YouTube fishing/how to do it better

As you may know, YouTube fishing sucks. It’s not good. Too much clickbait, not enough content. I want to do it better.

I’ve wanted to start one in the past but I’m actually going to commit to it in 2020. I’ve taken my fair share of editing classes and am ready for the challenge ahead of me. My main goal is to have as little commentary as possible and to let my experiences on the water do the talking.

That leaves me with one question for you all. What kind of content would you be interested in seeing? I’m really open to anything.

Thanks and happy holidays,
MetroBassing

It doesn’t all suck. There’s a lot of great channels out there. On my channel I try and focus on being myself and fishing for what I enjoy fishing for so it’s real. The reactions are real. While I have some companies I work with I try to keep a happy medium of showcasing their products but not pushing them on people.

As long as there’s common sense and you aren’t using that in your face attitude that a lot of the younger generation has in their videos it should be just fine.

PS….No cops on your thumbnails either….

Do what you like to do and similar minded people will follow you.

Welcome to the site by the way……we love youtubers here….

YouTube does suck, so why think you will change the game?

IMO these video makers will start to plateau out and the videos being viewed will start dropping like flies. As you mentioned look at the content being put out, clickbait. People holding out mediocre fish as far as you can and throwing on neon headers to get your attention. Yes there there is some quality stuff, but honest to God how many times can you watch someone catch a bass on a frog? Or tossing under a dock? It gets incredibly old incredibly fast.

Want to do something new, do something new. Was walking around in best buy before the holidays and that VR stuff is crazy. Not sure if there is anything out there nowadays for that but having the viewer being immersed 360 onto Minnetonka with some tuna boats and bikinis while football jigging some rocks would certainly be different…..

mahtofire14 wrote:

we love youtubers here….

See what I mean…..

I like it when the youtuber has an underwater camera and I can watch the action on the jig/spoon/lure. Then, you get to see how the fish react and bite. I don’t need to see your face when you are talking. Also like the videos people do out of sheer enjoyment when they’re not trying to get products or product sponsorship.

I have a theory I would like try but I suck at fliming.

Do the exact opposite of Milliken and Peric. Try treating it with more respect. In that I mean, don’t lie about almost dying, or the cops busting you, or an unbelievable catch. Set up a few stationary cameras so I don’t have to watch it bouncing around from a GoPro on your noggin. Watch how guys like IDO, Jason Mitchell, and some of the more established pros do it. Maybe do it more as an episodic type show. Understand lighting and sound as well. One of my biggest pet peeves with a lot of those guys is trying to watch them with it jumping from light to dark and the wind whistling.

Things I like to see:
Fish catching
Underwater camera action
Sonar action while fish hit
Some product description
Genuine reaction
Fish catching
Respect for the sport and public

Things that I won’t watch:
Cops
Swearing (kid friendly)
Recording while driving
Gas station visits
Way to much monologue/intro
Blurred clickbait
Anything not related to actual fishing.

Check our Tom Boley or Clayton Schick fishing videos on youtube. They’re very informative and educational. You might be surprised.
Like any other media they’re garbage and there’s quality. You get to decide what you want to watch.

I meant to say there’s garbage and quality. Tom Boley and Clayton Schick are high quality.

BCNeal wrote:

I meant to say there’s garbage and quality. Tom Boley and Clayton Schick are high quality.

Tom Boley for my money puts out the best and most educational fishing content there is. His stuff is IMO better than a lot of the stuff you can watch on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Watching Tom Boley is as close as actually being in the boat with him as you can get ! Very educational and down to earth !

For people like me who have short attention spans….

Set up your adds so they can be easily skipped over. (or none at all) If I’m forced to watch a one minute add, it’s over right there. Keep the video to 10-12 minutes max. So a lot of vids good. Even if they are put out “part 2 of 3” for example. Rather than long 30-40 minute shows.

-J.

Pailofperch wrote:

Things I like to see:
Fish catching
Underwater camera action
Sonar action while fish hit
Some product description
Genuine reaction
Fish catching
Respect for the sport and public

Things that I won’t watch:
Cops
Swearing (kid friendly)
Recording while driving
Gas station visits
Way to much monologue/intro
Blurred clickbait
Anything not related to actual fishing.

