Behind The Scenes of Fish. Eat. Live. with Crappie Kirby

August 03, 2022

Behind The Scenes of Fish. Eat. Live. with Crappie Kirby

By Phillip Gentry

 

When B’n’M Poles set out to sponsor a YouTube channel fishing show, the idea was to not only showcase the talent of their well-known pro-staff, but to present the sport of crappie fishing in a new focus, one that would be both fun, entertaining, and informative. Enter Crappie Kirby.

Kirby Ham, aka Crappie Kirby, started his illustrious broadcasting career in radio and has blossomed as an outdoors social media influencer. A part time crappie fishing guide, syndicated radio personality, and Mobile DJ in the metropolitan Kansas City area, Kirby was excited to step into the role of host of Fish. Eat. Live.

“We go wherever anglers are using B’n’M Poles and Crappie Magnet gear,” said Ham. “So far in our year and half of doing weekly shows, we’ve had some incredible trips and done some great shows and each one seems to get better and better.”

Crappie Kirby works with fellow B’n’M pro-staffers to bring the most up-to-date crappie fishing shows to YouTube and a host of social media.

Ham said he and B’n’M pro-staff manager Kent Driscoll work together to decide where the crappie are biting across the country and get the most updated information to present to viewers. He said it’s been an ambitious schedule but so far he’s been able to meet the demands of creating a show every week for the channel.

“Crappie fishing is a unique puzzle when it comes to finding them and catching them,” said Ham. “Our pros are the best I’ve seen when it comes to using the right equipment and having the knowledge to figure out that puzzle.”

Ham said he was excited to be adding additional elements to the show with Duck Commander icon and fellow B’n’M and Crappie Magnet pro-staffer John Godwin expanding into the catfishing area with Fish. Eat. Live.

That’s a wrap on another edition of Fish. Eat. Live.

When asked about which show had been his favorite so far, Ham laughed and said that as cliché as it seemed, he really has enjoyed all of them and that each guest has brought a unique experience to the fishing show.

“All of these guys are great anglers and each one has a great perspective on the sport of fishing. They lend their expertise on how to fish some of the top lakes for crappie fishing, all while integrating family, faith, and fun into the mix,” he said. “It’s been an honor to share the boat with each and every one of them.”

Speaking of boats, or rather a lack of boats, Ham said he has done shows with Jeff Smith, Jeremy Aldridge, John Harrison, and John Godwin where no boat at all was used in the production.

“Wading for crappie in flooded timber is probably one of my favorite ways to catch crappie now,” he said. “It’s something I never would have expected or thought about, walking back into the woods and then getting in the water and catching slab crappie.”

Crappie Kirby said one of the most rewarding aspects of filming the show is when he gets to share the boat with kids and see their excitement over crappie fishing.

Ham said getting out of the angler’s normal element was what Fish. Eat. Live. was all about, doing something different than the way most folks normally fish and having those “Oh Wow” moments when you see how someone who knows the lake and really knows how to fish it sets up and catches fish in ways he may have never thought of.

“I really enjoy watching people catch fish and talk about how they learned to fish in a particular style or tactic,” he said. “I get to share that with them and share it with the viewers as well. You know we get all sorts of positive feedback on Sundays when the new show comes out and people are really connecting with what we are doing.”

He said fishing seems to always take him back to his youth when he was learning how to fish and he’s happy to share that on the show as well.

“Some of my favorite moments are when we have kids on the show and I’m thinking, we’re documenting young anglers today who will grow into the next generation of crappie anglers and I really love having them on the show and see them getting excited about crappie fishing.”

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Check out the latest Fish. Eat. Live. show and catch up on all of the great fishing shows on our YouTube channel at YouTube.com/fish-eat-live

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