a pebble in my shoe. 

[Glenn]

 

 

 

[rangerjockey]

9 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Some time ago, Zaldain claimed that according to Megabass, Randy B is responsible for a big boost to their bottom line through his affiliate links to TW on YT.

 

Milliken has a much larger social media footprint. Combine that with his affiliate links I imagine he's huge driver of sales for 6th Sense. Also, they're currently hosting his "Free Ben" Hats, hoodies, and Ts merch on their site. They don't seem to be all that mad about it.

 

Really, all they can do is to spin it. I personally wouldn't buy 6th sense bobber stops since he bought into the company.

[F14A-B]

14 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Some time ago, Zaldain claimed that according to Megabass, Randy B is responsible for a big boost to their bottom line through his affiliate links to TW on YT.

 

Milliken has a much larger social media footprint. Combine that with his affiliate links I imagine he's huge driver of sales for 6th Sense. Also, they're currently hosting his "Free Ben" Hats, hoodies, and Ts merch on their site. They don't seem to be all that mad about it.

 

Well Zaldain and Candy Randy ( credit to AJay) are BFF.. Randy B claims he partially designed the 110. Perhaps that’s true but what I read on here is folks who use the Megabass 110 use it because it’s a superior jerkbait, and not because Candy Randy promotes it via TW..

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, F14A-B said:

Perhaps that’s true

It might be. My recollection is that Zaldain seemed shocked by the amount of revenue generated from use of RB's TW links before purchase which is measurable. He made it seem like it was a wakeup call to get in gear himself promoting his sponsors.

 

1 hour ago, F14A-B said:

I read on here is folks who use the Megabass 110 use it because it’s a superior jerkbait

I haven't watched Randolph in a while, but I recall him promoting everything and anything made by MB. If they made sandwiches he'd be recommending them too.

[rangerjockey]

1 hour ago, F14A-B said:

Well Zaldain and Candy Randy ( credit to AJay) are BFF.. Randy B claims he partially designed the 110. Perhaps that’s true but what I read on here is folks who use the Megabass 110 use it because it’s a superior jerkbait, and not because Candy Randy promotes it via TW..

He did help with the 110. If anyone wanted to test a stick bait the Ozarks is the place. 

That's a pretty old bait now, with newer variants.

I don't agree with everything he posts and he gets off on tangents for sure but, he does have respect for the history of the sport and in his day he was a stick. Unlike the other guy who's just a pimp.

[PhishLI]

30 minutes ago, rangerjockey said:

Unlike the other guy who's just a pimp.

Did he steal your girl, kick your dog, or something worse? Do tell.

[rangerjockey]

2 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Did he steal your girl, kick your dog, or something worse? Do tell.

No ,nothing that exciting. He's just a.....forgot how to use English. And I would have zero problems telling him that in person.

It started with the MFer line of rods , which is a zero class name for something I wouldn't use for a tomato stake. My wife has better taste in men and I would be afraid my dog would catch something.

But , I've made my feeling on the subject known enough. 

 

[Glenn]

[Swamp Girl]

Clickbait reminds me of Stuart's "Look what I can do!" of MadTV, i.e. much ado about nothing:

 

 

[Cuivre]

On 12/21/2024 at 3:05 PM, rangerjockey said:

No ,nothing that exciting. He's just a.....forgot how to use English. And I would have zero problems telling him that in person.

It started with the MFer line of rods , which is a zero class name for something I wouldn't use for a tomato stake. My wife has better taste in men and I would be afraid my dog would catch something.

But , I've made my feeling on the subject known enough. 

 

One of the reasons I don't use the term "MFer" when I refer to him/his groupies. I call them the more accurate (in a couple different ways) "BMers".  Ben is approaching middle age, yet he still tries to project the same attitude as the teenagers and tried to be the "Edgy Cool Guy" in a community where kids, and immature adults, still look up to him and where that holds cachet.  I honestly like 6th Sense baits- some of them are my 'go-to' soft plastic and frog baits.  I can separate the representative from the product.  Many people have a problem with that.

[Glenn]

[Swamp Girl]

2 hours ago, Cuivre said:

Ben is approaching middle age, yet he still tries to project the same attitude as the teenagers and tried to be the "Edgy Cool Guy" in a community where kids, and immature adults, still look up to him and where that holds cache.

 

All this talk about BM sent me to his latest YouTube video, where he opened by monetizing his arrest and then proceeded to go fishing with a hangover, chucking bass back into the water as if they weren't living, wonderful animals and letting them flop on a deck full of boat hooks. I couldn't stomach the full video. 