I agree. great list

I will tell anyone early and often that I’m not an expert, maybe not even “good.” Which is why I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a series called “The Basics.” I’ll watch IDO or other shows and they’re hammering whatever species they’re on, and there are times where I wonder “how did they get there?” IDO does a good job if showing on the screen what they’re using and their setup, plus the Spot on the Spot segment, which all helps put your whole day together. When I was new to ice fishing I had a tough time figuring out just how in the world a flasher worked, and I think it’d be fun to do segments on how different equipment works. This would obviously be great for newcomers but maybe not so much seasoned guys.

I’ve got a friend who’s venturing into handgun shooting videos and I’ve told him the same thing. There’s gotta be millions of videos of people moving through shooting courses and the audio of shot after shot pinging off steel. But I told him that if he can break it down and talk about his grip, how he’s acquiring the sight picture, using cover, etc. a lot of novices might get more out of it.

One other thing to add, I really like when shows have underwater video of what their presentation is doing, whether it’s while trolling, jigging, etc. To me that helps me out knowing what your actions above water are doing below water. I have to admit that when it comes to ice fishing I was probably jigging way too much at first, then came to realize how much just subtle jigging or even the general shaking your hands do affects your presentation underwater.

Also, and again maybe this just exposes me more for being just your average fishing guy, but I can’t ever watch too many fish cleaning videos. Yes, I clean plenty of fish, but it’s amazing how many different variations there can be for all species. And I also like hearing what the pros prefer to keep for a size range and why, and why it’s important to put back xyz species above xyz inches for the future of the population in that body of water.

Hard to do but the underwater stuff Kim Stricker does is as good as it gets… how to capture that via YouTube could be tough though..

Thanks for all the suggestions. Sounds like the general consensus is:

-More fishing, less talking
-How-to videos
-Keeping videos shorter
-And of course lots of underwater footage

Waiting on open water so I can get the yak out of the garage. Can never spend too much time in the yak. Thanks for the support guys, content coming 2020.

okay,I will toss in my two cents,one,make it personal as if you are talking directly to the viewer one on one.
two,dont try to reinvent the wheel,so many youtubers out there regardless of how hard you try its going to take time to have a list of followers.

three,never ever ever try to invent a catch phrase,you can run folks off by hammering some diatribe of useless bs down someones throat.
four,Bill Dance is the king of bloopers,dont even try.

five,DONT EVER BEG FOR SOMEONE TO CLICK ON THE LIKE BUTTON,I dont watch any youtube crap where that is on the site.
six,if you want to read what I really think?? just go fishing and enjoy it for what its meant to be,fun,relaxing,at one with nature and leave the frigging camera at home,thats what memories are for,sure,a pic or two for yourself is okay.

I am old school and would rather read a good story,a good read has more visual effects than any video will ever produce,sigh,not many good writers out there anymore.
thats it from me.

Iowaboy1 wrote:

DONT EVER BEG FOR SOMEONE TO CLICK ON THE LIKE BUTTON,I dont watch any youtube crap where that is on the site.

Ooooooh! Forgot that one. The good ol’ “don’t forget to like-share-subscribe….” meh…..

FryDog62 wrote:

Hard to do but the underwater stuff Kim Stricker does is as good as it gets… how to capture that via YouTube could be tough though..

Frydog, Hook N Look is one of my favorite shows. I’m trying to get more underwater shots incorperated into my channel too. I have an idea for my trolling motor that I am going to try out this spring that I think will give me some really cool footage as I bring a fish back to the boat.

But as others have said, respect the fishing, don’t be like Peric (we have another thread topic on that one) and genuine videos and reactions always win out.

Jon Jordan wrote:

For people like me who have short attention spans….

Set up your adds so they can be easily skipped over. (or none at all) If I’m forced to watch a one minute add, it’s over right there. Keep the video to 10-12 minutes max. So a lot of vids good. Even if they are put out “part 2 of 3” for example. Rather than long 30-40 minute shows.

-J.

The worst ones are the ones with adds throughout the entire video.You kinda get into the vid,then an interruption with an add,mostly one that does not pertain to subject.Like Liberty insurance.That’s where a good ad blocker comes in.

I have YouTube red or whatever it is called. No ads.

Good luck kid, you say you took editing classes so you are already up on a lot of channels.

My suggestion is leave a lot on the editing floor. No one wants to sit through a minute or more of a fish being reeled in. Also have more than one camera so you have at least two points of view.

