I was talking with an old friend the other day and we brought up the subject of how a couple of hicks from Montana ended up getting hooked on steelhead. Well for me it was a guy named Larry Schoenborn (sp)? and his show Fishin the West. I had to make sure that I was home every sunday at 4:30 to see If he was catching salmon or steelhead. I heard he had a tackle shop in Portland.... I can remember his shows inspired me to take up this obsession. Anyway did anyone ever buy that theme music that he used for his show? I would sure like a copy of that, and if anyone out there knows Larry tell him good job for me and thanks for the kick start.

If I remember correctly his show went off the air about the time that his stores went out of business; however, at that point many people felt that he had already Jumped the Shark when he started doing more shows that were in other countries. Even though Larry spent a lot of time catching coat hangers, they really did do a fine job of putting those shows together.

It's just too damned expensive anymore to put together even a local, non-community access fishing show. Hopefully we will have a show like this again that is done by a local fishing retailer (Fisherman's?).

I speak with larry every now and then...The old show got to be a big hassle for him and he threw in the towel. He and his wife now operate a cool guide service " Fishing with Larry" chasing fish from Kamchatka to Beleize...What a life!!!!!!!!!

Capt. Mike,

Lets just hope that the show I did with "Fishing The West" insired you. I took Larry and his crew on the West Fork of the Humptulips in 1984 and we had an OK day. All the main rivers were blown out so this was just an alternative place to try to do the shoot. We managed to catch a couple nice fish and also a couple dark fish. All in all it turned out pretty good. Pretty sure we hit 7 and landed 4. One fish was about 16 pounds that we released.

I can't remember what he told me that it costs to bring a show to television but it was unbelievable. We had two boats, Larry and myself, two camera people, one sound person and a young guy to drag the boats around. Of course, I donated the trip and got a few good bookings from it.

I ran into Larry at the Pulallup(sp) sport show and he is still pushing fishing trips. He is a pretty good guy and seems like a very hard worker.

fp

mt mike, I also used to watch "Fishing The West",thought it was a good show. As for the music, you can still hear Tom Grants music on
"Americas Outdoor Journal",thats what"Fishing The West"has become a few years ago. It's seen on FOX sports northwest, 9:30am sundays or 10:30am sundays on Fox sports Rocky Mts.

Larry S. once tried to get a guide friend of mine from Tillamook to do a show on catching Tillamook fall kings on Buzz Bombs, when the guide told him there was no way in hell they could fish B.B. amongst the T. Bay crowd, he was told to hook them any way he liked, get the fish to the boat and then release them with Buzz Bombs attached and they would tape that part of the fight.
This comes from a very well known, well respected guide that I have known for a long time and I have no reason to believe he would make this up.
Shoenborn is kind of lacking in the integrity department if you ask me, wonder what Buzz Bomb paid him for that show,

fp,
The episode on the West Fork of the Humptulips was a classic. We just loved it when Larry grabbed the net to help you land a fish, and then jumped into the river with only his blue jeans on. Boy, the water looked cold!! Did he freeze his boys off the rest of the day or what? Also when he spotted a steelhead as you were drifting along, and then had it pick up his sandshrimp was hilarious! I don't think you believed him by your reaction. I would love to get a copy of that episode if you have one. This show was a classic!

It was very cold on the west fork that day. I floated the same water and remember FP and Larry. Their crew took a couple of film shots of our fish and made the comment that my partner looked cold. He was cold, he fell in at the start of the trip. He had a small ski thermometer attached to his jacket and it registered the water temperature after he fell in. That use to be a great float!

FP, I wish that I could say that my memory was good enough to pick out that specific episode. That was about the right time. I can remember only 1 specific episode when Larry hooked a nice fish while back trolling thru a cut bank with brush or trees over hanging it. No wait I think they were back bouncing a shrimp and egg cocktail. Anyway I would love to have a video just for old time sake. I remember being amazed that you could hook a fish and just hold on, growing up in Mont. when you hooked a fish you just reeled it in...
Rapid Robert, thanks for the tip on that other show, I'll watch it just for the music. We will be subscribing the fox sport network as soon as baseball season starts so we can watch the M's play.
Nice fish Larry
Mike

Tom Grant info .

I grew up watching that show. The theme song is a classical piano piece horizon used to use a different part of the song in their adds (could be I am wrong but at school a pianist played it and I thought it was the song) I spoke to larry at the sportsmens show and he told me a station down in portland was going to reair the episodes.
P.S I have a few of the shows on tape if you really want some maybe we could work something out

I also heard from a very respected person that he was sturgeon fishing on the columbia or snake and Larry and his crew was filming there and they did not hook any fish so they attached a 5 gallon bucket to oneof the rods and pretended to fight this monster until of course they lost it.
Pretty funny if you ask me.
Anyways we do have some great local shows that do not fake fishing. I have filmed one episode for the Hot Tamale outdoor shaow and two for the reel Deal fishing show. With scott and the hot tamale show I actually got the guide sweat having gone the first 3 1/2 hours of the day with no fish in the dirty water, when Bam I hooked one up ass fishing, then it was all down hill from there with us hooking a whole bunch more and I think landing 10 or 11 , which is enough to make a great show. Look for it soon on your Portland station.
With Andy and the reel deal it was the same thing nothing but straight up fishing!!!
Support your local shows.
Peace Superfly

Thanks Dave Jackson for the Tom Grant link, I sent them a email asking about the availability of that music. Soon I will be toe tapping my way down the road in big fish dreamland. Oh wait I'm in that state 80% of the time anyway. Sometimes rock & roll just doesn't fit the mood. I must be getting old....
elguapo, I would like to work a deal for some fishing the west episodes, let me know how you would like to work it out. I'm just leaving for a 3 day fishin trip, got wrestling on sat, basketball on sun, but if I haven't heard from you by mon can I email you?
Thanks
mike

superfly,

I'd support them if I could watch them! We don't get squat here in Aberdeen. Oh....I take that back, our gracious local cable company recently blessed us with the Cooking Channel "at no extra cost!!"

We don't even get the Reel Deal(sp?) which is an Olympia-based show...pretty pathetic.

Sigh! Oh well, bass forever I guess.

Does anyone know if any of the shows are available for sale on tape?