Just watched “Across the ice belt” or maybe it was Clam. Anyway, talk about a infomercial. Non stop product pushing from the first second to the final goodbye. I’m sure they are all nice guys but I’ve seen enough of that show to last me a lifetime. I’m sure some like it, but it’s not for me.
Oh, but you’ll watch guys fishing out of Otters, holding tucs tipped with the latest offerings from Rapala and pounding holes through the ice with their Strikemaster augers, and landing fish left and right while using their Marcums???
And dont forget those Yamaha powered Skeeters…If it’s on TV its meant
to sell you something. Remember, you’re going to see alot of red this year out on the ice…or is it blue…or maybe some guy fishing out of a Lund or riding a Yamaha atv screaming “Get the Frabill”.
my post was more of a humorous look at what I myself find entertaining while being subjected to blatant infomercialism (yes I just made that word up, kinda proud of myself). Anyways, these shows are not free to make and sell to the broadcasters, so I guess they are just trying to get the best bang for their buck in the 30 minutes they have. Plus it sure the hell beats watching Wendy or Morry Povich, or that bald headed texas moron Dr. Phil. LOL.
Lindners, Theilen, Next Bite guys, even Uncut now you see it alot. I think some guys know how to do it well enough where its not overkill, like the IDO boys. Some other shows I just turn because it’s I get it, the one bait that you’ve used all show long catches fish, whoopy.
You almost can’t even watch a movie without paid product placement in it. But there is a clear difference in showing a product with class and being in your face. There is also a clear difference in how the hosts present themselves in public. Some are genuinely friendly and courteous to fellow anglers, and a few are out right A-holes that actually believe you are a pain in the arse and in their way.
I’ve been in-industry for a lot of years in many different roles. If a show host has to pound the snot out of telling what a product is or how great they are, I question the true affectiveness of a product. If its a more subtle intro to what and what/how they are using something, it should sell itself.
If its a more subtle intro to what and what/how they are using something, it should sell itself.
The “how” is what I see lacking in most shows. They assume we know how to use it and just make the show about fish counts. I’d like to see a segment of the show tell us and show us everything from hook to swivel.
Huh, kind of reminds me of women who try to win my favors. Some are very coy and soft, while others are more aggressive. Funny thing though is either way they’re going to get your money.
I tivo all the shows so if I don’t like something I fast forward. Lindys fish ed is my least favorite for the infomercial and the guy bores me.
Gillespie I couldn’t stand but now I enjoy his enthusiasm and “grab the Frabill” is heard often in the boat and on the ice when I’m out fishing.
and if I see another Midwest Outdoors with that spokesman from LOTW catching 10″ sauger I’ll puke.
Check out Aaron Wiebe’s Uncut Angling (youtube channel), great fishing knowledge, lots of humor (some of it is over the top MTV Jackass style) but very few advertisement’s other than the typical “This is what i’m using” stuff…
The show where he pulls tail hair off a dead Deer along the roadside and in minutes strings up a crappie jig and slays them is one of my favorite episodes…Here’s that episode – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7nyruQoGyA
there is a difference. next bite and james do it real well. there are a few others as well but there are some really horrible ones. I don’t even think gillespie is that bad.
but i still watch because i know thats what it takes to pay the bills and even have these shows available.
I like my fishing shows like my friends. Subtle, and not in your face.
A lot of these guys who are over the top to me come off as having to do it to appease the sponsors.
It takes all types I guess. I mean, the flying lure and banjo minnow were not exactly flops…as far as sales are concerned.
I agree, don’t just show yourself pulling out loads of fish. Show how you are working the lure or jigging cadence to get that fish to bite. I won’t say what fishing show host I seen do this, but I was on Devils Lake where I saw a host bring in a fish with one lure, swap it out and rehook it on other. When I watched the show you would have thought he was using the one lure he was pushing the whole time. I understand what pays their bills… but I still find myself watching them all, even the bad ones. By far IDO is my favorite.
Having a show segment of fishing with the Chena bait killed it for me on Midwest Outdoors. That show is the outdoor version of QVC it feels like.
Gillespie although annoying as all heck is alright to watch. That guy is full of urine and vinegar. John Thelen, I actually like to watch. Yes he sports Lindy this and Lindy that. Just like all others. IDO rocks VMC, TUCR, Marcum, it is what it is. I don’t pay attention to what they use, its how they fish.
These shows have to make money, or they’re done, simple as that. They just do a little creative advertising. Sure, some may be like NASCAR with the zebco/garcia/rapala/lund/mercury/clam/zercon/marcum/vexilar references, but if they don’t, we are watching reruns of Virgil Ward.
