As the morning sun rises, the boat is packed with all the fishing gear and is all ready to go as Brayden McMullan gets ready for a long day of fishing.
McMullan is a freshman who loves to go fishing on his boat during his free time–he’s even been known to miss a whole week of school to go to a fishing tournament.
“Fishing is one of my favorite hobbies,” said McMullan. “My favorite thing about going fishing is making money. I have been fishing my whole life”
Whenever McMullan is out fishing his favorite fish to catch is the Blue Marlin because of their big size and cool shape, his favorite bait to use is bluefish because they can catch the best fish. He will bring different types of bait out when he’s fishing because it depends on what the fish want to eat.
“When I am getting ready to go fishing I grab my favorite rod, the Shimano because it’s the best rod I got and it’s strong, lightweight and enhances my casting accuracy,” said McMullan. “The rods that I use whenever I’m fishing all depend on what I’m targeting, anything big or small, it all depends.”
Once McMullan is packed and ready to go out on the water, he can pick which boat to go out on. His favorite is the Freemen because it rides the best out of any of the other boats he has, it has a smooth ride in rough conditions, and has good fuel efficiency.
“Whenever I’m out fishing I always want to get good practice before my tournaments,” said McMullan. “I can be prepared by trying new baits and seeing what certain fish like to go for. “
McMullan’s desire to remain low-key extends to his behavior during tournaments, where discretion is key to success.
“Whenever I’m fishing, I try not to stand out too much because you can’t let other people know what you’re doing,” said McMullan. “Even with my big reputation, I still try to remain secret when fishing, because any upper hand you can have in fishing is something that can help you win.”
Even though McMullan has been raised in a fishing family, his passion for the sport is what has truly set McMullan apart from the rest.
“I know I’m not that big of a deal in fishing,” said McMullan. “I just want to try to have fun and follow in my dad’s footsteps.”
His dad, Brant McMullan had motivated him to start fishing. He too had been fishing for his entire life. His dad has been to multiple tournaments and currently holds the Mississippi State record for King mackerel when he caught a mackerel that weighed a whopping 74.1 pounds back in 2009.
“I’ve gone to many fishing tournaments with my dad out of state, like to Florida, Mississippi and Florida,” said McMullan. “I’ve been to hundreds of fishing tournaments and won 20-plus tournaments.” Me and my friend go to tournaments and we always have fun, but if we don’t win some of the tournaments we can always go to the next one.”
McMullan enjoys going fishing with his family a lot, but when he’s not with his family his other favorite person he enjoys going out on his boat with is his friend Jack Watson.
“McMullan is just a chill guy to be around and he’s a great fisher for his age,” said freshman Jack Watson. “We always go to our favorite spot, where we can catch our favorite fish which are king mackerel and grouper fish.”McMullan and I have been to a lot of different fishing tournaments, and I enjoy being able to help him win the tournaments.”
McMullan has had plenty of opportunity to learn the ins and outs of his sport, but ultimately he’s just there to have fun doing the thing he loves and encourages others to go out and fish as well because it’s not something you’ll pick up immediately, but it’s something that is a guaranteed lifelong hobby that anyone can pick up, as long as they have a rod, some bait and a little determination.
“If you want to be good at fishing, then all you have to do is practice,” said McMullan. “You just have to have a good sense of direction, good patience and experience because these are key things that are the best way to learn how to fish.”
