Getting Ready for TV
I don't do all that well in front of a live crowd, but the camera allows you to make mistakes. Kind of like a rewind. This makes for a great set of bloopers. Bloopers are just a byproduct of filming.
I've fished all of life and have been cooking for many years. One day I saw a Live Bait Kingfish Video in a catalog and I'm all ways trying to better my fishing techniques and thought this video could help add a little different knowledge in my head and I may be able to learn a little something. This was back in the VCR days and the tape was about $30. So, I placed the order.
I sat down with a cold beer and something to munch on and queued up the tape. I was anticipating a wealth of information leaking into my head that I could regurgitate out on the water.
What I got was 40 minute of lost time that I will never get back.
So, what did I do? I threw the tape in a box and forgot about it for about 6 months. Well, I was cleaning out the garage and found a box with the dreadful TAPE inside. I pulled it out, looked at the back of the tape jacket and read it again. Maybe I didn't give it enough time. You know when you watch a show or movie and it really stunk but then you watch it later on and then you get it and you actually liked it.
Well I'll try it again. I put the tape in and watched it and guess what? I know have lost 80 minutes of my life I'll never get back. Damn.... That time, I completely destroyed the tape so my eyes would never see it again. Thank the lord. Unfortunately, those boys up in NC got their money and I did not get a refund. Damn them...
After that second attempt, I started thinking; Hell, I could do that in my 15ft Boston Whaler. That started my mind moving. Then I thought about combining fishing and cooking. What a perfect fit. We'll catch the fish and then we'll cook our catch. I had seen similar shows on TV, but not the way I was going to do it. One host will do it all; fish and cook and that would be me.
After a year or so of planning, I was lucky enough to have a friend that had a client that was working on a local TV show that dealt with the water and thing to do on the water. I hooked up with him and we came up with an episode that would mimic my idea. He was to head down to Savannah, Ga. and fish for dolphin and he and I would cook a meal together for his show.
He decided that it would be good for us to film the cooking segment first and film the fishing segment at a later date when they could line up a fishing trip. We had a crew come over to my house and we filmed the cooking segment: Blackened Dolphin and purple mashed potatoes with stringed vegetables all served over a red wine butter sauce. It all went well and it was the first time I had been in front of a camera. Well, time went by and went by and they were never able to set up a fishing trip. I had been fishing and catching quite a few fish at the North End of Bull Island in an area where old trees had eroded into the ocean. These trees have been there for as long as I can remember and longer. They have become a great natural fish and bait attractant and in turn, attract fisherman. Bull Island is located about 20 miles north of Charleston, SC and is one of five barrier islands that run northward from Charleston Harbor to Bulls Bay. These islands served as hunting islands for the Indians before the settling of Charleston. But that's another story for another TV series.
I made a phone call and we were able to hook up with a camera man and headed out to the island. The weather seemed to be cooperating until we got there. The wind began to pick up and the water became dirty. This was the time when I realized that mother nature does not take directing well. The bite turned off and the water began to get rough. We were able to catch a few small sharks, whiting and croaker. That was it. What a fishing segment to start a show with blackened dolphin on the menu.
Well, I mentioned to the host that we should make a seg-way from the fishing to the cooking in a way that the viewer could make since with the cooking segment. Something like..."The fish didn't cooperate all that well, so we thawed out a few fillets for our next segment. Stay tuned to see what's on the menu..." But, that didn't make the cut or the advice was not taken and we went from whiting to a dolphin dish and I caught an ear full from the local message boards and fisherman.
Anyway, it was a great experience and I was and still am thankful for that time behind the camera.
The experience also turned into a great relationship with my now producer and film director. I was introduced to him and we teamed up to create 3 cooking DVD's for his online cooking club project called, "Variety Cooking". From that, he helped me put together a pilot for my television show, Gourmet Fishing. Our fishing segment took us up the Cooper River in Charleston, SC and we filmed a speckled trout catching trip. We then re-edited one of the variety cooking DVD's for our cooking segment: Lime-Crusted Trout served over Chinese Forbidden Rice.
Now we're working on a small season of shows to kick off the Gourmet Fishing Television Series. We have planned 5 shows, 2 best of's and a mid-season finally:
Pilot: Ep. 1 "River Specks" Ep. 2 "Inshore Reds" EP. 3 " Nearshore Grab Bag" Ep. 4 "Offshore Trolling" Ep.5 " Big Rock Reds" Ep. 6 " Best of "Fishing"" Ep. 7 " Best of "Cooking"" Ep. 8 "Mid-Season Finally "Season Recap""
Stay tuned for times and dates...
About the author
David is the host, fishing guide and chef of the TV show Gourmet Fishing and the publisher of the online magazine, Fishing Cook. David has been fishing for over 30 years, inshore & offshore. David has also, been cooking for close to 20 years and is the author of 2 cookbooks...
