ESPN on ESPN

World's Greatest Fishing Show Airs each Saturday January thru March at 8:30 a.m.

Before we rolled an inch of tape for WGFS, back when the show was just concepts on paper… several ideas were thrown around. Some were good, some were bad, some were weird and some actually made it into the show. Here is a sample of just a few of the "gems":

*Rigging baits on the boat… boring… having an attractive model rigging baits in the "World's Greatest Studio"… well that's just entertaining. Instead of the obligatory "this is how I texas rig a 6" worm" stand-up on the deck of the boat. The WGFS will do it with flair. Our model will demonstrate knot tying, bait rigging, the right gear for the right technique. You name it.

*In an effort to promote the growth of the sport, Mark will occasionally take an evangelistic approach to encourage fishing. His alter ego… Mak Zono, is compelled to ambush classrooms dressed as a "stormtrooper", basketball practices wearing vintage 70's uniforms, even business centers wearing a polyester suit… giving out free rods and reels to whoever shows an interest.

*A "man on the street" component can be built into the show. Soundbites from non-traditional outdoor sources will be strategically edited into the show. It may be a girl at the mall… or even that window washer on the corner, unusual people talking about fishing at seemingly random occasions.

*Since the target audience is the recreational fisherman, Mark will occasionally target recreational fishermen he meets on location. While the show might be sight fishing for giant bass, Mark might come across someone throwing a swimbait. When he does… they could get the opportunity to catch a fish in fifteen minutes, if they do they will win a "cup full of cash" or some other reward.

Of course actual fishing ideas were thrown out as well… In fact, I pulled this next paragraph directly from a document Zona sent me one day:

*Alligator gar fishing in Texas- we would have to yahoo a good guide, but I think this would be appealing to anyone (especially kids) due to their size and evilness….

Well we yahooed the best guide right away. Kirk Kirkland was one of the first calls I made to schedule any shoot for the show… but for one reason or another (mainly the fact that Kirk is booked up all the time) it took us nearly three years to make Zona's vision a reality.

Thank goodness we never gave up on the dream! This show has become one of my personal favorites. Well worth the wait! Maybe in six years we might just get that studio model….