The Strikezone revolution
Working as a full-time fishing journalist I have always had never ending desire to capture the true excitement of fishing. At first it was just snapping pics, but then I expanded into television. I have had the pleasure of presenting a few fishing shows over the years but a chance meeting with professional cameraman Ron ‘CSR’ Croft changed all that.
With credentials like a string of major movies as well as National Geographic behind him this award winning cinematographer was looking for a new challenge. He was instantly hooked on my quest to take fishing TV to a new new level and we wasted little time in putting theory into practice developing a fishing show like no other.
Our aim was initially to develop a series of fishing DVDs that were loaded with never before seen underwater footage exposing the secret lives of predators like marlin, yellowtail and mahi. A mix between a fishing show and a documentary loaded with non stop action. Most importantly the series would focus around trailerboat fishing with the sole aim of teaching anglers something new that will help them catch more fish.
This all looked great on paper but when we actually set about to for filling the dream we quickly discovered it was no easy task. The first problem was to capture the bite underwater something that had never been done before. We couldn’t buy one so we built Australia’s first ever Strikecam
Ron and I enjoyed a steep learning curve in the early years. We crashed the camera into the bottom, trolled it upside down, broke everything imaginable and even tangled it around the fishing lines costing us more than a few fish. The most amazing thing though was when a mako shark swallowed the camera!
Despite the hardship we made an amazing eight DVDs in a series that covered everything from catching kingfish underneath the Sydney to awesome marlin bites offshore. We even managed some true monsters like hand feeding Great White Sharks and landing one of the biggest tuna ever seen. I wouldn’t have it any other way and what I have learnt is amazing and the fact we have been able to share it with thousands of other anglers only makes it all the better.
StrikezoneTV begins
After the huge success of the DVD series I suppose it was only natural that we would eventually end up on television, but no one anticipated the unbelievable success StrikezoneTV would achieved in the premier season.
Battling the elements and the wildest seas in pursuit of the biggest, fastest and toughest fish that swim. No other show had ever seen anglers go to such extremes and best of all it is all done in local waters. There were no expensive charter boats in far off locales, instead StrikezoneTV caught some amazing fish from trailerboats including the biggest tuna ever filmed in this country. Not surprisingly it blitzed the weekly ratings in Sydney.
Hosted and produced by fishing celebrity Al McGlashan StrikezoneTV has pulled together some of the best anglers in the country (oh yeah and Al!) to create this exciting new series that captures the true passion and beauty of angling. With some of the latest camera technology StrikezoneTV has achieved a unique multi view which gives audiences the best angle both above and below the surface!
Al’s insatiable passion for all things wet has taken the show beyond just angling. Not content just catching fish the team have dived with sperm whales, swam with giant tuna and even hand fed stingrays the size of car bonnets.
No other show makes fishing seem so fun and Al’s antics are always worth a laugh. StrikezoneTV is highly informative and is guaranteed to not only improve your fishing but also inspire you to get outdoors and go fishing.
www.strikezonetv.com |
