Viewer-Favorite Show Airs Series in December to Promote Social Wellness of Fishing
NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Lunkerville, the TV show that features real people with real fish stories is doubling-down on its mission to introduce people to the emotional and social wellness benefits of recreational fishing. This December, a special four-episode run of Lunkerville will air on Discovery Channel to launch “Get Folks Fishing”, a new initiative that creator and host Mike D hopes will inspire more people to cast a line and head outdoors next Spring.
In 2001, as a resident New Yorker and filmmaker with a thriving production company, Mike took up fishing to help balance the stress of big city living. After 9/11, fishing became more than just a healthy hobby. “Fishing let me leave my work day behind and tune out the news,” he explains. “Being on the water helped me focus on what really mattered in life.”
In a year of lockdown, Mike couldn’t travel to film his show. “This pandemic year has been brutal for everyone — emotionally, socially and financially. I wanted to help and kept thinking, if I could just get folks to experience fishing for the first time, they might feel better and maybe forget for a while and actually have some fun.”
A tall order in 2020 but definitely something people can plan for next Spring, safely, with family or friends in their bubble. “We all know the health benefits of spending time in nature but not everyone knows how little it costs and that you don’t even have to travel that far to experience the benefits of fishing. Look at me — my “Lunkerville” is The Lake in Central Park! I grab my rod, hop on the subway and soon I’m surrounded by trees, standing on the shore with a line in the water.”
- To help inspire Spring get-aways for viewers, four new Lunkerville episodes will air on Saturday mornings in December. Each week will bring the audience a different fishing experience alongside families, couples, teens, and solo anglers who all fish for fun and mental fitness.
- To help with the gear and in time for holiday gift-giving, Mike set up CheapTackle.com, an online store that offers brand-name fishing tackle at deeply-discounted prices, making it affordable for absolutely everyone. “We’re reaching out to manufacturers to sell their closeout items to us that we will in turn sell to anglers at prices only slightly above my cost. With complete family fishing packages for under $100, it’s a win-win for everyone.”
- To help fans engage and inspire first-time anglers, Lunkerville will run a social media contest for the show’s half-million+ Facebook followers from Thanksgiving through December. The ask is for fans to send in short video clips of themselves sharing what fishing means to them — tips on how to catch fish are also welcome! Winning videos will air on the Lunkerville television broadcasts.
“This is personal,” continues Mike, “I’m on a mission to get folks out of the house, off their devices and on to fishing! It’s always been the idea behind Lunkerville but now it’s more important than ever. I want to do everything I can to actually make it happen.”
Lunkerville’s “Get Folks Fishing” Special Series will air Saturday mornings at 6:30am on Discovery Channel, right before Major League Fishing, this December. (Check local listings for air-times.) The series will also stream on Amazon Prime Video and Facebook Watch.
About Lunkerville
When Indie film director Michael de Avila hooked his passion for story telling onto his love of fishing, he spawned the documentary fishing series Lunkerville: The show that features real people with real fish stories. The three-time Sportsman Channel Viewer-Favorite Fishing Show winner is still going strong. For 16 years, host ‘Mike D’ has been casting his line at every day, recreational anglers, traveling to their secret spots, sharing their special techniques and making them the expert stars of the day. In his signature laid-back manner, he reels in the camaraderie, the fun and the fish. Lunkerville also hosts one of the most popular Facebook pages for an outdoors TV show. With over half-a-million fan followers, guests are chosen directly from the Facebook group. For more information on the show, please visit www.lunkerville.com.
About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.
