Sarasota Woman Angles to be 'Top Hooker'

Larysa Switlyk was just 11 when her older brother handed her a broken fishing line and she ended up catching a flounder from the dock at the Colony in Longboat Key. The experience was life changing for Switlyk, now 27.

"I was pretty much hooked for life. In college I really got into (fishing)," Switlyk said. "My true passion is to travel, fish, hunt and get out there."

While Switlyk pursued an accounting degree, the Sarasota resident and University of Florida graduate dedicates most of her time now to her passion for the outdoors. And she gets to share that enthusiasm as she stars in two outdoor TV shows this summer. The first, "Top Hooker," premieres June 2 on Animal Planet.

The 10-week show "is an in-your-face, full-throttle competition series that pits 10 expert fishermen against one another in a series of wild, never-before-seen fishing challenges," according to the Animal Planet website.

Switlyk hopes her enthusiasm for the outdoors is contagious.

"I want to share my passion ... get more children and women involved in the outdoors," Switlyk said. "When a child catches a first fish, they're hooked. Fishing brings families together."

The second TV series, "Larysa Unleashed, premieres July 26 on NBC Sports. It will show "how complex hunting and fishing is, and how much there is to learn," according to a website for the series. "(Larysa) wants to provide an entertaining and adventurous vehicle for viewers to experience and learn alongside her the importance of conservation, heritage and the true reason people hunt and fish."

While Switlyk travels the globe, at home in Sarasota she loves fishing for red fish, snook, sea trout and king-fish, depending on the season. While she has many places she loves to fish inshore around Sarasota, she would not share her secret spots.

Switlyk also loves to call Sarasota home.

The area "is so rich in culture, the arts, great restaurants, the best beaches, great weather. It has everything I love to do. Plus, my family is here," Switlyk said.

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