[Cuivre]

3 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

All this talk about BM sent me to his latest YouTube video, where he opened by monetizing his arrest and then proceeded to go fishing with a hangover, chucking bass back into the water as if they weren't living, wonderful animals and letting them flop on a deck full of boat hooks. I couldn't stomach the full video. 

So, you didn't hang around to watch him chumming the water with his puke?  Such a classy dude.  BASS should be proud to have him on their "advisory committee"!

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

All this talk about BM sent me to his latest YouTube video, where he opened by monetizing his arrest and then proceeded to go fishing with a hangover, chucking bass back into the water as if they weren't living, wonderful animals and letting them flop on a deck full of boat hooks. I couldn't stomach the full video. 

Honestly that's why I stopped following his content even though I learned a number of great things from him.   I can't think of another influencing Bass angler who treats Bass as poorly as Milliken.    It's shameful the way he handles these fish when you understand who many of his viewers are......and those are young adults or kids.    It's such a terrible example for the future of our sport.     

 

Like most humans, Ben is a complicated, and flawed individual.   On one hand, he's a very talented Bass angler, has lots of charisma, and has built a nice comfortable life in the sport of Bass fishing coming from a very humble background without any connections to the industry.  On the other hand he's quite arrogant, has shown his willingness to play fast and loose with rules, and shows a terrible lack of respect for the creatures we all love.     

 

 

[Glenn]

Bass fishing has no place for this kind of "influencer":

 

 

 

[F14A-B]

21 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

All this talk about BM sent me to his latest YouTube video, where he opened by monetizing his arrest and then proceeded to go fishing with a hangover, chucking bass back into the water as if they weren't living, wonderful animals and letting them flop on a deck full of boat hooks. I couldn't stomach the full video. 

Good for you to verify the accuracy of our disdain for him.. but that’s just the truth of him. 

[Swamp Girl]

@F14A-B: The thing that drives me bonkers about drama queens like BM is that life clobbers us with real drama, like people we love being afflicted with punishing diseases and everyone we love eventually dying, one by one. I remember in one of his videos a guy in a bigger boat cruising by a ways away and BM clickbaited that, as if a boat's wake were one of life's big trials.

 

He seriously needs to buck up and bluster down. 

 

He catches such big bass and should be ecstatic over his successes, but he employs cheap tricks so that people will pay attention to him:

 

 

I'm guessing that BM thinks that Chicken Little-ing it beats 9-to-5-ing it, but the 9-to-5-ers are my heroes. 

 

 

[F14A-B]

8 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

@F14A-B: The thing that drives me bonkers about drama queens like BM is that life clobbers us with real drama, like people we love being afflicted with punishing diseases and everyone we love eventually dying, one by one. I remember in one of his videos a guy in a bigger boat cruising by a ways away and BM clickbaited that, as if a boat's wake were one of life's big trials.

 

He seriously needs to buck up and bluster down. 

 

He catches such big bass and should be ecstatic over his successes, but he employs cheap tricks so that people will pay attention to him:

 

 

I'm guessing that BM thinks that Chicken Little-ing it beats 9-to-5-ing it, but the 9-to-5-ers are my heroes. 

 

 

I know it and to me what’s worse are his loyal YouTube followers. It gives you even additional data to understand where our sport is heading. In general I’ve always seen our sport of fishing as an honorable one. Mercy me, times have certainly changed. As far as 6th Sense is concerned, (sponsor/BM is part owner) I don’t take issue with, I have a few of their flat sided crank baits I like. 

[Swamp Girl]

32 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

It gives you even additional data to understand where our sport is heading.

 

I hope you're wrong. Their are still plenty of level-headed leaders in our sport, like Glenn. However, I fear that one of the pyro-technicians who've worked with KISS might one day equip Ben's boat with flame throwers and fireworks launchers, which Ben would trigger every time he caught a bass and then he'd air guitar like Bill and Ted.

 

 

Even then, there will still be low-key bassheads like me quietly moseying in backwaters and slipping bass back into the water with all due gratitude. 

[TnRiver46]

I’ve fished with a hangover before and hit bass in the head with a rock and cut them up into pieces, I’m not gonna fault him 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

For a guy you people don't care for much you all sure are up in his business likely waiting for next vid to drop

[TOXIC]

The same was said when Mike Iconelli was pulling his shenanigans.  It’s a hard persona to maintain and eventually your fishing success will speak louder than your antics to get clicks and noticed.  

[J Francho]

If only there was footage on the internet of a Mustang making a right turn and crashing into a telephone pole, I'd post it here.