Passion for outdoors leads to hosting hunting TV show

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2013 at 12:00 am

Tim Andrus of Kent is host of Rush Outdoors

Photos by Tom Rivers – Tim Andrus and Rush Outdoors, a TV series on hunting and fishing that appears on seven networks in New York, were in Orleans County on Thursday for a show about the fall fishery. Andrus, a Kent resident, is pictured at the Archer’s Club on the Oak Orchard River.

WATERPORT – When people outside New York State think of New York, they likely first think of a big city with skyscrapers. Tim Andrus and John Lenox want them to think of white-tailed deer, Chinook salmon and the Great Outdoors.

Lenox is co-owner of Rush Outdoors, a television show that focuses on hunting and fishing destinations in New York. The show is wrapping up filming for its second season.

The show was launched last year on one network, Time Warner Cable Sports. Andrus, a Kent resident, is host of the show that has grown to seven networks in New York, with viewers in southern Ontario and Pennsylvania.

“There is so much to offer the outdoorsman in New York State that doesn’t get talked about,” Lenox said.

Rush Outdoors wants to highlight New York as a great place for fishing and hunting. This angler is show in the Oak Orchard River on Thursday.

He mentions hunting and hiking in the Adirondack, Catskill and Allegany mountains. Lake Ontario and Lake Erie offer chances to catch huge fish.

Many of the tributaries on the southern shore of Lake Ontario are popular fishing spots, with large salmon and trout making their annual spawning runs. Orleans County has several tributaries that are popular with anglers. The Oak Orchard River is considered one of the best in the state, Lenox said.

The crew from Rush Outdoors spent Thursday filming in the county, with most of the footage shot from the Archer’s Club along the Oak Orchard River. Lenox said it was ideal with the leaves falling and men in waders reeling in numerous big fish.

The Oak Orchard River in the fall provides lots of good footage for a TV show on the outdoors.

Andrus is the host of the show and he provides the highlights from different areas of the state. He tries to promote outdoors activities during all four seasons. He has highlighted the fall fishery in Orleans County, and also has filmed in the summer from the county – that time on a charter boat.

“This is my passion,” Andrus said. “I love the outdoors.”

Andrus works full-time as a corrections officer at the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion. He has been fishing since he was a kid when he would rent a rowboat and catch small-mouth bass at Point Breeze.

Now he is having adventures around the state and beyond, inviting viewers to join him while he fishes and hunts.

Lenox said Andrus has proven popular with viewers.

“Tim is one of the most likable people you’ll ever meet,” Lenox said. “He represents the sponsors and the show really well.”

Rush Outdoors wants to show that bountiful fishing and hunting resources in New York, including the stream fishing in Orleans County.

Andrus has contacts in the outdoors industry. He has been on staff with Realtree, a company that sells camouflage products, since 1996. He speaks at events and makes appearances at stores all over the country.

When Andrus and Lenox were pushing to launch the show last year, they needed sponsors. Andrus pitched the idea to Orleans County tourism officials. They signed on. It has proven a good fit, said Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportsfishing coordinator.

“From the Orleans County standpoint, we were looking to get on television at a reasonable price,” he said.

The county has a 30-second commercial that airs on the show and also has been regularly featured as part of Rush Outdoors.

Andrus is pleased with the momentum and growing audience for the show, which is now in 4 million homes in New York.

“Our goal is to go national,” he said.

For more on Rush Outdoors, click here.

Anglers are lined up in the Oak Orchard River by the Archer’s Club.