Entry 298-3
Being Behind and In Front of the Camera with Strike King’s Kelly Gotch
Editor’s Note: Kelly Gotch, one of the newest members of the Strike King family and co-host of the “Step Outside” TV show on the Outdoor Channel produced in partnership with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), will host “The Guide Series with Kelly Gotch,” produced by SchaZam Productions, premiering on the Pursuit Channel in July 2009. For the past 3-1/2-years, Gotch has hosted and produced “Michigan Out-of-Doors,” one of the first outdoor TV shows in the nation that actually began in the 1950s.
Part 3: I’d Rather Be Fishing.
Question: Kelly, yesterday you mentioned that you’re a member of the U.S. World Ice Fishing Team. When did you start ice fishing?
Gotch: I was ice fishing before I could eat solid foods. My dad took me fishing as a little girl on a lake in our neighborhood. We’d sit on 5-gallon buckets on the ice, drilling holes in the ice with a chainsaw and catch fish all day.
Question: What other types of fishing do you do?
Gotch: If it’s legal, I’ll do it. I started saltwater fishing several years ago, and I’m attempting to catch the women’s world-record swordfish. 
I primarily target grouper and snapper when I’m saltwater fishing. Since I live in Michigan, I mostly freshwater fish. I’ve been smallmouth fishing my entire life, and I also love to fish for walleyes. Michigan has plenty of walleye to catch, and they’re delicious to eat. I fish on the rivers for salmon and steelhead and enjoy catching the delicious perch and bluegill that are abundant in Michigan. However, perch and bluegill don’t fight quite like a big smallmouth or steelhead.
Question: What consumes most of your time?
Gotch: Since September, I’ve been working on co-hosting and editing “The Guide Series with Kelly Gotch.” 
I earned my bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University in television production. My production company, Gotcha Production Company, runs several cameras for other TV shows in association with SchaZam Productions. I do it all – run the camera, edit the footage, do the voice-overs and co-host. Of course, on “The Guide Series with Kelly Gotch,” I don’t film because I’m hosting.
Too, I’m an all-around artist – a screenwriter, a poet and a musician. I lived in New Orleans for 2 years after college doing video work with heavy-metal bands. Now, I’m on the road hunting, fishing and videoing most of the time. I’ve also been a member of Realtree’s Pro Staff for several years.
Next: One of the Boys
Contents:
- Part 1: Who is Kelly Gotch?
- Part 2: An Angler and a Hunter
- Part 3: I'd Rather Be Fishing
- Part 4: One of the Boys
- Part 5: The Future for Kelly Gotch