From what I gather, people want almost zero video production, commentary, story, or effort put into fishing videos. Just catch fish……

From those requirements, just whip out your phone and don’t say anything. Make sure you’re only ever on water and never in a vehicle or in a bait shop. Don’t try to flash up thumbnails. Don’t try to make people want to click on your video. Don’t make it more than 3 minutes long and to stay as distant from your viewers as possible.

That sounds like a fantastic way to not have a productive YouTube channel. If want a few hundred subscribers that’s cool but I have a feeling your after a few hundred thousand instead. I appreciate the effort that goes into good video production and editing.

Don’t do what 30 people on a forum tell you to do. Start by doing what you love and the people that matter will watch you. If you want to add things to a thumbnail, do it. If you want to record yourself getting bait, do it. If you want to make a 23 minute long video, do it. If you want to preface your video by doing an intro scene, DO IT! Just make sure everything you do is getting you closer to your goal and not just appeasing 2 dozen people that will probably never watch your videos long term anyway. YouTube will tell you what it wants you to do and sadly that’s how your channel will truly grow to the size you picture in your head. Appeasing to youtube. Don’t skip on video production. It doesn’t have to be cinema quality but everything you can’t do to make it look better, is better. If you really really want to do YouTube like I’m assuming you do, you need to look at it as a business. Because it is. Stay true to yourself while appeasing to 95% of your actual customer base (people that actually watch your videos) and YouTube and subscribers will happen on their own. No need for gimmicks.

BE YOURSELF! If people won’t watch longer than a minute that’s their problem, not yours. Don’t confuse quantity with quality.

Makes me wonder how most of you guys get through an episode of IDO without needing a fidget spinner……

The opposite of any content the googan squad guys put out. Jeezus they need to take some damn Prozac and calm down

If you happen to see the new Lincoln commercial with Matthew McConaughey ice fishing, go with that type of video.

I agree with the Tom Boley support. He gives great advice, and presents it in a way that is great to watch. I would personally like to see someone do videos that focus on high pressure metro lakes. I am tired of seeing Mille lacs, LOTW, Devils, Red…it’s no surprise these are fish factories. Let’s see someone catch fish around shanty town on the croix, or on Tonka, Prior, cedar, forest. These aren’t precious unknown gems that you have to protect their identity. Let’s see someone master these spots. I don’t have the time/funds to get up to the factories, so this is what would be interesting to me. Do this, and I’ll smash/pound/hit your like/subscribe button!

mahtofire14 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>FryDog62 wrote:</div>
Hard to do but the underwater stuff Kim Stricker does is as good as it gets… how to capture that via YouTube could be tough though..

Frydog, Hook N Look is one of my favorite shows. I’m trying to get more underwater shots incorperated into my channel too. I have an idea for my trolling motor that I am going to try out this spring that I think will give me some really cool footage as I bring a fish back to the boat.

I see a potential joint venture here… you do the video aspect and I’ll get SCUBA certified. I can see it now, Mahtofire looks at the camera and says “…and there’s FryDog down in 15 fow feeding hungry bass my Neko worms to see which one they like best!”

Brian wrote:

I would personally like to see someone do videos that focus on high pressure metro lakes. I am tired of seeing Mille lacs, LOTW, Devils, Red…it’s no surprise these are fish factories. Let’s see someone catch fish around shanty town on the croix, or on Tonka, Prior, cedar, forest. These aren’t precious unknown gems that you have to protect their identity. Let’s see someone master these spots.

Drill holes until you mark fish and then drop a lure down. What are you having trouble with? Yes, they usually won’t be great size but what do you expect with minimal effort and following the bucket brigade? Every once in a while someone runs in to a giant fishing the shantytowns but with thousands of hours put in these community holes of course a couple decent fish actually get caught.

What’s your goal with this. Make money? Hobby?

For those that are bashing the googans you can’t argue that they aren’t making money. Hate all you want but those guys know how to get views and likes. If it’s money you want, there’s is something to be learned.

If it’s a hobby, just do what you want. I’d focus more on scenery, high quality angles and shots. Check out Jay Siemens. He’s done videography for National Geographic. His videos are excellent because of his amazing video quality and editing. He’s also a pretty genuine guy. I highly doubt that youtube is his bread and butter though. Much like IDO, the fishing show is only a side business.