Even weirder than people who like to go fishing are people who like to watch television programs about fishing, such as The American Sportsman. The cruel thing about this program was that people seemed to have fun and actually catch fish, neither of which happens in real life.
Check out my rod.
The American Sportsman was a television series hosted by Curt Gowdy. Each week, Curt would take a celebrity hunting or fishing, and a film crew would record the action.
Here is an excerpt from an episode that featured Gowdy on a fly fishing trip to a remote lake in Montana with celebrity guest Andy Griffith:
Curt Gowdy: Just look at this lake.
Andy Griffith: Yup, it sure is a fine lake. Yessir, just fine.
Curt Gowdy: And it’s really remote…no one around for miles. Nice and private…
Andy Griffith (glancing nervously at Curt): Yup, I guess it’s quiet alright…
Curt Gowdy (briefly touching Andy’s leg): I hope I get a big one today!
Andy Griffith (looking more closely at Curt): You mean a fish, right? A big fish?
Curt Gowdy: Oh, sure! But do you want to know the real reason they call this “fly fishing”?
Andy Griffith: I just remembered…I have to leave. Right now.
The American Sportsman is off the air, but now we have TV shows about commercial fishermen, such as Deadliest Catch and Swords: Life on the Line.
"It's really hard to catch fish with these plastic tubs. Can't we get some nets or something?"
In this type of show, a group of foul-mouthed, blue collar scalawags attempts to catch fish in some of the most dangerous waters on the planet — waters so dangerous that even fish try to avoid them. The shifts are long, the work is difficult, and the language is very colorful. Here is an excerpt from Deadliest Catch: All This for Fish Sticks?:
Captain (on the PA): WATCH THE CRANE!!! WATCH OUT FOR THE $#!!%@ CRANE, YOU *$#@!!s!
Crewman 1: What the @#%$#!? is he #$#!!*& talking about?!
Crewman 2: If you weren’t a &%&!!! rookie you’d know, you stupid @#$%%#!!!!
Captain: THE CRANE!!! THE %$##*&!! CRANE!!! ARE YOU ALL #&*^#!!! BLIND??!!!
Crewman 1: Your girlfriend didn’t think I was a rookie last Saturday night, you #$*&&!!!
Crewman 2: Oh yeah? Well, I hear your mother eats fish sticks!
Captain: CRANE!!! C-R-A-N-E !!! THE #@%$#!!!&! CRANE!!!!!!!!
[The crane falls on Crewman 1 and Crewman 2, killing them both instantly]
Captain: OH, GREAT!!! NOW WE GOTTA GET A NEW #$$@%&!! CRANE!!!
There’s certainly nothing wrong with watching other people catch fish. Some people even think that fishing should be an Olympic sport. Then again, some people think pole dancing should be an Olympic sport. And some people like to watch television shows about fishing. That doesn’t make them wrong, but it does make them WEIRD.
