Meet Nick Honachefsky | Sportfishing TV Host/Editor/Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick Honachefsky and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Great question. I’ve been a freelance writer and editor my entire professional life, in the outdoor industry no less, so there’s an extremely limited market for writers. Consistent perseverance and building relationships, accepting rejections, and moving forward is paramount to success. On a heavier note, SuperStorm Sandy in 2012 along the Jersey Shore absolutely wiped out my home, my belongings, my fishing tackle – every single thing in life from a lifetime of photographs and work content, tens of thousands of photos and writings. I got out with my life. Afterwards I had a choice to sulk and feel sorry for myself, or get busy living as they say. I did the latter. starting from square one again so to speak in life and in my professional career. Never give up. The light will always be at the end of the tunnel for those with enough determination.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Mostly, I am thankful and proud to be able to share my passion of fishing to both those who take part in the sport as well as those who want to learn. As a journalist and TV host, I want to bring my passion for the sport of fishing, catch and release, or to bring home dinner to the table, to every piece I write or produce. Its not easy being a writer, especially in the tightly knit community of sportfishing. If I wanted to be rich, I would have done something else. I was born into a middle class family in New Jersey where my mother and father worked hard for a living. I was never given anything to get a “leg up” with connections so to speak, but was bestowed the tools to have faith in myself and to believe in my abilities. I can’t tell you how much rejection, (at least in the old days of media before anybody can have a media channel and become social media famous) that I had to go through in order to build what I think over 24 years is a respected presence. What do I want the world to know about my brand and story? It’s truly authentic. Maybe its the fact that I grew up in the woods away from any neighbors and that’s a hard thing to do in New Jersey, but the solitude and isolation allowed me to not really worry about what other people think. I was too focused on how the goldenrod bloomed in the summer or how the largemouth bass stuck around submerged stumps. So I suppose in a nutshell, the “Nick Honachefsky” brand is about being as real as it gets and hopefully encouraging every human being to do the same. I’d like to think my TV show Saltwater Underground brings that same kind of invitation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man, one week?! Ideally I suppose I would show them the coastal saltwater lifestyle along the Jersey Coast. Its such a unique and in your face real place to experience. Its not that horrible “Jersey Shore” crap you see fabricated on TV for garbage ratings from out of state people. A da ywould probably revolve around heading up to the beach in Lavallette, surfcasting for striped bass, fluke, bluefish, etc. to get peopl acclimated to the serene life and silence of the Atlantic, especially at sunrise when the sun breaks the horizon in an unreal palate of reds and purples. Then possibly take a skiff to the Barnegat Bay to go clamming and crabbing to throw on the grill later. If we had some time to go inland, I would love to show someone my hometown of bucolic Clinton NJ, where its all farmland and Norman Rockwell painting type main streets. Bar and restaurant wise, I’d have to take them to my friend’s spots at the saltiest bar on the east coast Broadway Bar and Grill on the beach for lip-smacking wings. (they dip em in secret sauce, grill em then flash fry em!) Then probably head to my buddy and pro chef Josh DeChellis Juniper Hill restaurant in Annandale NJ for an exquisite culinary experience of tuna crudo, flounder with a Phylo oyster sauce and more treats I can’t even describe. For a wild experience, I may even take them into the Pine Barrens, where the legend of the true Jersey Devil lurks….

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout is absolutely to my wife Emily, mother Bonita, father Bill, brother Bill Jr. and thousands of friends. Without the culmination of them all, I could never be where I am. Even by sheer ambition. You need relationships to pull you through. Its intrinsically human.

Website: www.saltwaterunderground.com

Instagram: @nickhonachefsky

Linkedin: Nick Honachefsky

Facebook: Saltwater Underground with Nick Honachefsky

Youtube: Saltwater Underground with Nick Honachefsky

Other: Just google “Nick Honachefsky” I have a unique last name so a ton of links over 24 years of writing and TV appearances show up.

Image Credits
Nick Honachefsky