Jerry McKinnis' long odyssey from minor-league pitcher to TV fishing icon to co-owner of B.A.S.S. is chronicled in Bass Fishing, Brown Dogs & Curveballs, which became available for order this week. McKinnis describes his journey as “a very interesting 78-year adventure.”
The "Brown Dogs" portion of the title is in reference to the dachshunds that served as McKinnis’ sidekicks on his immensely popular “The Fishin’ Hole” television program. The show debuted on ESPN in 1980, the year after the cable network first went on the air, and was its longest-running regular program after “SportsCenter.” McKinnis parlayed his expertise and creativity as a television producer into JM Productions, one of the most powerful and prolific production companies in the outdoors. In 2010, he and two partners, Don Logan and Jim Copeland, purchased B.A.S.S.
The book includes stories of the how the people he met along his journey – basketball coach Bobby Knight, Kevin VanDam, the Murray twins (Bobby and Billy), Forrest Wood, Bill Dance and baseball legend Ted Williams – influenced him and, through him, the sport of bass fishing.
It also reveals what it was like to grow up in the heartland during post-World War II America, when baseball was king and fishing was a way to put food on the table. McKinnis does not sidestep some of the disappointments in his personal life, including divorce and financial struggles. Instead, he candidly examines the setbacks in hopes of delivering what he calls “some important messages” about life.
Bass Fishing, Brown Dogs & Curveballs is available at www.JerrysBook.com.
