River Monsters (2009–2017): Season 2, Episode 6 - Rift Valley Killers - full transcript

Africa's Rift Valley
is by all accounts

one of the most dangerous
places in the world

to be a fisherman.

Storms come out of nowhere.

Giant crocs attack from beneath.

Hippos maul you to death.

And rival gangs will kill you
for your catch.

But the rewards of fishing here
can be spectacular.

There are reports of rare, but
very real, giants living here.

So I've decided to head

to one of the deadliest
fishing spots in the world,



as it may be my last chance

to catch
this massive river monster.

This could be
my most dangerous mission yet.

I'm Jeremy Wade.

I've made my name investigating
improbable fishermen's tales

from around the world

and tracking down
the bloodthirsty river monsters

that lie behind them.

But there's one place
I've heard of

where the death rate
for fishermen

apparently exceeds all others.

It's the birthplace
of mankind...

The Rift Valley in East Africa.

Formed by two continental
plates pulling apart,



it's a monumental scar
spanning several countries

and containing a series
of lakes and rivers.

I want to find out
just how dangerous it is

to fish out there.

But I also want to catch
the giant

at the heart of this region.

The mputa, or Nile perch,

is Africa's largest
freshwater fish.

And it's the reason
fishermen here

have been putting their lives
at risk for millennia.

Just one animal can feed
an entire village.

This fish can apparently reach
weights in excess of 400 pounds

and measure over 6 feet long.

They are ambush predators,

and they will eat anything
they can fit in their mouths,

including cannibalizing
Nile perch

up to a third of their own size.

Giants like this
used to be caught regularly.

But as in so many parts
of the world,

population pressures
have led to overfishing.

I thought all the big ones
had long gone,

but just a few months ago,
I received some pictures

that suggest there are monster
Nile perch still out there.

So I've traveled
to the heart of Africa,

to the White Nile in Uganda,

the site
of that extraordinary catch.

I'm actually now fishing
in the very spot

where the largest-ever
Nile perch...

Which was accurately weighed...
Was caught on a rod and line.

This fish weighed
just slightly under 250 pounds

and was almost 7 foot long.

Unfortunately, though,

that fish was actually attacked
by a crocodile.

And it didn't survive
its wounds.

So that fish
is no longer in this river.

But it's quite possible
there could be others

the same size
or maybe even bigger.

Hmm.

I'm just gonna tighten it.

Something definitely hit
that bait, but it wasn't...

You know, it wasn't
particularly confident.

It ripped a couple of feet
and then...

and then stopped.

Oh.

I've got a circle.
Oh, here we go.

Yeah, there is a fish on.

Let me get this ratchet off.

The line's coming up.
The line's coming up.

That's a Nile perch.
It's a good-sized one.

There it is.

In this part of the Nile, the
goal is to land fish quickly

before the crocs
come looking for easy prey.

It's a decent-sized Nile perch

and a great start
to my quest for a giant.

Pull in.

Now, this is
quite an unusual capture.

It actually swallowed
the baitfish headfirst

down to about here.

I think it was actually
this dorsal barb of the baitfish

that actually stopped the bait
coming out of its throat,

not the hook.

Let's just...

Oh! Let's just support it
maybe like that.

Look at that.

Let's get down.

Okay. Phew.
Very nice fish, this.

70 pounds, something like that,
but a beautiful fish.

Lovely, beautiful coloration.
Very strong as well.

The paddlelike tail
and muscular body

indicate a fish designed
for power and acceleration.

These fish are ambush predators,

relying on their large eyes
to target prey.

And just cavernous mouth
on this thing.

It just inhales
its food fish whole.

I've got to let this fish
recover before I let it go,

and that means exposing myself
to a potential croc attack.

But out here in the middle of
the river, it's my only option.

What I want now is one that
weighs maybe three times that.

Encouraged by my success

and aware that there could be
even bigger monsters

on the prowl, I decide to head
downstream for my next cast,

as the commotion of that catch

could have spooked
everything close by.

But as I'm traveling,

I see a heavily fortified
barrier in the water

that confirms that crocs
are a very real problem here.

