(Posted 1/28/10)

Oneida Lake & Local Sportsman Featured On National TV

            Captain Ted Dobs, local sportsman and owner of Oneida Charters will be featured on national television next weekend. The show “Hook and Look” will be aired on the Versus Channel on Friday, February 5 at 3 pm and Saturday, February 6 at 7 am. In addition to highlighting fishing on Oneida Lake, the show will discuss the Future Anglers Outreach program.

            The show will highlight the great fishing opportunity that Oneida Lake offers. Ted discusses the changing ecology of the lake but explains and demonstrates that with changing your approach you can enjoy some great fishing on Oneida Lake.

            Although many know Ted Dobs as a charter captain who guides for walleye and bass and frequently gives seminars on both, he has also hit the bass tournament trail.  Dobs has entered many of the regional tournaments and won many of them.  Although he enjoys the competition and winning, a main purpose is to get the attention of other fishermen for programs that he believes in like Future Anglers Outreach (FAO).

            Winning tournaments, and now the TV program, gives Dobs a platform to explain the Future Anglers Outreach program that he helped develop several years ago. In 2008 Dobs was honored by the NYS Outdoor Writers Association and Bass Pro Shops with its Pass It On Award for outstanding efforts in recruiting youth and passing on our outdoor heritage.

            FAO is not a derby or competition. It is simply a learning experience where parents and children learn basics that they can use for a lifetime. To get them started every participant receives a rod and reel they get to keep. This is a reward for their efforts and helps to spark interest in the outdoors within the youth.

            Bass tournaments are a great way to reach other fisherman, especially when some of the bigger events are broadcast on TV. Unfortunately, Dobs may have the talent to compete at this level, but financial restrictions keep many such anglers from touring the country. He did the next best thing. He called the producers of a few of his favorite fishing shows, and was blown off his boat when Kim Stricker; host of TV's “Hook and Look”, called back.  The segment was filmed in summer of 2009 on Oneida Lake.