Former Liberty Lake resident Joey Nania hosts national Sweetwater Fishing TV series
A youth angling phenomenon formerly from Liberty Lake is weighing in with another major-league milestone in his fishing career – a nationally televised TV series.
When Joey Nania graduated from Central Valley High School in 2009 and launched his adult tournament fishing career, he’d already won five Washington junior state titles. He’s the only two-time Junior Bassmasters World Champion, winning titles in 2005 and 2008.
“It was a great start,” said Nania, 23, while visiting family in the Spokane area over the holidays with his wife and son. “Now I’m diversifying.”
Based in Alabama in order to be in the heart of bass-fishing opportunity, Nania has teamed with Miles Burghoff, 28, to film a TV series they’re calling Sweetwater Fishing.
The program is being produced by SE Multimedia, makers of “Into the Blue” and “Saltwater Experience.”
“It was wild filming 13 episodes in 20 months for the first season while holding down our other commitments,” Nania said. The first season focuses on the South from Florida to Missouri, but many of the concepts apply to fishing anywhere, he said.
“Sweetwater is another term for freshwater, and that leaves the door open to do any freshwater fishing, including trout fishing in Alaska or muskies in Canada and Wisconsin. We’ll take feedback on what viewers want to see. We’ll be heading to California for sure.”
The 30-minute shows feature a pair of young anglers applying what they learn, traveling state to state and piecing together techniques that fit into the big picture of catching fish.
“It’s two buddies out there figuring out what the fish are doing and breaking down the lakes on a day to day basis,” he said. “Miles comes from California and we often approach situations differently.”
Both anglers had stellar junior careers. Burghoff won the college national championships before launching is pro career.
Nania was a 6-year-old in his pajamas when he caught his first legal-size musky in Wisconsin. He was 8 when he caught his first bona fide lunker bass – a 6.5 pounder – off the family dock at Liberty Lake.
“I saw a career in pro fishing basically at age 11, and entered my first tournaments at 13” he said, noting that his father, Joel, helped him make connections in the Inland Empire Bass Club.
Nania’s passion for fishing led him to the South. “I immersed myself in fishing, was touched by an evangelist, met the woman who would become my wife and, boy, things have changed,” he said. “We have a wonderful baby, Zeke.
“I might have a lot to learn, but I’ve already picked up some valuable insight in my travels,” said Nania, who was 19 when he headed off on the pro tour.
“Alabama is the fishing Mecca, loaded with famous lakes, the most centrally located state for all the big tournaments. It’s a perfect central location for being on the pro tour and to guide and be connected with the industry.”
Nania says he’ll fish up to 30 tournaments this year while guiding close to 100 days, working part time at Bass Pro Shops and filming more Sweetwater Fishing episodes.
“I’ve learned to not focus on one thing,” he said.
Being purely a tournament angler leads to enormous pressure to win, he said.
“One thing I’ve learned about the sport: you can’t count on tournament winnings to support a career. You can’t always put money down and go out and win it back. You have to have other revenue and look at tournament winnings as a bonus.
“I love every aspect of the industry – selling, promoting, working the shows, giving seminars, guiding, fishing – I love it all.”
He said his main goal is to provide for his family. “I love that they can travel with me to tournaments, and the film crew loves to have them along,” he said, noting that the whole family got into one episode fishing for peacock bass.
One of the most memorable episodes was filmed out of Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Missouri, where the fog rising off the water framed a picturesque view of the Ozarks.
“The film crew is fantastic,” Nania said, describing aerial shots from drones, super slow-motion of the action and the company’s intent to capture the fun, humor and great values of fishing.
“All the beauty aside, the fishing was tough,” Nania said. “But we stuck with it and found a school of fish in 50 feet of water. Bam! We caught 25 fish in an hour, doubling up like crazy. We caught spotted, largemouth and smallmouth – the trifecta of bass all in one school.”
Indeed, he’s had some great days of fishing since he left Liberty Lake, where one fishing buddy in 2005 said Nania fished nearly every day and knew every bass in the lake by name.
At the age of 14, Nania became the Washington state junior bass fishing champion who went on to win the Junior Bassmasters World Championship while competing against the top junior division youths from 37 other states. The Greenacres Middle School eight grader won a $5,000 scholarship in addition to a fishing boat and motor valued at $8,000 and a family trip to Walt Disney World in Florida, plus he landed an extra $1,000 for catching the biggest bass of the one-day tourney.
To top off that peak experience, he was paired with pro angler, Kevin VanDam, who’s widely considered the best tournament bass angler in the world.
Yet he remains amazingly grounded.
“I believe what’s meant to happen will happen, but to survive in this business you must keep your head level,” Nania said.
“My fishing career has happened perfectly, but my focus is family, faith and fishing – in that order. I’m grateful to be able to do this for a living.”
Contact Rich Landers at (509) 459-5508 or email richl@spokesman.com.