Emmanuel Athletics is thrilled to welcome Jesse Millsaps as the new Head Coach of the Emmanuel Bass Fishing team.
Originally from Canton, GA, Millsaps comes from a family of anglers, with an uncle and an aunt fishing professionally.
"I got the desire to pursue Bass Fishing when I was little," Millsaps remembers. "We used to take trips to West Point Lake with my aunt and uncle."
He didn't begin pursuing it as a career, however, until much later.
"After I got married, we had two kids and I started fishing quite a bit," he said. "I've been fishing ever since."
Six years ago, Millsaps' fishing career took off, and he began competing on the professional circuit. In his time as a professional angler, he's competed in the NPFL (National Professional Fishing League) and the MLF (Major League Fishing) tour, where he's had 11 top 10 finishes, including a 3rd place finish on Logan Martin Lake in 2024.
For Millsaps, his favorite part of competing on the national level is traveling to various places across the country.
"Just being able to fish at different lakes and visit places I probably wouldn't have if I wasn't fishing," he said.
Jesse believes his experience at the highest level will be useful as he enters his next chapter as the Head Coach of the Lions.
"My experience being at all the lakes I've been to, I can pass that knowledge onto the Emmanuel team," he said. "I can help them better understand the travel aspect and all the pursuits of tournament fishing. After doing it for so long, I can pass everything I know onto the anglers, and it will be a big advantage for them."
Millsaps is a familiar face to many of the anglers who fished the Georgia High School Fishing trail he ran for 3-4 years.
For recruits interested in Emmanuel or young anglers looking to compete at the collegiate level, Millsaps' advice is simple – be willing to learn.
"There's a lot to learn in bass fishing," he said. "So, my advice would be to be open-minded and willing to learn from older anglers already there because every piece of knowledge they gain is going to do nothing but help them."
Welcome aboard, Coach Millsaps!
