Props to Flap and Squid. It takes a good size pair to throw yourselves so willingly upon the late-winter duldrums fire. I am generally not the fire all cannons type of guy but I will say a few things to clarify my distaste for the tool box that is CM.
I have a heck of a time when I go out fishing either fresh or saltwater. Some people do need to super-size their stress factor to astronomical proportions to have what they consider a "good trip". I too have removed them from my will-fish-with list and I'm sure vice-versa.
I would LOVE to have just the opportunity to have his job for even a few weeks. There would only be some slight changes in the actual content of the show.
First of all, I would not use 80 lb. test when fishing for smallmouth. I would use my 6 lb. Yozuri hybrid. If you know that there is a drag knob on your reel that is a good start.
Secondly, I would not refer to an obviosly 1 lb. maximum "Larry" as a "wicked uge foive pownder" That one would be edited out of the show as too small to waste my viewers time with. I mean, c'mon, you fish each location for a full at least a full day, these are the best shots you can give us? How much talent is really there.
Thirdly, and finally for now, I would treat the fish that I catch and release with a little more respect and dignity. That would include
NOT throttling my boatmate about the head and shoulder area with said "beaoootifully cawlahed" bass. It would also
NOT include holding a fish up to the camera for as much as two minutes or more while you can see it struggling to simply breathe.
This list is by no means complete and is not meant to be an attack on anybody {well, except for the tool box}