This is protection
from something in the water?

It is like a crocodile...

These villagers risk their lives

simply collecting
their day's supply of water.

This is a serious barrier,
and it's pretty solid.

There's not much in the way
of sort of spaces between there,

and that is to stop crocodiles

taking people when they
come down to collect water.

So this is a very definite sign

that the people here take them
very, very seriously indeed.

I mean, on this piece of river,

have there been people killed
by crocodiles?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

It was a local fisherman
who lost his life.

And apparently
this is not uncommon.

Nile crocodiles
are thought to kill

hundreds of people every year,

making them responsible for
more fatal attacks on humans

than lions, bears,
and sharks combined.

Maybe I was a bit foolhardy
holding that fish in the water.

The locals certainly don't seem
to be taking any chances.

But it's not just creatures
in the water

I have to look out for.

The weather is extreme and can
turn in a matter of minutes.

Bit of a storm can sometimes
get the fish stirred up,

get them feeding.

But actually,
looking at all the lightning,

I'm not really sure that holding
a conducting rod up in the air

in the middle of this
is a very good idea.

So if they don't feed
and nothing hangs on the end,

it's actually not gonna be
too much of a disappointment.

Storms in this part of the
world are sudden and brutal.

In 2008, 18 fishermen drowned

when their boat capsized
in a storm

just a few hours away from here.

So I decide to bring in my line.

We actually got torn away
from our mooring on the bank.

Soaked.

If we're not careful,

we could become
the next deathly statistic.

But as quickly as it started,
the storm stops.

I'm just hoping
it hasn't ruined my chances.

The trouble with rain
is if it's heavy,

you just get all this rubbish
coming off the land

and coloring the water.

And if you're fishing
for a sight predator

like the Nile perch,
you know, you can forget it.

Luckily, I've got a little bit
of a clear patch here

next to the bank, but it's
actually coloring up as I speak.

You know, if more runoff
comes from the land

or if it rains more, you know,

it could just put an end
to the fishing for me.

Could this be the catch

that proves truly giant
Nile perch are still out there?

That is definitely a fish.

Trouble is, over there...

there's a big storm coming in...

with lightning coming down.

The storm seems to have swung
back around,

and this is exactly
what I didn't want...

My carbon-fiber rod in the air
like a lightning conductor

as the wind picks up.

An incredible 10,000 people
are killed by lightning strikes

worldwide every year.

And Uganda is known

for having the highest
frequency of thunderstorms

anywhere in the world.

Ha!
That's a catfish.

It looks that we caught
a good-size catfish.

I've got to land this fish
before the storm returns.

That's actually...

Okay, I was after a Nile perch,
but that's a nice sized catfish.

This one is a Semutundu catfish
and...

Well, it's missing
a bit of its tentacle here,

but, I mean, totally different
from the Nile perch.

Long body shape.

It's a predator as well.

You can see the muscle blocks
here very clearly on the side.

Catfish are right at home
in the muddy water,

with their strong sense of smell

and ability to sense movement
in the murk.

It's probably
not much of a surprise

I caught one of these
rather than a Nile perch.

Right.

Get this back in the water
very quickly,

and then I think
we've got to run for it.

Oh!

I don't want to be caught
in another lethal storm.

And besides, this river
is rapidly turning to mud.

There's no way
I'll be catching a sight feeder

like the Nile perch
for at least a few days.

So I decide to head up
the White Nile

to its source at Lake Victoria.

This is Lake Victoria,

one of the biggest bodies
of freshwater

anywhere in the world.

But it's also a place
where I hear

that they are still catching
Nile perch in some quantity.

It seems like a calm
and tranquil lake.

But my complacency
is about to be rocked.

If I was in any doubt

that I had come
to a dangerous region to fish,

then seeing the body
of a fisherman

driven off
in a makeshift ambulance

confirms that this could be
my most dangerous mission yet.

This just actually goes to show

just how regular accidents are
with the fishermen.

Just came down to the lake,

and there's police here
being called in because

a body has just been recovered
on the side of the lake.

And it's quite hard to establish
exactly what happened,

but it sounds like this was
a fisherman who couldn't swim

and somehow ended up
in the water.

