A Season of Fishing: One of the Stranger Gigs I’ve Had

It was a strange summer of writing for Fish’n Canada on Global Television. Click to watch the entire season of episodes.

When you write for a living, you are never surprised at what your next gig will bring.

Well, almost never.

When the call came from Fish’n Canada’s Rick Dolishny, I will admit that I was surprised as all heck.  And confused.  We’ll throw grateful into the mix as well, because you don’t often get cherry-picked to write for a show on Global Television — particularly one that also airs in 12 countries, in six different languages, and in over 200 North American markets weekly.

And so began my season of writing a fishing show.

Now, you may ask, what did I know about fishing going into the experience?

Nothing, I’ll admit.  Nothing at all.

What I did know about was Canada.  And the lakes, rivers, and streams that make up our country.  With a tonne of backcounty experience, I also knew about being on the water and in the bush — two of the places that hosts Angelo Viola and Pete Bowman spend the bulk of their time.  Most of all, however, I knew how to research and I knew how to write.

And that, really, was all that was needed.

My job was to research the destinations that Angelo and Pete were to visit next — and then to script the bits in between the actual fishing.  I got to chat with folks all across Canada and ask about the local lore of these far flung shores.

It was a heck of a lot of fun.

As it turns out, at the end of the season, the folks at Fish’n Canada decided to return to writing their scripts in-house.  Mine was but a one-season experiment with hiring an external writer. A pity, really, because I think that I lent the show a bit of new direction — one that received a few compliments along the way.  So, as quickly as I was recruited, I was gone.  And on to the next project I went.

I’ve just recently learned, however, that the episodes I wrote are now available online.  The entire season.  Sure, you have to pay for them — but, really, these episodes are a lot of fun.

Check them out for yourselves.

As an added bonus:  My debut on the Outdoor Radio Journal on The FAN 590.  My short-lived  Toronto radio life.