Orlando, Fla. ? Sometimes when he closes his eyes, Ishama “Ish” Monroe is still 8 years old.

He’s visiting Ann Arbor, Mich. Bounding around on his grandfather’s farm. Hooking catfish and bluegill out of the humble 30-by-30-foot pond that was barely a rock skip down the road. Even today – more than 20 years later – the water and outdoors are as pure and welcoming as ever.

Through society’s often-stereotypical eyes, Monroe, 32, might seem out of place in the sport he loves. Not long ago, competitive fishing was an almost-closed fraternity, with both subtle and visible barriers. It was a sport rooted in deep traditions that conjured images of the “good ol’ boy” South.

But Monroe is perhaps the biggest example of how it’s changed: He is the only black to have made it on the Bassmaster Elite Series and one of the hottest anglers on the circuit. Monroe is part of a new breed of stars, along with Mike Iaconelli, Skeet Reese and Jason Quinn.

“I like to wear baggy clothes,” says Monroe, who resides in California. “I’m just kind of laid-back, relaxed and not stressed out. I still have my ears pierced. I’m not the typical Southern fisherman that most people think about. I don’t listen to country music.”

Last March, Monroe became the first black to win a major BASS tournament, claiming the $100,000 top prize in the first Bassmaster Elite Series event. In October, he claimed his second title, this time at the Busch Shootout.

With more than $450,000 in tournament earnings since joining the tour regularly in 2000, he is ranked among the sport’s top 50 anglers and will compete this month in his fourth Bassmaster Classic, the bass-fishing equivalent of the Super Bowl.

Though Monroe is the only black on the Elite Series tour, there are a handful competing on the FLW Series circuit and several fishing clubs for minority youths. All run into the problem of having enough money to be competitive.

Monroe’s success and personality have made him a darling to the sport’s sponsors and advertisers. But Monroe’s first steps in the world of pro fishing weren’t as easy as those trips to that pond in Ann Arbor.

In Michigan, water could be found in almost any direction with less than a five-minute drive or no more than a 15-minute walk.

“It’s one of those things you’re into at a young age, and it just grabs your attention,” Monroe says. “Video games were there, but we were poor and didn’t have a lot of money. We had nothing but farm ponds and hanging out on the farm.”

When he and his mother, Wanda, moved to California shortly before his third birthday, the serene embrace of the outdoors was replaced by San Francisco’s seedy inner city.

His parents – separated by this point – sent him to a private school, hoping that atmosphere would shield their son. Monroe stayed out of trouble, thanks in part to his father, Gregory Simpson, who relocated to California to be nearer his son. They began to chase carp and bass by sinking their lines into San Francisco Bay and nearby lakes as Simpson blended life lessons with fishing tips.

“It was hard because my parents were such hard workers,” Monroe says. “They came from nothing. We used to do the government cheese thing and were not well off at all. We were just barely getting by. I remember the electricity getting cut off because the bills weren’t paid.”

Around age 13 or 14, Monroe happened upon a bass tournament on TV and watched the winner hoist one of those Publisher’s Clearing House-type oversized checks.

“Money for fishing?” he thought. “I want to do that.”