TV shows.....

[stifler51]

ok so i have probably about 6-7 outdoor channels, why is there never any shows on about walleye fishing?

[jigginjim]

Walleyes take more skill? or they are not is easy to pinpoint a cast and catch a fish. No dock walleyes, walleyes feeding on buzzbaits, or flip to a fallin tree. IMO, many think the only way to catch a walleye is to troll.

But there are a few shows that do fish for walleyes. FLW tour, Linder's angling edge, Infisherman. Just no show that fishes only walleyes.

[mrklean]

jim beat me to it i was gonna say the linders, to bad Tony Dean passed he was nothing but the eyes

[Nick Kuhn]

The Next Bite also does a number of walleye shows, with the others for muskie and pike. Bass show after bass show does get old, especially when most are on southern reservoirs that are in no way similar to MN lakes.

[thedeadsea]

Because most of the US other than the midwest has an infatuation with bass so they are satisfying the masses.

I agree with Jim, since walleyes take a little work to catch it takes alot more shooting time to produce a show about them.

Steve

[goose89]

In Depth Outdoors does some fine walleye shows, and DVD's.

[LoonASea]

Mark Romanacks Fishing 411 does a fair amount of fishing for walleyes ,,,I have gotten an education from that show many times

LAS

[juggs]

You've never seen Midwest Outdoors, have you.

[Sandmannd]

WI Woods and Waters does a lot of walleye fishing along with everything else.

[Drewski]

Midwest Outdoors and Lindner's Angling Edge seem to always have walleye segments.

[stifler51]

i guess it just seems like every time i flip to those channels its always something dumb like fly fishing some flats off some coast that i have zero interest in watching. Or like nick said its always some bass show that is filmed in waters that are not even close to midwest waters. I know there is some good dvds out there, but just wish there was something more on the lines of being able to set my DVR to rec something knowing everytime it will be about walleyes rather then a chance a show might have a 10 min segment

[Shorelunch]

Economics. The VS, Outdoor Channel, Sportsmans, etc are all nationwide networks, and the walleye world is fairly niche in the grand scheme of things. There's much more money in deer hunting, bass fishing and shooting, thus the vast majority of these types of shows. There's only a handful of walleye-type shows on these channels. Babe Winkelman and Next Bite, which are both on VS. Winkelman is on quite often, Next Bite has very poor air times and you'll have to DVR it.

Most walleye shows are on the regional networks such as FSN North and 45, although 45's Saturday morning block diminished this past year. On FSN North, you'll find the majority of the walleye shows because it's their target market. Most air in the first quarter (Jan - March) and a few trickle into the 2nd Q.

On FSN, you'll find Lindner's Angling Edge, In-Fish, Furtman's Sportman's Journal, Fishing the Midwest, Gillepies Waters & Woods, Midwest Outdoors, etc and a few muskie shows. It's an extremely tough market for these shows to survive in and I hope they all see next season.

[Meat-Run]

Shorelunch summed it up pretty good, it's more of a niche. Check out The Sportsmans Channel and search by programming and set up your DVR to all the In-Fish shows that you want, its all layout by each week day and hour. Most shows just can't do just walleyes when you have a bass lure sponsor etc.

mr

[mrklean]

i dont mind as much the bass shows, its all those shows fishing saltwater fish non-stop and some of the other fishing just have no interest because i will never do it

[RK]

...all those shows fishing saltwater fish non-stop and some of the other fishing just have no interest because i will never do it

Funny you say that - that's exactly why they're about the only fishing shows I can stand watching. I do some saltwater fishing now and then, but I'm fascinated by some of the stuff on TV. The less likely I am to do it, the more interesting I think it is. (although, as fun as they are to catch, the redfish stuff is starting to wear a little thin...are you listening Shaw Grigsby and Roland Martin?)

Having been on and been otherwise involved with several shows over the years, I think what makes walleye shows a tough sell is their regional niche, and the plain fact that a lot of walleye fishing doesn't exactly make for must-watch TV. Hard to make slip-bobbering, planer boarding or live bait rigging exciting. Walleyes don't jump, aren't spectacular fighters (watching a guy skip in a walleye caught on a crankbait without ever slowing the boat down - boy, there's some exciting TV...), the techniques aren't visually interesting unless you're really wanting to learn the details... plus the fish aren't huge most of the time. Hard for that to compete with topwater strikes or jumping tarpon.

Personally, I think good walleye shows are very hard to do well, and very easy to do badly. Lindners excel because, well, they're the Lindners, plus their camera work is mind-blowing. Tony Dean made it work mainly (I think) because of his personality - he was so endearing as a person you skipped right over the simple visuals and bare-bones education aspect, and just enjoyed Tony. TNB (whom I've been associated with through TNB/EA magazine) does some great visuals with CGI that kind of sets them apart. A lot of the others are, to me, unwatchable. Midwest outdoors being a prime example. I'd rather be waterboarded.

[mrklean]

Haha Tony Dean shows werent very eye catching thats for sure, not to much out there on the river systems, cattle, old trees and hills, but he was such a great guy is what made me watch plus he was a heck of a fisherman

[tonyo]

I have found a good HSOforum you guys might want to check out if you want to send me a PM. The shows are free to watch on the internet and there are several to choose from. Every episode of Babe Winkleman is on there and a series out of Canada, Linder's shows etc.

I have enjoyed countless hours of watching this spring as I wait to leave for Canada.

Just a thought.

TonyO

[Bottle Fish]

I have a question on TV shows from a while ago. What show or who was it that got talked into trying to land a sturgeon in a float tube and was being pulled around the lake like a bobber? It was the funniest fishing show I ever saw and for the life of me can't remember who it was. Best gag ever pulled on a host of a TV show. He actually thought the guy was serious and did it. Or does anyone have a link to this episode?

[LoonASea]

I think that was a Babe Winkleman program ,,,fishing the Colombia river I think

LAS

[Fish Head]

I know exactly what Stifler51 is talking about. There are a lot of shows that have good walleye fishing and many have been named here (I think we missed Butch Furtman's Sportsman's Journal). But I have noticed too that it seems like they haven't been on much lately. Maybe it's just bad timing on my part, but the last few weeks it seems like I can never find any shows that I want to watch. WFN may have changed their programming recently?

[fishmaster LOW]

I have found a good HSOforum you guys might want to check out if you want to send me a PM. The shows are free to watch on the internet and there are several to choose from. Every episode of Babe Winkleman is on there and a series out of Canada, Linder's shows etc.

I have enjoyed countless hours of watching this spring as I wait to leave for Canada.

Just a thought.

TonyO

Hey TonyO, can you forward me that HSOforum you were talking about??? For some reason I can't send out a PM.

Thanks! [email protected]

[Down to Earth]

Gillespie probably does the most walleye shoes and probably hits a pretty good area of water with them.