Debuting today, the Outdoor Channel is set to launch its newest series, Wild at Heart, featuring host Kaylee Fordyce. You may know the surname Fordyce from Rob Fordyce, legendary keys guide, tarpon angler, and host of The Seahunter. Not to be overshadowed by her father, Kaylee is an exceptional angler and conservationist in her own right. Kaylee is a South Florida native, inundated at a young age with all things fishing and hunting in the Sunshine State. Along the way, she’s gone on some epic adventures, has become a world-class angler, and even solidified her name in the record books with multiple IGFA records.
In Wild at Heart, Kaylee shows viewers wild places through the lens of fishing and hunting. The show sets to blend Kaylee’s love for the outdoors and her unwavering passion for protecting these wild places. With launch day finally here, we sat down with Kaylee, the youngest and only female solo host of an Outdoor Channel series, to learn more about Wild at Heart and her journey into fly fishing.
Interview with Kaylee Fordyce
Flylords: With Rob Fordyce as your father, we picture you jumping tarpon as soon as you could walk. Could you tell us how you got into fly fishing?
Kaylee: “Actually, it’s a pretty funny story. As a kid, I never wanted to ask my dad to teach me, and he never wanted to push it on me. I don’t think he knew that I was interested, and everyone asked because that’s what he does every day. So it was this unspoken thing. So he never taught me.
When I was 17, I did an internship with one of my dad’s customers. He was a doctor out of California. He’s a big fly fisherman and had a donor for his lab who wanted to do this fly fishing trip. So he and his wife took me, assuming I had fly fished before. After realizing I didn’t know anything, they taught me the basics. My first time ever fly fishing was on the river in Montana. That’s how I started to learn, and then my dad realized I was interested, and it bloomed from there.”
Flylords: Can you tell us more about the show and any underlying messages we should be on the lookout for?
Kaylee: “I recognize that I’m in a pretty unique position. I’m the youngest and the only female solo host of an outdoor series. And I think that puts me in a unique position to share things like what I was just sharing with you. The history of the sport and our environment and how it’s changed and how we need to preserve it. Because if people don’t understand and appreciate the sport, they won’t protect it. And if they’re not going to protect it, it’s not going to exist.
That’s the biggest message I try to get across to my audience, but also, I love to do crazy, fun stuff, and I want to highlight that on the show, too. I think there are a lot of things that people don’t show on TV shows. In nature, you never know what’s going to happen. So it’s hard to plan for things, but I think when we go out, we see some of the most amazing things. If we can get that on film and show that to an audience, that gives them a glimpse of how amazing the outdoor is and how they can get involved and appreciate it and understand it.”
Flylords: When filming this, were there any challenges that you faced?
Kaylee: “For starters, the first episode we did was right after Hurricane Debbie came through. It was a tropical storm when it came through, but it turned everything up. Even though it had passed, that water back in the Glades stayed straight mud so it was a bit of a struggle. We also filmed an episode chasing a slam. We worked for it, but we got a slam on the fly.
Another surprisingly challenging day was trying to catch sharks on the fly, which you would think would be straightforward. I’m not going to say it’s easy because they’re hard to fight, but it’s not typically hard to find sharks on a flat and get them to eat. That day was tough. Everything was blown out after that storm, so finding a shark was tough.”
Flylords: How did this series come to fruition, and where did the name Wild at Heart come from?
Kaylee: “It was kind of crazy how everything lined up. I’ve been doing hosted fishing trips, like hosted girls’ fishing trips, for a couple of years. So last October (2023) I was hunting. I’m sitting in a tree stand, and I’m on my phone, passing the time. While waiting, it hit me that I need to start a business. The next question was, what would I name it? So, I came up with Wild at Heart Outdoors. I set it up for my hosted trips and my tournament-running business, all that stuff.
Come January, my dad and I had filmed a couple of episodes for his show. As we were filming them, I had a couple of people keep telling me, you would be really good at this. Like you’ve got a good TV presence. You’re good at fishing; you should do this. Then March came, and somebody at the outdoor channel saw me on an episode with my dad, and they thought I would be a great fit to have my own show. They want younger people on the channel. So they reached out. My dad asked, do you know what you would call it? And I’m like, yeah, I already have an LLC, so that’s how it happened. I didn’t tell anyone until July, and I found out in March. I kept it under wraps and just started getting everything in order.”
Flylords: Wild at Heart showcases your two passions, fishing and hunting. It may be an impossible question, but if you had to choose one, what would it be and why?
Kaylee: “That’s really tough because they’re my two biggest loves, but fishing is awesome and it’s so technical, and I mean, we practice catch and release. I’m very conservative with how I hunt, too, but fishing is my life. It’s where I live. It’s what put food on the table when I was growing up, and it’s my heritage, so I would choose fishing.”
Flylords: As a Florida native, the diversity of fish to target is endless. What would you say your favorite fish are to target?
Kaylee: “My top two are snook and tarpon. Those are my favorites. They’re aggressive, fight hard, and jump. If I had to choose inshore, those are my two species, but if I had to choose an offshore species, it would definitely be sailfish for obvious reasons: they jump, put up a good fight, and are just fun.”
Where to Watch Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart airs on Monday at 1:30 pm, Thursday at 9:30 pm, Friday at 1:30 am and 5:30 am, and Saturday at 8:30 am. You can view it on the Outdoor Channel.
Final Thoughts
After sitting down with Kaylee Fordyce, her passion and enthusiasm for fly fishing and the outdoors is infectious. Her vast and varied adventures put her in a unique position to tell the story of the outdoors through a new perspective. Wild at Heart bridges the gap between fishing and hunting while seamlessly blending core conservation principles into every episode. We can’t wait to keep up with Kaylee and her adventures this year.
F3T Behind the Lens: Streamers, Steamers, & Struggles on the Krka
