Fly Fishing, barrett productions, frank smethurst, News, on the rise, the humbling of a writer, trout unlimited, tv show, Underground Entertainment
Underground Goes Hollywood: Set to Appear in 2/13 Broadcast of On The Rise Fly Fishing Show
By Tom Chandler 2/4/2009
Those of you who actually read the Underground (instead of visiting for the
bikini photos) know I participated in the
filming of an episode of On The Rise - a fly fishing TV show with a conservation angle.
On the day in question, I nailed exactly one 10" trout, a pitiful performance, so I assumed my presence in the final cut would be minimal - and then this chilling notice arrived:
"I am the editor at Barrett for this show and I am here to inform Tom, and hopefully bring the chilling fear of stagefright back, that Trout Underground is going to fill the fourth segment of On the Rise. Hopefully I and the writer give a clear and exciting look into your waters.
One thing for sure is, high or low, you have some of the most beautiful water I have ever cut into a show. Almost makes me want to visit my father who lives not far from Underground's homewaters. Keep your eyes open and DVR's set, this one is set for air on Feb. 13th, "˜09. Moved us up a quarter. Enjoy!"
Damn. I mean, great.
I'll be right up front with the Undergrounders; I know from grim personal experience exactly how I look and sound on video tape, and frankly, there's a damn good reason the Trout Underground's all about the written word and not the recorded variety.
I remain shocked and stunned that Trout Unlimited (the other, less-famous TU) and Barrett Productions would risk the viability of their show in this manner, and it's now clear that America's drug problem is far more pervasive than we thought.
Kids, Hook Up the DVR
Those with short memories will want to revisit my original post about the fishing trip, which drew heavily upon Greek dramatic techniques to make the following point: I was in trouble.
Complicating matters was the presence of a two videographers and a sound man; people whose express purpose in life was to tape every embarrassing move, bad cast, odd utterance and trout I farmed.
Well, OK. Maybe that wasn't what they said they were doing, but it's clearly what they were trying to accomplish. They also foolishly believed I'd be able to talk intelligently about Nestle issues while I fished, when instead I mostly was focused on not soiling myself on camera.
Expectations, it seems, are rarely our friends.
Clearly - with Smethurst capable of busting out a couple good trout even under awful conditions - they were looking to the Underground for something else, like"¦ comic relief.
Alert the Media
February 13 is the broadcast date (apparently the season's being broadcast now instead of the summer - a clear indication of how much esteem The Outdoor Channel has for me).
Fire up the DVR, burn a little popcorn, pop the top on that cheap swill you call beer, and be prepared to weep as did Marc Antony when he first beheld Cleopatra. (More to come on this one.)
See you on TV, Tom Chandler.
Tom Chandler
As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.