River Monsters (2009–2017): Season 3, Episode 10 - Special: River Monsters: The Lost Reels - full transcript

Narrator: Jeremy Wade...
Biologist and extreme angler.

His life's passion is

investigating the myths
and legends

that lurk in our rivers, lakes,
and nightmares.

But long before he was
the host of "River Monsters,"

Jeremy searched
for freshwater monsters

well off the public radar.

In 2002,
a small film crew was sent

to document
his journey to the Amazon

for the first time.

This long-lost footage,



never before seen
by U.S. audiences,

captures Wade's pursuit of
the Amazon's most prized catch,

a giant arapaima.

Cameras roll as Jeremy
is blasted in the chest

by a living missile

and as he lands a prehistoric
giant for the first time.

And in the most shocking
scene of all,

Jeremy and his crew
are caught on tape,

helpless inside a tiny plane
as it crashes into the Amazon.

A decade ago,

adventure fisherman Jeremy Wade
came to Brazil,

in search of the Amazon's
most notorious monster,

the arapaima.

The prehistoric-looking arapaima
can grow to 15 feet



and weigh in excess
of 400 pounds.

The arapaima's reputation

for being uncatchable
on rod and line

has ensured that only a handful
of adventure fishermen

have ever journeyed
into the heart of the jungle

to catch it.

First up is
the Amazonian city of Manaus,

gateway to the jungle.

It is here that Jeremy hopes
to pick up a lead

in his search for the arapaima.

Wade:
All fishing really is an attempt

to get in touch with something
of the mystery of nature.

You know, what exactly is
going on beneath the surface?

And I think the arapaima
is really that hunt for mystery

taken to its extreme.

Narrator: The hunt begins

nearly 1,000 miles
from the mouth of the Amazon.

Each day, fishermen
from hundreds of miles around

gather for an early start
at Manaus' famous fish market.

At 7:00 in the morning,
the docks are already busy.

For Jeremy, it is an ideal
opportunity to pick up a lead.

Wade: Fishing, for me,

is as much about
the place that I go to

as about the fish
that I'm after.

Not only is there a tremendous
variety of fish in the world.

There's a tremendous variety
of places.

You've actually got to
sort of lower yourself in,

get in there deep...

You know, get sweaty,
get bitten by insects,

and get to know the people.

Narrator: Jeremy meets
with a local fisherman

to get the lay of the land.

He has agreed to show Jeremy
around the fish market,

where they might find signs
of the giant arapaima.

There's also
an ideal opportunity to meet

some of the Amazon's
other unusual inhabitants.

So, what about this one?
What's the name of this one?

This fish called cascudo.

Yeah?

It's very, very rich
in iron and vitamin.

Wade:
It looks almost prehistoric.

It looks like something
from the age of dinosaurs.

Yeah, this one is very similar
to the perch we have in England.

- Do you know the perch?
- Yes. Yes.

It's got this spiny, spiny fin
on the top here

and also a stripe-y pattern
on the body.

Yes.

And just wonderful coloration
on that, isn't it?

This is tucunaré.

The piranha never catch this one

because this is, like,
the fish eye.

Like we have eyes
in the back of our head,

this has got eyes in its tail,
this fish.

So the piranha thinks it's being
watched, and it stays away.

Narrator: The fish market is
a freshwater biology textbook

come to life.

All right.

So, is the famous...
The one you were talking about.

This is the one
that crunches nuts and things.

Yeah, but you wouldn't want to
get your finger in there,

would you,
when you're taking the hook out?

You would be in trouble.

It's a bit like a carp
that's had some dentures
put in, really, isn't it,

sort of a mouth transplant?

Yes.

Narrator: Jeremy stocks up
on local knowledge and tackle,

then heads upriver
in search of a giant arapaima.

Along the way,
Jeremy meets up with

scientist Alexandre Honczaryk,
who works with

a government-sponsored research
institute studying arapaima.

For the past few years,
Alexandre has worked

as part of a team pioneering
a captive-breeding program.

Although the team
has managed to keep

several large arapaima
in the institute's ponds,

the secret
to getting them to breed

has so far evaded them.

Alexandre has decided to
encourage some amorous activity

by changing the combinations
of male and female fish

in his ponds.

Trapping one of these
temperamental living torpedoes

is risky,

but Jeremy doesn't hesitate
to offer his help.

Kind of impressive
to see such a huge fish

in such a small piece of water.

I mean, you can see
the size of this.

There are people in Britain

who keep coy carp
in ponds the size of this,

and here we've got something
which is well over 100 pounds.

And what Alex was saying
just there was,

the fewer people in the water,
the better...

Not only so that
it doesn't scare the fish,

but also because
it's a very strong fish.

There's a risk
of somebody getting hurt.

Narrator: As the net closes in,
the trapped fish start to panic.

Arapaimas can weigh
as much as 400 pounds.

When cornered,

their fight-or-flight response
is triggered,

causing them to shoot
out of the water in distress.

