RISING STAR Mullis Abigail

By Victoria Shawgo

When thinking of competitive fishing, it isn’t unusual to imagine it as a boy’s sport, but Abigail Mullis is swimming upstream as the only girl competing with the Plant City Bassmasters. The team fishes competitively as a part of Florida B.A.S.S. Nation. Abigail and her partner, Tucker Garner have a had a very successful year, placing in the top 25 at most tournaments where there are typically more than 200 participants.

“I’ve always been interested in fishing because I grew up on that,” shared Abigail, who attended a tournament before her freshman year and was encouraged by the head director to get involved. After her first season, she thought, “I really like this, I think this is what I’m going to do.”

The next year, she became more serious about competing, obtaining sponsors and reaching out to more people. Now, she is heading into her Junior year and is hoping to continue fishing competitively in college. In September, she will attend the Bassmasters College Combine, an opportunity for juniors and seniors to meet multiple colleges and vie for scholarships. Abigail fishes every Saturday, having completed all of the Fall Trail and the Spring Trail, and competes in a tournament once a month.

She enjoys being one of the only female competitors.

“It’s really cool to be the only female in a male sport,” she explained, “It really gives you a big confidence boost.” She also appreciates the opportunity to be a role model for other little girls who are watching and may want to follow in her footsteps one day.