But this is a very big body
of water,

so, you know, it's like fishing
the sea out here.

So in a way,
it's not surprising.

And people go out
in very flimsy boats.

Just another example
of the dangers

and also how common
accidents can be.

Maybe the fisherman
got caught up in the storm

that I just avoided.

It's pretty sobering

to see how little fuss
his death has caused.

But in this place, it's
a wonder any fisherman survives

the deadly predators
or the raging waters.

And if I'm not careful,

I could be the next body
they drag out of the water.

Lake Victoria

is in the middle of
the African Rift Valley system.

It has dried out several times
in its history,

so Nile perch were
originally not found here.

However, in the late 1950s,
they were introduced

to create an industry
for the surrounding countries.

And in just a few decades,
they took over,

outcompeting
the native fish species

and reaching enormous sizes,

as they were without
any real, natural predators.

This fish was
apparently 340 pounds.

But it was caught
some five years ago,

and the locals haven't seen
anything as big since.

However, with the lake
covering 26,000 square miles,

I reckon there
could still be some giants

that have stayed hidden.

This is an inlet
of Lake Victoria.

Here they are actually catching
Nile perch, and not just a few.

I mean, it's serious,
serious quantities.

This boat is just full
of them...

Just one after another
after another.

But none of them are the giants
that I'm after.

A quick chat reveals that
this iceboat collects the fish

netted by a fleet of some 30
small fishing vessels.

This is fishing
on an industrial scale.

This boat's been out
for three days, apparently,

and there's 3 to 4 tons...
Tons... of fish in here.

That's a lot of fish.

I've been invited
behind closed factory doors

to see the Nile-perch industry
in action.

It provides thousands of jobs
to the area,

and it earns over $200 million
in revenue every year.

This is the reason

truly giant Nile perch
are so rare these days.

So, apparently, there's about
10 to 12 tons of processed fish

leaving this factory every day,
which is just a huge amount.

I mean, quite mind-boggling,

particularly when you consider
it's a freshwater fish.

Well, certainly
an impressive quantity of fish

coming out of the lake.

But one thing
that really struck me

is that the big ones

are just really, really few
and far between.

Just trying to do
a bit of the maths,

and I reckon
I'd have to plow through

something like 1,000 fish
that size

to have even half a chance of
getting something half decent.

So I'm gonna have to try
and find a place

where they don't have such
intensive commercial harvesting.

I decide to head further
up the Rift Valley to Ethiopia,

as the fishing there
is far from industrial.

In fact, it's still conducted
in much the same way

that it has been
for tens of thousands of years.

And the Nile perch has
always been the ultimate prize.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest
and richest cultures

in the world.

This is the birthplace
of mankind,

the home of Lucy, Ardi,

and many of the so-called
missing links.

But there are also traces
of the very first fishermen

here at
the Ethiopian National Museum.

I've been allowed access
behind the scenes at the museum.

And in this very room

are some of the oldest human
remains anywhere in the world.

But what I'm looking at
at the moment

are some of the earliest-ever
fishing implements.

It's fairly clear
that these were used for fish,

because in the same place
were found remains of fish.

They found a skull there.

Just the skull was 3 foot long,

so the whole fish... 7, 8 foot,
something like that.

So whoever was using
these harpoons here

could have been after
some fairly interesting fish

back then.

I'm overwhelmed to be this close

to the earliest tools
of my trade.

It turns out that this skull
belonged to a giant mputa,

or Nile perch.

It looks like
this modern-day monster

has been a valued prize
for thousands of years.

The ancient Egyptians
revered Nile perch

for the amount of food
they could provide.

They even mummified
these sacred fish

and entombed them
with their dead.

It's no wonder
there's a huge industry

harvesting these fish today.

But if I want to catch one,
then I need to head

to the spots
that are hardest to reach,

where the fishing
is so dangerous

that the locals
won't even attempt it.

Maybe here is where I'll find
my giant.

These are the headwaters
of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.

From here, this water will go
a couple of thousand miles,

all the way
to the Mediterranean.