Being in the water
with these heavyweights

is extremely dangerous.

Be careful with the head.

Man: Be careful with it.
Okay?

That's good.

Wade: Have you ever been injured
by one of these fish?

Honczaryk: Real bad.
- Really bad?
What happened?

I was measuring the fish,
as you, in the pen,

and the head of the fish hit me
on my little face...

Yes.

And I broke two teeth.

So, this is why you
kept telling me to be
careful of the head.

Another time, I hit it again
in the head,

and I was almost knocked out.

Right.

Narrator: The team saves

the largest fish in the pond
for last.

Man: Hey!

Narrator: Alex warns Jeremy
not to get too close to the net.

Wade: Ohh!

Jeremy is drilled in the chest

by a thrashing
170-pound arapaima.

It's okay.

Wade:
I got thumped in the chest.

Alex had warned me.
He said, "Be very careful.

Don't stand on the outside part
of the net."

And as luck would have it,
the fish came,

and it got me
right in the breastbone.

Luckily...

Well, the net
was bulging out there,

so the force of it,

some of it was taken
by the bulge of the net.

But it actually
knocked me backwards,

and good job it did,
because that, again,

lessened the force
of the blow a bit.

But it's still hurting now.

It's about half an hour
afterwards,

and I can still feel it.

Narrator:
He didn't know it at the time,

but medical tests
would later reveal

the blow caused permanent damage
to Jeremy's heart.

Despite the pain in his chest,

Jeremy's come too far
to stop now

and pushes on in search
of a wild arapaima.

Jeremy teams up with Louro,

a local fisherman
intimately familiar

with the maze
of rivers and lakes

in this western region
of Brazil.

Before heading
into the flooded forest,

the two travel to a local spot

to get familiar with the river's
notorious inhabitants.

Wade:
I've not got wire,

so we're gonna swing in
really quick.

I've not got wire.
Mind your feet. Mind your feet.

We've got a black piranha here.

Yeah, this is
an accidental catch.

I wasn't fishing for piranha.

I wasn't using wire.

I was quite lucky
that this didn't get off.

It's hooked in such a way
that it couldn't bite the line.

'Cause even this 80-pound line,

it would have
just gone clean through.

If you get this wrong,

it could end up
chopping your fingers off.

That makes it slippery.

Just a bit funny, as well.

Louro's gonna show us
the teeth on this creature.

It's all very well

sitting back and dreaming up
your schemes and methods,

but when I actually get
to a point

where I can fish
for the arapaima,

I need to have both
physical and mental energy

to do the thing properly.

And now it's brace myself
for the next stage.

It's gonna get more interesting,
for sure.

Narrator:
The team books a small plane

to carry them deeper
into the flooded jungle.

The cameraman on board
is documenting the ride.

18 minutes into the flight,
the engine starts to sputter.

The cameraman keeps shooting

as the plane struggles
to maintain altitude.

The camera rolls as the plane
crashes into the flooded jungle.

Man: Is everyone okay?

Yeah.

Narrator:
The crew tries to make sense

of what just happened.

Jeremy and the crew
are incredibly lucky.

Everyone survived...
Rattled, but unhurt.

Huh?

This part... 22?
Vinte e dois anos?

22 anos, 22 years flying,

this has never happened before,
first time.

An explosion.

Uh, loss of power?

The plane
started to lose height.

He was trying to get power,
and we just came into the trees.

Uh, how do we get out of here?

How do we get out of here?

Narrator:
Gasoline seeps into the water

as the team escapes
with just the bare essentials.

Man:
That's our survival kit.

Everybody in town is worried.

Everybody heard the noise,

and the whole town is wondering
what's happened.

So, the sooner we get back
and show everybody...

Louro's wife, in particular.

At no point did I feel
I was going to die,

but I thought serious injury,
certainly.

I didn't know it was water.
The smell was of fuel.

I thought it was fuel
just rising up around me.

I couldn't get the belt undone.

The terrible thing there was...

Survive the impact
and now I might drown.

But, uh...

Words are just not enough.
Words are not enough to...

Ah! Louro's saying
we need to get on.

Louro: Yeah.

We can analyze it
in huge detail later on

and reflect on it later.

But now is the time
just to get out.

Narrator:
Hours after the plane crash,

the magnitude of the day's
events finally sinks in.

This is really
totally unexpected.

You know, I came here
to try and catch some fish,

not to wipe myself out.

Here I am, an ordinary person,

but an extraordinary thing
has happened to me.

It's amazing
what we just accept as normal,

take in our stride,

but how easily it could have
all been different.

I couldn't be here now.

Poor Louro, his wife...

The whole town knew
that the plane had gone down,

And she must have just had...

It must have been terrible
for her.

Anyway,
everyone is much, much...

Everyone is very...

Very...
We had quite a happy day.

We went and had, uh...
Had a big lunch.

And everything was
surprisingly normal.

