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From pitch to cast: Yellowknife TV show angles to promote sport fishing

Brett McGarry
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Ryan Gregory hold a 42 pound lake trout he helped an 85 year old guest catch while was out guiding for Plummer's Lodge on Great Bear Lake. He said he hopes to be able to get out and catch a fish that size one day and beat his own personal record. Courtesy of Ryan Gregory

Bob Izumi's Real Fishing Show to Jeremy Wade's River Monsters, many talented fishermen dream of having their own television show.

Ryan Gregory casting out off his boat on Great Slave Lake. He said he aims to shoot more content for his Fish'N the Arctic YouTube channel to promote the high quality sport fishing available in Yellowknife.
Courtesy of Ryan Gregory

It was no different for Ryan Gregory, an Ontario born Yellowknifer with a lifelong passion for fishing, when he pitched the idea of his own show to NorthwesTel during the Yellowknife Film Festival in 2017.

Gregory entered the pitch contest for his distinctly Northern fishing show called Fish'N the Arctic and got second place.

“I won second prize so I got a broadcasting licence and some funding to produce my own show,” he said. “I hired a videographer, got a camera and went out. I even took on the editing and learned how to edit video to get it out there.”

Gregory ended up producing two episodes for NorthwesTel last year, which aired on its community channel throughout the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

“From there, I'm looking to expand and get it on other channels Sportsman Channel, Wild TV and when the shows are done and archived they'll live on my YouTube channel,” he said.

Gregory said he hopes to produce a few more episodes for television, but nothing has been finalized at the moment.

Ryan Gregory hold a 42 pound pike he helped an 85 year old guest catch while was out guiding for Plummer's Lodge on Great Bear Lake. He said he hopes to be able to get out and catch a fish that size one day and beat his own personal record. Courtesy of Ryan Gregory
Ryan Gregory hold a 42 pound lake trout he helped an 85 year old guest catch while was out guiding for Plummer's Lodge on Great Bear Lake. He said he hopes to be able to get out and catch a fish that size one day and beat his own personal record.
Courtesy of Ryan Gregory

However, this opportunity has opened a number of doors, given him the skills to produce fishing content for the web and allowed him to pursue a childhood dream.

When he was just two years old, his father put a rod in his hands, showed him how to cast and the rest was history, he said.

“I grew up fishing the tournament series back home and have been a multi-species angler most of my life,” said Gregory. “Having a fishing show has always been a childhood dream of mine. Growing up I had the opportunity to be a guest on the Fish'N Canada show with Pete Bowman. Then I have some buddies back home and with YouTube these days everyone has their own channel, so I've been inspired to do that.”

Since moving to Yellowknife seven years ago, Gregory has taken full advantage of any opportunity to showcase just how good the fishing is in the North.

“We're spoiled up here,” he said. “You get to go chase world record fish every time you go out. Also the variety of kinds of fishing you can do around here is incredible. So my idea with Fish N' the Arctic is to promote sport fishing and get more youth involved.”

His efforts to get the youth involved have started with Arizona, his five-year-old daughter.

“I have a little side show during my episodes with daughter Arizona called Fish'N with Zoe,” he said. “It's a small segment about a father and daughter learning about the outdoors through fishing. Together we catch and clean fish, learn how to start a fire and cook them.”

Gregory has started guiding fishing trips with Yellowknife Sport Fishing Adventures, and he occasionally guides at Plummer's Lodge on Great Bear Lake as well.