Global hunt sets sail for exotic fins

Part travelogue, part fly-fishing adventure show, “What a Catch!” takes you on a series of journeys from Iceland to Brazil in search of the world’s most exotic game fish. Hosted by effusive Canadian Kathryn Maroun, the series examines remote destinations and challenging wilderness conditions and explores the local scenery and customs as much as the elusive fish she pursues.

During an episode in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, while fishing the fall Atlantic salmon run, Maroun also learns a few dance steps at a local folk music rave-up and shares a stream-side lobster dinner and Canadian whiskey with friends in the kind of participatory moments that make this show a decent entry in outdoor fishing programming, despite its lame name.

If you’re a hard-core nuts-and-bolts fisherman, you may get impatient with some of the sidebar action here, but the show works as enjoyable outdoor eye candy alongside other programs with venerable OLN bassmasters such as Roland Martin and Bill Dance.

-- Michael Koehn