Favorite (and least) fishing shows of all time

I was watching an OLN infomercial yesterday that had Don Meisner from a fishing show called Rod and Reel streamside that used to run on TV. It got me thinking about all the fishing shows that have come and gone in my time. I remember when I was younger watching Fishing with Virgil Ward (anyone else remember Virgil). Of course there’s In-Fisherman, and Babe Winkelman, and Tony Dean and hundreds of others. Just wondering what are everyone’s favorites and least favorites.

My favorites

Earlier In-Fisherman’s, before the Primedia takeover

Tony Dean

Least

BJ Outdoors on FSN (it’s funny to watch, but not informative)

I would have to agree with the Tony Dean pic

I agree with the early In fisherman.
I am also a Virgil fan.

Linders Angling edge Is my favorite. Tony Dean is second.
Not a fan of BJ outdoors either.

I agree 100% on Tony Dean and early In-Fisherman! I also like the Angling Edge and Butch Furtman Outdoor Journal(he is a goof, but I like where and how he fishs!). I also agree with BJ Outdoors as an absolute waste of space!! 690reece

Favs – Butch Furtman’s Sportsman’s Journal( I just like the area )
And Tony Dean – allthough he does get off track once in awhile(but don’t we all )
Babe can be good -sometimes- Al Linder’s show
Least fav/ – Fishing the Wild Side on FSN….I guess…although I still watch

Early In-fisherman, and Virgal ward.

Linders angling edge as an all time top

The old In-Fishermans and the Best and Worst of Tred Barta. Barta’s probably my new favorite even though he doesn’t fish all the time. Hunting grizzlies with a longbow and homemade arrows!

Least favorite is probably Bill Dance. Hey, lets fish the same private pond every week and pimp magic spinnerbaits. BORING!

I know he is annoying but John Gilespe’s Water and woods is a good show. I also like Midwest Outdoos. Love2Fish

Glad I am not alone on BJ outdoors, a shaky camera with some guys yelling incoherent garbage in background with bad graphics does not qualify as a decent fishing or hunting show IMHO.

I don’t like Fishing the Wild Side either. I don’t mind guys telling me what products they use, but you don’t have to hit us over the head with it. You use Berkley guys, we get it already.

I haven’t seen mush of Butch Furtman, I’ll have to Tivo him.

I like Tred except for the fact that I won’t be going big sea fishing for Tuna anytime soon. I did like the episode where he went goose hunting with a bow and didn’t get anything but a close miss, that was great. I hunt with recurve bow, so I know a little what it’s like sometimes.

The other bottom sucker in my opinion has to be Keith Warren. How this guy got a show I have no idea. When I see deer feeders and barb wire in the back and they start talking about patterning deer, I have to laugh. How about at 4:30 when the feeder turns on, the deer will show up . It makes me wonder how some of these guys get a show.

Favorites:
Any In Fisherman
Joe Bucher
Roland Martin
That one with the 3 girls in bikinis (did they ever catch any fish)?

Least:
Midwest Outdoors (too much pimping)
BJ Outdoors (this is more of an infomercial than a fishing show)

Favorites:
Tony Dean
Kent Hrbek Outdoors
John Gilispes woods & water

Tony Dean is the man. I guess he has been having some health issues and has not had a chance to do much filming this season. I wish he wasn’t pimping the Salmo lures so much, but I guess you have to make your sponsors happy.

I also like the new Lindner show.

In-Fisherman Critical Concepts is pretty bad.

My favorites are the old In-Fisherman shows (before the Lindners left) and Tony Dean Outdoors. I also like Midwest Outdoors, even though they film most of their stuff in Wisconsin, and John Gillespie is one of the most annoying TV personalities out there. The plain truth is that all outdoors shows have to pay the bills, which means pimping to some extent.

Fishing shows I don’t like: Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, Roland Martin, and all the rest of the roughly thirty-thousand largemouth bass-centered fishing shows.

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That one with the 3 girls in bikinis (did they ever catch any fish)?

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FISH ON!!! I would like to be in the middle of that mess!

fav: ultimate match fishing and skeeter bass champs

Glad to see I am not alone, I always liked Tony Dean . Kind of like fishing with grandpa used to be. No clever hype, no catch phrases, just tells ya how he does it.

