Tyler Kyle (left) and Nathan Thomas (right) having a laugh as usual while filming Two Men and their Fishing Rods. The Nanaimo men recently inked a deal for the program to run nationally on the Wild Pursuit Network

By Ian Holmes

big catch

‘It’s a labour of love:’ local fishing show hooks national TV deal

Jun 3, 2019 | 8:24 AM

NANAIMO — “Two Men and their Fishing Rods” may not be a splashy, big budget production, but the endearing Nanaimo-based television series has lured a nationwide television agreement.

The speciality channel Wild Pursuit Network will air season eight of the popular series across the country starting on Canada Day.

Co-producers and longtime friends Nathan Thomas and Tyler Kyle said they always hoped to expose their work on the national stage after debuting on Shaw TW in Nanaimo in 2011.

Thomas feels their authentic, down-to-earth approach paid off.

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“It’s just like you and your friend going fishing. There’s no special effects, we don’t catch the biggest fish…it’s just as much about hanging out with your buddy as it is catching fish.” _{Nathan Thomas}

Thomas said they film with a shoestring budget and limited resources in Nanaimo and south coast lakes during the spring and summer.

“Lots of people think that we have a huge team that films and edits for us, but that’s all just us,” Thomas said. “The whole crew is just two people…it takes about 30 hours for one episode.”

Each season consists of 13 episodes, while Thomas and Kyle comb through five to six hours of footage for each half-hour program.

They also handle all the sound, graphics and closed captioning, which Thomas said is the worst part, while at the same time holding down full-time jobs and being fathers.

Two Men and their Fishing Rods previously expanded on Shaw TV to include all of Vancouver Island, before make its way on television sets across the province on CHEK TV.

Thomas said the addition to CHEK’s regular programming five years ago gave their brand a notable jolt.

Despite the added exposure, Thomas said he and Kyle haven’t benefited financially. Their production costs are offset by their corporate sponsors.

Kyle said some fans think their hobby is a lucrative venture.

“It’s definitely a perception,” Kyle said with a chuckle. “It’s very nice that people invite us out fishing all the time. ‘Hey come out this Wednesday,’ not realizing we work Monday to Friday 8 to 5. It’s a labour of love, we’re not getting rich,” Kyle said.

Kyle said hopefully their program’s jump to the national stage will help it grow in some way.

“We just hope to get more positive reinforcement and make it bigger and better,” Kyle said.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterHolmes