Balous T. Miller: president of Bill Miller's Bar-B-Que mixes competitive streak with community service. (Profile)

Balous T. Miller, president of local Bill Miller Bar-B-Que and an avid Gulf Coast angler, plays a fish the same way he works at his business -- with toughness, tenacity and commitment.

Miller usually fishes for redfish and its ilk at his family hideaway on South Padre Island near Port Isabel. While on a deep-sea fishing trip off the Mexican island of Cozumel, however, he once hooked a 350-pound blue marlin. The monster fish struck Miller's line at about 5:30 p.m., and it was five hours later when an exhausted Miller reeled it in.

"I almost gave up a couple of times," says Miller in his typical machine-gun speech. "By the time we had that marlin in the boat, you could see the lights of Cancun 40 miles away. We'd drifted that far."

"Balous is one of the 10 best bay fishermen on the Gulf Coast," adds John Miller, Balous' younger brother and a partner in Bill Miller Bar-B-Que. "And he makes work of it. He doesn't just want to catch a redfish; he wants to catch the biggest redfish."

These days, Miller is working to land his biggest "fish" yet -- a new seafood restaurant called Barnacle Bill's. Slated to debut in San Antonio this year, the new eatery is a venture Miller is helping his nephews launch. While Miller says he's excited about Barnacle Bill's, he's also exercising his customary caution on the project.

Miller is jumping into seafood waters, though, because it's another way to meet the demands of Miller company customers. Giving Texas palates what they're hungry for is the hallmark of Bill Miller Bar-B-Que's success, according to Miller.

"Our goal is to give our customers good food, good service and value in a clean environment," he concludes.

Following the …