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Written by asap
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Wednesday, 31 May 2006 |
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 WATCH VIDEO: Click here to see Colorado residents try out for their own fishing show.
Even if it's only by accident, you've probably seen one of those fishing shows where the host tosses a few lures, talks in some kind of twang and occasionally hauls in a fish.
 If you're a nonfisherman, you'd probably rather have your eyebrows waxed off than watch someone fish. But for true fishermen, these shows are a treat -- a chance to watch the pros in action, pick up a few tips, maybe even imagine you're the one with your own show getting all the that free swag.
Well, anglers, it's time to get up off that couch and stop wishing.
If you know how flip a lure and can string together four or five words at a time, you can have a shot at your own fishing show. Actually, to get a shot, all you really need to do is show up where The Outdoor Channel is holding its next round of auditions.
For the fifth straight year, The Outdoor Channel is offering fishing fans a chance to host their own show. They've been touring the country in a pair of portable studios and will eventually hit every state in the lower 48 for open auditions.
The best of the bunch will get their own 30-minute fishing show that will air in the fall of 2007.
Stardom, at least in the fishing world, could be just around the corner.
"You see all these big guys get all of these sponsors, big boats, gear, and it's like, that's the life," says 21-year-old Matt Gallagher, who drove in from Boulder for a tryout. "It's all the free stuff, but it's also, how bad would it be to get paid to fish all the time? You never know, you have one fishing show you might actually get someone to give you a series."
There is a precedent.
Rachel Phelps, winner of a previous contest, did so well with her one-time shot that it turned into more: she's now hosting one of The Outdoor Channel's fishing shows.
But the contest doesn't guarantee anything more than one show. You'll have to prove you've got what it takes to carry a series.
And it's not just about whether you can fish. That would help, but this contest is mostly about whether you're entertaining -- the network is trying to lure viewers, after all.
"We don't necessarily want the person who's the most technically experienced fisherman," says Donovan Contreras, field events coordinator for The Outdoor Channel. "If that happens, then great, but we're not basing it on who's the best pro. We're not looking for a pro fisherman. We want somebody who can present themselves well and make an entertaining fishing show."
To get a chance, you'll have to beat out hundreds of other contestants from a wide range of backgrounds.
Some have been fishing all their lives and have always wanted to host a show. Some saw the portable studio in the parking lot at Outdoor World and thought to try it. Others, like Mark Jones of Golden, Colo., already have ideas for the kind of show they would do.
"We had this idea of a show called 'A Different Angle' and it'd be teaching people to fish off the shoreline instead of always from a bass boat," said Jones, who developed the idea with his 13-year-old son, Ryan. "I think it would be a blast because I think it has a lot to do with kids and that's how kids learn to fish."
Even if you don't make the cut, you can still have a shot at (fishing) fame: auditions will be posted on www.outdoorchannel.com. And who knows, someone might see it and offer you your own fishing show.
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John Marshall is asap's sports writer, based in Denver.
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