West Bloomfield resident discusses what life has been like since launch of outdoor adventure show

WEST BLOOMFIELD — More than five years have passed since West Bloomfield resident Mike McKinstry quit a full-time job he’d had for nearly a decade in order to launch his own outdoor adventure show.

Since launching “The Bassquatch Hunter,” which involves McKinstry fishing from a kayak, some things have changed.

After originally airing episodes exclusively on YouTube, the show now also airs on cable, via the Pursuit Channel.

According to McKinstry, the show also has two Telly Awards to its credit — one in a sports category and the other in the nature and wildlife category.

A production company helps McKinstry produce “The Bassquatch Hunter,” which airs 12 episodes per season.

He said the show is “fully funded by the brands we work with,” and has a four-person crew.

Aside from cable, McKinstry said that “The Bassquatch Hunter” is also on streaming platforms “all over the place.”

He also continues to post episodes on YouTube.

McKinstry discussed how things have been going since making the decision to quit his job in the field of promotional marketing so that he could focus on earning a living from the show.

“It’s been (like) a rocket ship with a homemade engine, I guess you could say,” McKinstry said. “So it’s not a straight-up trajectory, like most people would hope for, but it’s been growing so fast that we have to try and keep up with it. … Every year we’ve grown (in) viewerships; we average 1.6 million viewers now on cable, and obviously we didn’t start there. So every year, it’s gone up like crazy.”

McKinstry described one of the premises of his show.

“With my show, I get to take people fishing in my world and teach ’em how to do what I do; then I go in their world and learn to do what they do,” he said.

McKinstry provided an example in a recent episode he filmed with a firefighter from the West Bloomfield Fire Department.

For the show, he took the firefighter fishing, which was followed by McKinstry learning some of what goes into being a firefighter.

“Being a little kid at heart, I’ve always wanted to see what it was like to be a fireman,” McKinstry said. “I got to do the firefighter agility course for West Bloomfield, and I did it in full gear. … It was so much harder than I expected. I have a whole newfound respect for firemen.”

Despite all that goes into putting the shows together and finding sponsorship deals, McKinstry also finds time to help out in the community.

He volunteers at some of the camps the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission offers, which includes helping teach children how to fish.

“I (want to) inspire kids to take risks, try new things and not be afraid to get outside and try to find an adventure,” McKinstry said. “It’s probably the most rewarding thing that I do. … It’s bigger than my show. … I schedule around these events, to make sure I never have to miss one.”

Lauren Azoury is a park naturalist supervisor for the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission and said McKinstry is “really great at showing and sharing his passion for outdoor activities, and so it’s a unique partnership that we were able to have his help.

“One of our main pillars is nature education, and Mike is passionate about that. He likes to share his knowledge of fishing and keeping the water clean where he visits, so his passion really shines through,” Azoury said.

There is another bonus to having McKinstry help out at the camps.

“It’s great to have someone that … has good fishing stories to tell and share with the kids, and he does come with an interesting skill-set, considering that he fishes from a kayak, rather than a dock all the time,” Azoury said. “He’s able to show the kids their equipment. … That enhances our program, because we don’t have the equipment that he has to share and show kids.”

Earlier this year, McKinstry provided children with more than just an increased knowledge of fishing.

“He … was able to donate a set of fishing poles this year for our camp kids to have,” Azoury said. “We’ve had a permanent set for a long time, but they were sized for adults, and we were just making it work with our budget. … We were able to get a whole camp set of fishing poles (because) of his gracious donation.”

From McKinstry’s perspective, “The Bassquatch Hunter” is more than just a fishing show.

“Fishing isn’t my favorite thing in the world to do — it’s really not. It’s just the best therapy I’ve found, where I can get out and be at peace, and I can get out and have fun,” he said. “It’s an adventure, it’s exciting and I love doing it so much that it’s what I decided to do for a living. … It’s not about catching the fish; it’s about what you’re leaving behind.”

McKinstry’s aspiration is for “Bassquatch Hunter” to be more than merely an outlet for entertainment and a way to learn more about fishing.

“My job isn’t to inspire people to go fishing. My job is to inspire people to follow their dreams, not be afraid to better themselves, learn things from new people, get outside your bubble and take a risk,” he said. “If we end up the biggest show in the entire world somehow one day… my goal is still to make sure I can find a way to inspire as many people as possible to do what I did — follow your dreams (and) find happiness. If you’re not happy with what you’re doing, then don’t be afraid to try something different.”

To stay up-to-date on “The Bassquatch Hunter,” follow the show on Instagram and Facebook.

Episodes can also be viewed on YouTube.