OK guys, it’s time for Going Ike, my new TV show, to get rolling. It’s a chance for you to participate by submitting your favorite ocean, lake, river or stream to be featured on one of our shows. And it’s a chance for you to see me fishing without a net.
Starting right now, and going through June 30, you can submit short videos at www.goingike.com. The idea is for this to be a true reality show. We’re not talking fake like a lot of so-called reality shows. I’ll fish your waters, for your fish, under your rules. There’ll be no safety net under us. If we fail, we’ll fall all the way to the ground with nothing to break our fall.
I don’t care where you pick or what kind of fish you want to catch. If you’re selected I’ll give it a try. The rules are simple enough because there’re aren’t any. Just pick a venue, a species and a challenge. Everything you need is on our site, www.goingike.com. You can even watch other submissions.
After June 30 the producers will pick 13 of the best. They’ll announce the names of the winners on the last day of ICAST, July 13. Note that I said names. The venues and other details won’t be announced, and I won’t have a clue where I’m going or what I’ll try to catch.
And note that I said the producers will pick the winners. It’s not me you need to impress with your pitch. It’s them. This is not a bass fishing show. It’s a fishing show. As much as I like to fish for bass, they aren’t the only species of fish worth pursuing. Don’t limit your entries to black bass. Another thing to keep in mind is that all the trips will be in the fall, after the Elite Series tournaments are over.
I won’t know where we’re going until I’m actually in the truck with the motor running. When I arrive at your destination, I’ll have one minute — no more, no less — to ask you questions about the place, the fish, and whatever else I think I’ll need to know. After that, I’ll have one hour to pack a tacklebag and put together six rod and reel combos.
There’s no way I can tell you what the producers will find worthy of a win. I can tell you, however, they’ll have no mercy on me. They’ll hold my feet to the fire. You should do the same. We designed the show to let anglers see what happens in the real-world. Make your entries interesting and challenging, but doable. Stuff that’s ridiculously easy or impossible will get little consideration.
It’s time to put your fishing hats on, give some thought to what you’d like to see and then film your idea. Nothing would make me happier than if we had to get more space on the site to store all the entries.
Next time we’ll talk about what I want to accomplish with the show.