Some shows are fully sponsored by certain brands, i’m sure we can all guess which ones. Shows like Midwest Outdoors are more spotlight driven shows whereas a certain brand or company uses a single episode to show how their product works in the field. Both types of shows are great, but are very different from each other. Across the Ice Belt is not very subtle on their brand preference, but why should they be? Who’s paying to produce the show?…
There’s some truth here – if the host shows a technique or way of doing something I haven’t tried but want to, I could end up buying the product they are shlepping. I guess that’s why I gravitate more towards 2-3 shows I find informational. Do they still stick product in your face, sure but in those cases it doesn’t seem to be as annoying because I may have learned something…
FryDog62 hit the nail on the head. IDO has done a very good job at doing this and I have to say I have purchased more products that I have seen on their show than any other show combined.
I think the hosts personality has a lot to do with the perception as well. There’s shows where guys talk like car salesmen, and it’s not natural. Other hosts seem to invite you in to fish with them.
Both might be pushing products just as hard, but your perception is the car salesman is pushing products more. Some guys I watch and it’s like they treat it as a job and not entertainment or an escape for the viewer.
Sure, some may be like NASCAR with the zebco/garcia/rapala/lund/mercury/clam/zercon/marcum/vexilar references, but if they don’t, we are watching reruns of Virgil Ward.
I’d love to see some old Virgil Ward reruns! From the lakes of northern Canada to the gulf of Mexico, wherever fish are biting that’s where we’re going to go..
Well, let’s face it, they are ALL infomercials. What drives me nuts is the fact they HAVE to use certain brands. When I watch, I would like to see what the guys would choose if they had a buffet of brands and manufactures to choose from…instead it’s, “lets see how we can work (force feed) our sponsored brand into this show”. Some guys pull it off OK, others fail miserably. Honestly, that is why I prefer to watch YouTube. There are a few guys that get it. UnCut is great, but obviously the popularity is now being influenced by certain brands and IMO the videos have suffered a little bit because of it. Can’t blame guys for making deals though…but it’s very frustrating to see a show go full court on a certain brand, and then next year poof, vanished. A perfect example is right here with Thorne/TUCR.
The biggest difference between shows I go out of my way to watch and shows I’ll watch if I find them to be on, is I want to walk away feeling like I learned something new about fishing. That is where I have found IDO Fishing and Uncut Angling to bet a step above the rest.
The biggest difference between shows I go out of my way to watch and shows I’ll watch if I find them to be on, is I want to walk away feeling like I learned something new about fishing. That is where I have found IDO Fishing and Uncut Angling to bet a step above the rest.
I have to agree. We all know everyone on the show has to make some money. So go ahead and push products. Just make sure in the end we have learned something.
Personally I am very brand loyal. Back when a certain manufacturer who made “custom jigs” 
had their own section here, they were basically all I bought for jigs and spoons for ice fishing. Mostly because of the show and the website. There are multiple reasons for that, mostly because I am brand loyal. Let’s face it, I am a marketers dream.
There are also brands along the way that I discovered on my own that I am loyal to, but I’d say 66-75% is because I have been introduced to them by a fishing show, website or magazine.
When I watch, I would like to see what the guys would choose if they had a buffet of brands and manufactures to choose from
Do any manufacturers really have a truly unique bait though? If say IDO is doing a show on swim baits, then there is no reason to use anything but Storm’s? Any lure that a show pimps you can find from another manufacturer for the most part.
I don’t know that Jame’s delivery is any better than say Gillespe’s from an advertiser’s point of view. I am sure a majority of people here though prefer IDO’s delivery, because in a way, the delivery is part of the branding. I think their delivery is an extension of the website and the people who post here.
Anybody see that show when Gillespie was screaming “get the Frabill, get the Frabill” and the guide slapped him and told him “to snap out of it”. Pete Mania and the guide about wet their pants laughing. It was hilarious!!!!!
^^^ That guy must be pretty good at what he does. He sure gets a lot of mentions here. People even know the line he is known for. 
^^^ That guy must be pretty good at what he does. He sure gets a lot of mentions here. People even know the line he is known for.
Surprised its not “PBR Me ASAP” 
Anybody see that show when Gillespie was screaming “get the Frabill, get the Frabill” and the guide slapped him and told him “to snap out of it”. Pete Mania and the guide about wet their pants laughing. It was hilarious!!!!!
The best one I can remember is last winter.. he was leaning over in a shack and let 1 loose…he tried real hard not to notice but the other guy in the shack got quite the chuckle out of it… 
I tivo all the shows so if I don’t like something I fast forward.
+1 – Also if they are Ice Fishing I delete it.
any fishing show is better than the news or any entertainment show these days…
If i have to see another music award show I will puke….This one guy I swear had a dead squirrel on his head…his handle is the weekend.
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