There are two main branches
of the Nile River.

I started my search
on the Ugandan White Nile.

But this is the Blue Nile,

and Nile perch are found
along its entire length.

These falls are known locally
as Tis Issat,

which translates
as "The Water That Smokes."

The mist has made these rocks
incredibly slippery.

If I fall
into this swirling water,

I could be swept downstream
too fast to be rescued.

There's definitely
no commercial fishing here,

so maybe at these falls,
I'll catch my monster.

There's a fish!

It's off!

That was a fish.

That was a knock,
and then it tightened,

and then I felt something
on there.

I'll just wind it up and see.

I can't actually see
any signs there...

Tooth marks
or anything like that...

But there was definitely
something on there.

I think I should lob that out
again ASAP.

I continue fishing
for another few hours,

but whatever that was
lurking in this pool,

it seems to have been spooked.

And it didn't feel
like the giant I'm after,

so I decide to move on.

I head south to another lake,

as I hear big mputa are
the villagers' target species.

Fishing techniques here have
remained pretty much the same

for thousands of years.

Maybe if I leave my high-tech
equipment behind for now

and join these fishermen,

they'll share their secrets
of where they catch their fish.

This is Lake Chamo
in Africa's Rift Valley.

And just looking around today,
even in the 21st century,

this place has the look
of somewhere

that could hold
a real serious monster.

Lake Chamo is in the south
of the Ethiopian Rift Valley,

and it is known for the size
of the beasts that live here.

And these beasts
aren't just fish.

I generally scout out an area
before I fish,

but on this lakeside,
I'm not alone.

And I'm not sure I like it.

I'm not used to jostling
for position with man-eaters.

These guys can eat up to half
their own body weight

in a single meal,

and very often, it's fishermen
that end up on the menu.

Situations like this
that make you rethink

your place on the food chain.

I'm normally the person
who's doing the hunting,

but I'm very aware now

that I'm actually having to sort
of look around, watch my back.

Something might have its eye
on me.

Feeling a little bit
more relaxed now.

There's a croc still
in some of these reeds here.

Didn't actually see
the animal then

but heard the movement
as it went through the reeds.

It seems like the big Nile perch

are only going to be found
where the dangers are high.

I'm hoping to get
some survival advice

from a group of fishermen
camped out on the lakeshore.

So, why is he off the ground?

Why have you got it raised up
off the ground?

One reason it's off the ground
is just to keep them dry.

But there's also
just a real menagerie of animals

that's active at night.

They say even pythons will come
and sort of snuggle up to you

if you're lying on the ground.

Just last year, a man was nearly
killed by a 13-foot python.

He only escaped by using his
cellphone to raise the alarm.

So you actually live here
all the year?

- All year 'round?
- Yeah.

It very much is, you know,
a very hard-core way of life.

This is set apart
from the rest of society.

But I think
quite a few people here

have got rather shady pasts,

and, you know,
they can't really go back.

So that explains
why they do live on the edges.

It's a very basic existence,

and putting up
with the very real dangers

that do go
with this way of life.

It's a fairly lawless society
down here by all accounts,

and I'm not exactly comfortable
in their presence.

Apparently, some of these men
are wanted by the police

for crimes that include murder.

This man tells me
that not long ago,

he was out fishing with a friend

when he was attacked
by a rival gang.

Conflict like this has been
going on for centuries.

They stole his nets and boats,

and apparently he was lucky
to escape alive.

The dangers here come at you
from all directions.

I'm honored but a little uneasy

when these fishermen
on the fringe

invite me to join their meal.

So this is tilapia?

- Tilapia?
- Yeah.

Little bit of spice.

Tilapia are a small fish
that they commonly target,

as they are easier to catch
than the Nile perch.

Ah.

Very good.

Sushi tilapia.

Actually, not bad.

Mm.
Thank you.

I realize
that if I'm to fish here,

I really need to know the risks
I'll be facing.

What about the dangers
on the lake?

I've seen the hippos.
I've seen the crocodiles.

Is this something
that you worry about every day?

Most of these animals...
The hippos and the crocs...

Will be close to the shore.

