When
you hear the name Aaron Martin your first thought might be of western legend Aaron Martens. While not to be confused, the two do share similar names and similar profes- sions. For most of the country Aaron Martin is a familiar face that comes into millions of house holds each week. While maybe not as known in the west as the other Aaron you can bet that’s quickly changing with the rising success or his Bass Edge Televi- sion Show. Bass edge is arguably one of the finest bass oriented shows on the air these days. With a wide distribution across all of North America anglers from coast to coast have been tuning in and paying attention to a show that is actually deserving of their time. I recently had a chance to fish with show host Aaron Martin and tried to catch a little insight in what makes Bass Edge so appeal- ing to viewers.
BW - Aaron basically let’s cut to the chase! You have the job we all want! So maybe you can tell the Bass West readers a little about you. AM – I grew up in Missouri on a small farm I eventually went to college and now re- side in Kimberling Missouri on the shores of Table Rock Lake. My family was always in- volved in the outdoors, but it was right around the time I was thirteen or fourteen years that I really got hooked on bass fishing. BW – So at that point were you thinking about a career in fishing? Or was it more a pastime? AM – I was probably like many others in thinking it would be a great way to make a liv- ing. But truthfully it wasn’t something I ever considered. I got involved in a local club, then team and draw events while in high school and college. Eventually I got involved with Heartland and Central Pro Am Events. During this time I was a financial con- sultant so I fished events that were conducive to my schedule. BW – Ok so how and why a national fishing show?
AM – It was really kind of a fluke! I had been finding some success as a tour- nament angler; most of my friends and cli- ents knew I was a die-hard fisherman. One of those clients was Don Hertz. Don had a production company in St. Louis that had done extensive work for many of the larger networks. We were having lunch one day and ended up discussing fishing shows. Don started taking notes on a napkin of what I thought shows were really lacking. It seemed to me that any body with a fish- ing rod and a camera could get their show on the air. There were only a few that were really impressive, and even those seemed to be more about product sales, we thought a show that could really disseminate infor- mation might be widely excepted. Don had a number of ideas about building a brand, utilizing new technology as in HD, and having other media avenues to comple- ment the show. I didn’t think much about that meeting, it was more conversation than anything, and I had no cidea that I would be looking back four years later, and realizing that one meeting would change my life. But months later Don called and asked if I would be interested in filming a pilot for the Versus Channel, of course I was excited at the opportunity and readily
Bass Edge really is a show for tournament anglers that truly is worth your time. Check out www.bassedge.com for show listings and times. Currently Bass Edge is featured on WFN, The Outdoor Channel, and Wild TV in Canada.
March/April 2009 »
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