With more than 600 Real Fishing Show episodes under his belt, Bob Izumi is comfortable in front of the lens.
With almost 25 years' experience, he exudes a certain confidence while hooking into small-mouth bass on Rice Lake on this exceptional fall day. Izumi was in the Kawarthas, filming to promote Rice Lake tourism with friend and fellow angler Greg Hammond, national marketing manager for Shimano's fish and bike division.
Shimano is a major sponsor of Izumi's long-running Real Fishing Show, a career that's taken him to fishing locales around the globe.
To many, Izumi lives the ultimate Canadian life -- getting paid to fish. But for Izumi, it's a job like any other, complete with deadlines and stress.
"I'm on the road 360 days a year," he says while loading his bass boat with gear at a public boat launch in Keene.
This Week was invited to join Izumi on Rice Lake as he filmed the episode. The day started slowly but by mid-afternoon, Izumi and Hammond had found a pocket of small mouth, and soon the laughs and familiar Izumi character took shape. He described how they were catching the fish while adding how great the Rice Lake fisheries is. He had a good time, even though he failed to catch the biggest fish of the day. Hammond hooked into a 3 3/4-pound bass.
"We show it as it happens," says Izumi of the filming style of the show.
His camera man, Jake Watters, a video editor with Izumi Outdoors Inc., was poised and ready to capture the action as it unfolded. But the real work is done in Izumi's editing suite in Burlington where the show is pieced together. Twenty-six episodes are shot each year.
How long each shoot takes is determined by the fish species and conditions. Although rarely skunked, some times not enough fish are caught to fill an entire show. But when the fish are biting, there's never a dull moment.
"We've shot a half-hour show in 45 minutes. If the fishing is good, we might shoot a couple of shows in one day," says Izumi.
"I prefer not to spend a lot of time shooting each episode. Get in and get out."
Even as the day wound down and the late Kawartha sun lit the lake, Izumi and Hammond continued their quest. Their lines tightened as bass continued to bite -- perfect for another episode of Bob Izumi's Real Fishing Show.
http://www.mykawartha.com/article/22399
Time well spent with fishing guru Bob Izumi
Monday, 03. December 2007
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