That's the dangerous area.

So what they do
is they deploy their nets

out in the middle of the lake
in the deeper water.

But obviously they've still
got to go through the shallows

on their way
and on their way back.

But they say even so, you know,

there are people who've worked
with them in the past

who have been killed
by both hippos and by crocs.

Despite their lumbering looks,

many consider hippos
Africa's most dangerous animal,

as they often kill fishermen.

This man knows just how real
that danger is.

He was attacked by a hippo
just a few months ago

while on his way to the lake
to fish for Nile perch.

Alti was walking with his nets
along a path,

and then he noticed a hippo.

And when he saw the hippo,
he called out,

and his friend ran off.

And at that point,
the hippo charged him.

And the next thing that happens

is that the hippo was goring him
in the side of the chest.

The hippo has these two
sharp tusks on the lower jaw,

and apparently he was
spearing him with these tusks

and in the process of that

actually flipped him over
onto his back.

And he basically just thought
he was going to die,

and he was praying for it
to stop.

He was praying that
he would survive this somehow.

It appeared that his prayers
had been answered,

because, actually,
the hippo stopped goring him

and started moving off towards
the lake, towards the water.

Shortly after that,

his friend actually came back
and found him.

What injuries
were you left with after this?

Can you show your...

This horrific wound
on the chest here...

Apparently there were
three ribs broken,

and with bits of rib
actually visible, sticking out.

And likewise,
the wounds on the leg...

There was a flap of skin
hanging out.

I mean, for me,
it just really underlines

just what a dangerous job
this is,

what a dangerous place this is
to be a fisherman.

I mean, I can scarcely begin
to imagine

what it's like working
as a fisherman on this lake.

But if I want to learn
how they catch their mputa,

I'm going to have to fish
like they do.

So I head out with one of
the guys to check their nets.

But I hadn't counted

on their boats being so flimsy
and exposed.

This is a bit nerve-wracking.

There's a pod of hippos
over there.

It's not them I'm worried about,

but there's a couple of others
on the fringes of the group

which periodically go under
and then come back up again,

and they've been coming back up
closer and closer.

Strangely, I'm actually trying
to get to the deep water,

'cause that's gonna be safer
than the shallows,

where the hippos
and the crocs are.

Hippos very, very close, looking
this way, going underwater.

I don't like the look of this,
actually.

After what I've just heard,

I want to stay well clear
of these hippos.

They are just as dangerous
in the water,

and they have been known
to flip boats,

chomping the occupants to death.

If I get on the wrong side
of a hippo,

especially in this tiny canoe,
I'll be lucky to escape alive.

Bit of a ropy old net, this.

Looks like a few crocs
and hippos

have actually gone through this.

I think it's quite good
actually having something to do

while I'm out here rather than
just drifting on this water.

The thought
of what's down there...

The crocs and the hippos
down there...

There was a fish already.

So, this is a tilapia.

This is what the fishermen
mostly catch...

What they catch in numbers
in these lakes...

And they don't run to a great
deal bigger than this.

Spiny dorsal fin.

Lovely bluish coloration there.

Yeah, just very pretty.

But the reason
they're catching them

is they are very,
very good eating,

which is what's gonna happen
to this one.

The rest of the net
doesn't yield any more fish,

let alone a Nile perch.

But apparently,
they are out there.

And they are the prize

that makes facing
the unseen dangers worthwhile.

The fishermen on this lake

are proving to be some
of the bravest people I've met.

However, in his pursuit of fish,

this guy has pushed his luck
to the limit.

This is actually quite a story.

He'd earlier seen a crocodile
in this area.

And what he'd done, he'd thrown
stones at the crocodile

to make it go away.

Now, he just saw
the crocodile sink.

He assumed then
that it was actually safe

to go in the water.

A crocodile grabbed him
by the left leg.

What crocodiles do,

they try and pull you
into deeper water to drown you.

That's how they kill you

before they then, you know,
dismember you later on.

But the crocodile actually
then got tangled in the net.

And the fisherman
was able to actually come free

of the crocodile's jaws.

And I'm thinking,
this is a very lucky guy.