I absolutely hate Jimmy Houston. This was wat before his drugged hunt came out on video. He is at home with the Bozo gig with Hank Parker and Morrell targets commercial.

big g

I also enjoy John Gilespie’s show but sometimes John gets a little too-intense for my liking. There really haven’t been many multi-species shows when you compare them to all the bass and saltwater shows. Tony Dean was always good as are Babe Winkleman’s and the Linder boy’s shows. Midwest Outdoors has some fishing but it is mostly hunting and then most of the hunting trips aren’t even to midwestern desitnations.

Eyehunter

Favortites:

Tony Dean
Anglers Edge
Kent Hrbek
The Next Bite

Is the Next Bite still on? I don’t have Dish network any more.

Least fav:

Bill Dance(yawn)
Any bass show(yawn)

The Bill Dance bloopers are good though.

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Is the Next Bite still on? I don’t have Dish network any more.

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The Next Bite will be moving to OLN beginning half of 2007, I think their 2006 season is done now on The Outdoor Channel. I like Gary and Keith too.

Joe Bucher,, espcially when he focused on Muskies!!
The 3 girls fishing in Bikinis also was a very solid show!

All these shows, the good to the not-so-good, have to pay their bills and keep the sponsors happy. Therefore, we “learn” about their sponsors products.

My fav’s are still In-Fish and Linder’s and I do like Fishing the Wild Side – especially their ice fishing show. To me, Tony’s a little tired and we’re seeing more golfing than fishing now. He has been a great steward to the outdoors though.

I hear ya’ about the sponsorship. If I got paid to fish everyday I would probably hock anything anyone wanted me to. That being said, some seem to do it better than others. It is still a fishing show, and not a half hour infomercial. We learn all about there sponsors during the commercials anyway.

For the old Virgil Ward fans out there who rembers this:
“Championship Fishing TV Show Theme Song”
From the lakes of northern Canada
To the Gulf of Mexico.
Wherever fish are biting
That’s where we’re going to go.
There’s a lot of exciting country
Just waiting to be explored.
So join us now in the great outdoors,
The World of Virgil Ward

Here is a great link as well.

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All these shows, the good to the not-so-good, have to pay their bills and keep the sponsors happy. Therefore, we “learn” about their sponsors products.

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Depends how they go about it. If there is a lot of action and how to information given, that helps. Some humor, scenery and maybe a change of pace from what viewers are used to is nice. If its all, “boy are you going to catch ’em on this lure…blah” and “if you go here you cannot miss”, then I feel like I am watching an infomercial. It is OK to mention what they are using and I expect it, but some shows take it to extremes, Bill Dance for example. Shows like the early In Fisherman rarely made a big deal of what brand of lure they were using and almost never told where they were fishing. Their commercials were when commercails were supposed to be, between segments. Some shows are a commercial during the show and you still get the regular commercials between segments.

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I know he is annoying but John Gilespe’s Water and woods is a good show. I also like Midwest Outdoos. Love2Fish

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Hey Folks! Look at that! Another HUGE walleye! Now let’s make some Johnsonville brats!

Tony Dean, the best was when he was fishing Devils Lake with Tom Backer pimping the heck out of Salmo baits…and about 4 fish in a row came off a number 5 jointed Shad Rap! Even Backer had to chuckle about that one!

(Hey Tone, here is a little tip… ) HEY TONY< LET A LITTLE LINE OUT OF THAT REEL WHEN YOU PULL THAT CRANKBAIT OUT OF THOSE FISH! I swear, one of these times he is going to catch one of those baits right between the eyes! He has that rod bent over like a 60 pound recurve!

Oh God…. Sure am glad I am perfect.

Midwest Outdoors, worst show ever, 1/2 hour commercial for the resort of the week… L-A-M-E!!!!!

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I know he is annoying but John Gilespe’s Water and woods is a good show. I also like Midwest Outdoos. Love2Fish

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Hey Folks! Look at that! Another HUGE walleye! Now let’s make some Johnsonville brats

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Chris, you forgot that walleye was due to Mills Fleet Farm, our fishing gear headquarters. I think I saw a MFF logo on one of those fish actually. Uh oh, I may have started a new trend putting logos on the fish themselves, can you imagine a rapala bass or lindy walleye, that would be hilarious. Quick, who wants to start a fishing show with me.

Yup, I can see it now..we change catch photo release (CPR)to catch photo brand release (CPBR), the next time the fish is caught right there is the advertisement of the last guy who caught it! Heck pretty soon people will be cutting notches and punching holes in the fins just like we used to do on the farm with little pigs!

Angling Edge, Capra’a can be pretty informative.
Jack..

ditto, plus Early-In-Fisherman. Aside from the afore-mentioned I would rather be fishing then watching.