The fact that he's escaped
from the jaws of crocodiles...

That is absolutely impressive
by anybody's standards,

and I'm really glad
I don't have to earn my living

fishing from this lake.

Ah.

Ah.

And the one that attacked you...
Same size as this?

Ah.

I reckon that croc must be
about 15 feet long

and close to 1,000 pounds.

In the nearby village,
I come across a man

who had an equally
miraculous escape.

However, this time, the croc
didn't leave empty-handed.

Not only did the crocodile
actually make off with his foot,

it had done so much damage
to his lower leg

that his leg was actually
amputated above the knee.

Unbelievably, I mean,
he still fishes,

as this picture here proves.

He still goes out
with just one leg,

fishing in the very same lake
where he had that encounter.

He has a family to feed, so he
has to keep facing the dangers.

But he's not fished this long

without learning a thing or two.

So, this tilapia in
the picture... very interesting.

He actually used that
as live bait for Nile perch.

He knows where
the Nile perch are.

He could tell me
possibly the places to go

and maybe the places to avoid.

I think, you know, this could be
a very useful lead.

After a discussion of tactics
with this fearless fisherman,

I head back out onto Lake Chamo,

armed with some
inside information

about good places to try.

But to get to them,

I have to pass a point
known as the crocodile market,

so called because
it's a favorite spot

for these lake giants to gather.

Apparently, the largest
Nile crocodile ever recorded

lived on this lake...
A beast about 20 feet long.

And that was
only a few years ago.

Seeing this many crocodiles
hauled out in the sun

makes me realize just how many
man-eating-sized monsters

are living in this lake.

Just the size of some of these
creatures... just enormous.

I've never seen so many big
crocodiles in one place before.

And as they sink back
into the water,

I can understand why they say

it's the croc you don't see
that will kill you.

I'm in Ethiopia, fishing
for giant mputa, or Nile perch.

I'm following a lead
to a prime fishing spot.

But again, out of nowhere,

the wind has suddenly picked up,

the waves have risen,
and the water has muddied.

I think if ever there was
a deadly place to fish,

either on rivers or in the sea,
this is it.

Well, this boat here is metal.

There's no inherent buoyancy
at all.

If this develops a leak,
it's just going straight down,

and there's 20-foot crocs
in here.

Only a prize
as big as a Nile perch

makes facing these risks
worthwhile, so I push on,

hoping that I'll catch my prey
before I become the prey.

Like the old man suggested,
I'm using a tilapia as bait.

It'll work better
than an artificial lure

because the water
is very cloudy.

But the weather here
is beating me.

And this is actually
not working.

We're being blown so fast,

we're just dragging that
behind us.

It's not actually...
It's not drifting.

I try my luck at another spot
he mentioned...

A rocky outcrop
in the lee of an island.

Nile perch love having cover
to ambush their prey from,

and the underwater ridge here
could be perfect for them.

But despite fishing here for
several hours, nothing takes.

Over the next few days,
I fish a variety of locations,

but it just seems that
either the fish aren't here

or others
have gotten here first.

So this net is definitely
designed to catch Nile perch.

Looks like I've got
some serious competition here.

Eventually I have to admit
that this lake is defeating me.

I've seen how determined
the fishermen are here,

and they've been harvesting
these lakes

for thousands of years.

I'm beginning to wonder

if the Nile perch here
have been overfished, too.

It's a bit disappointing
having to leave these lakes

without having caught anything.

I've seen plenty of monsters
but not the one that I want.

I think if I stayed here
long enough,

I might catch something,
but life is too short for that.

I think I'm gonna have to go

to one of the other
Rift Valley lakes.

I have no choice
but to head to a place

that is truly out of reach
of fishermen.

Not only is it illegal to keep
fish that are caught here,

but few local fishermen

are willing to test its
spectacular natural defenses.

This is Murchison Falls
in Uganda.

I've seen how people
in the Rift Valley

fish some pretty extreme,
dangerous water conditions.

But I can't imagine
anybody fishing here.

So I'm thinking

that maybe at the bottom of
these falls could be the place

where I'm gonna catch
my monster Nile perch.

The water at the bottom
of these falls

is known
as the Devil's Cauldron,

and it's where I'm about
to meet my river monster.

As I make my way
up to the falls,

my anticipation is mounting.

I'm just approaching
what looks like smoke there,

but that is the spray

that is being thrown up
by the Murchison Falls.

And the thought of the size
of some of the fish

that are down
in this churning water...

I'm starting to get
a bit of a flutter.

It's really quite frightening,

the thought of hooking
a big fish in this water.

This could be my best
and perhaps last chance

of catching a monster.

This big eddy behind me
is called the Devil's Cauldron.

Now, that sounds
very melodramatic,

very over-the-top,
but, you know,

words almost don't do justice
to this place.

When you're down at water level,

just a huge push of water
coming through.

Apparently,
300 tons every second

coming through that crack there.

So this is very hostile water,

and for the local fishermen,
with their methods,

it's not gonna be easy
to fish here.

If you're fishing nets
or longlines,

that kind of fishing involves
getting in the water very often.

There are crocs in here.
This water is very, very strong.

So this could be
the only kind of gear

that might stand a chance here.

I've got to watch my footing.

If I fall in,
I'll be sucked to the bottom

of this churning water
in seconds.

Crocs are hard to see in
the water at the best of times,

but the foam produced
by the falls

gives them the perfect cover.

This could be my most dangerous
fishing location yet.

Anything takes that bait...
It's a large bait...

It's gonna be
a serious-sized fish.

So, you know, one thing
I've got to be really aware of

is I don't want to be
pulled in here.

I... Oop.

Fish on.

Went a bit slack there.

The water was just moving around
so much, it's actually got

into some of the water
that's coming towards me.

This feels a good size,

because it's actually coming
with the current.

Something coming
up to the surface.

Coming up to the surface.

That's a good-sized fish.
Gosh, that's a good size.

This fish is actually going
with the current.

Oh, it's just stopped.

There it is... on the top,
on the top, on the top.

I think the fish is tired,

but there's a real weight
of water behind it.

It's right in the side here.
It's right in the side.

Right in the side.

It's tired out.

I can't see the fish 'cause
there's just all that foam.

How about that?
How about that?

Right.

I've just put a bit
of heavy mono through its mouth.

What I'm gonna do, gonna just
pull it back into the water,

walk it 'round here
into some quiet water

where it can recover...
Where I can recover as well.

I'm just hoping if there's crocs

that they'll prefer the fish
to me.

It's already starting to get
a bit more strength back,

but I want to make sure
it's fully recovered

before I have a proper look,

because if it goes back in this
water not properly recovered,

it's just gonna get bashed,
possibly, to death

on these rocks.

I'm gonna need the help
of my boat driver, Etchi,

as this fish is too big
to lift by myself.

It's 112 pounds with the net.

We've got to deduct
a little bit for that.

But that's well clear
of 100 pounds.

Okay. And then up.
Okay.

All right.

This is one lump
of a Nile perch.

Well over 100 pounds.

And just what an amazing setting
to catch it from.

Big old fish.
Ambush predator.

Great big paddle
of a tail there.

But at the business end,
look at this.

You don't have tentacles
like a catfish.

You've got big eyes, and then
you've got this protrusible jaw.

And when it actually opens that
quickly, it's almost telescopic,

and it just engulfs fish
by creating a vacuum.

The water just rushes in.

And one other thing
just to say...

Look at that for a defense.

It's like having 6-inch nails
sticking out your back.

Finally, I've caught the fish
that shows monster Nile perch

can still be found here
in Africa's Rift Valley.

Whew.

Nice to see it go back.

Oh.
Tell you what, though.

If I was a fish, I would not
like to live in this water.

Some of the other stuff
that's in here...

Particularly the crocodiles,

and also just the sheer strength
of this water.

But, I mean,
just what a dramatic setting

to catch a fish like that.

On this journey,
I've had to fish

some of the scariest places
I've ever been to.

But I've put my life on
the line, faced the monsters,

and caught a giant
in what is almost certainly

the oldest and most dangerous
fishing spot in the world.