And, uh...

Narrator:
Jeremy sleeps off the shock

and awakens
refocused on his mission

to track down
the elusive river giant.

He and Louro
start fishing early,

in hopes of hooking into
an arapaima.

Wade:

Unh-unh.
Something's on the line.

Something's on the line.
Something's on the line.

Let it take line.
Let it take line.

Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly.

Still taking it,
still taking it.

It's taking it very slowly,
but I'll...

This could be a stingray.
It's got that funny sort of...

Don't know yet, 'cause it's...

Yeah, it's got...

Aah!

The danger is, there's a very
nasty spine on the tail.

Yeah, Louro's saying

this is not exactly a favorite
of the fishermen.

It's not a fish
that people like to eat.

Narrator: Louro says
the stingray is known locally

as the "wish you were dead"
fish.

So rather than risk
hauling it into the boat,

Jeremy pulls it onto the bank.

Wade: Louro's saying

that if a stingray sort of
manages to stick you in the leg,

it's almost as bad
as a snakebite.

At the very least,

you'll get off
with 48 hours of pain.

At the worst,
you could lose your leg.

So, hence,
we're not sort of cuddling it

and gently taking the hook out.

We're being, you know,
a little bit sort of rustic

in our treatment of it.

But under the circumstances,
no apologies for that.

I'll just cut it again here.

Narrator:
Jeremy cuts the line.

He can't risk getting too close
to the ray's venomous tail.

Off it goes.

Jeremy's beginning to feel

he's catching everything
except the arapaima.

He and Louro hook
two different types of catfish.

Louro's catch
bears the teeth marks

of the Amazon's
most notorious fish.

Yeah, Louro's just got this
nice pirarara, redtail catfish.

Look at the tentacle
on the mouth of this fish,

coming down from
the right-hand corner.

It's actually got
a forked tentacle,

which is quite unusual.

If you have a look at this fin
near where my right elbow is,

there's a bit of a bite there.

That was probably a piranha
on the way in.

The piranhas will actually see
that, you know,

the fish is struggling or
attracting attention to itself,

and they'll nip it and
take a chunk out of the fins.

Narrator:
Some interesting catches,

but not the arapaima
Jeremy's after.

Wade: Louro's just taken me
two hours into the backwaters,

and we're just arriving
at a remote community.

And there's somebody there
called Caya.

And Louro reckons

that he can help me get close
to the giant arapaima.

Narrator: Arapaima are a major
food source in the Amazon

and are prized
by local fishermen.

The waters near villages
are nearly fished out,

so Jeremy heads to a remote lake

that he hopes will still harbor
the elusive giants.

But as the arapaima is
the major food source

to the native people,
has he arrived too late?

Wade: It's a couple
of arapaima.

So, some fishermen here have
caught a couple of arapaima,

small ones, he says.
Look at that.

By our standards,
that's a big fish,

but small arapaima.

And those are basically just
to take home to the village

to feed the family.

Hey.

And, uh... how about that
for lunch?

So, here's the hole
where the harpoon went in,

so obviously quite a good shot,
very close to the head end,

but not in the gill plate,

where it might have bounced off
and not penetrated.

So, this fish
only very recently dead.

And you can see
the machete marks on the head,

where they've actually...

Once they got it into the boat,
to put it out of its misery.

Narrator: The remains of giants
are all around him,

but Jeremy hasn't been able
to land an arapaima of his own.

Wade:
Hugely frustrating to arrive

and there is the fish
dead on the bank,

you know,
a real shock to the system,

a fish that would have been
wonderful to catch

and then just, you know, admire
and slip back into the water.

And, you know, part of me,

feeling really sort of sick
as a result of that.

I've no right to feel resentful,

but, you know, I've gone
to such a huge amount of effort

to get this far,
and, you know, there it is.

You know, there's the goal
in front of me,

but, you know,
snatched from my grasp.

This fish would have been great
to catch on rod and line.

This fish met a different end.

I'm gonna have to find
somewhere else.

This particular place here is...

You know,
the trail's gone cold for me.

It's the end of the line,
but it's interesting to see.

This is the reality
of the fish's life

and the people's life
in this particular place.

Narrator: The arapaima
is proving a tougher catch

than Jeremy anticipated.

He's beginning to wonder if
he'll ever catch one of his own.

Wade: I've been here
quite a while already,

and, you know, I've seen
the arapaima on a plate

surrounded by rice
and vegetables and beans.

I've had one head-butt me
in the chest.

The bottom line is, you know,
I came here to catch this thing.

It's gonna need something more,

finding a lake
where the fish are still alive

and not a place where they were
alive until a few days ago.

So, that's the challenge now.

Narrator: Jeremy hooks up
with local fisherman Zé Luis,

who takes him
deeper into the jungle,

far from local fishermen.

Wade:
This place is an absolute maze,

just water in all directions.

And, you know, I have no idea

which looks like
the most likely route.

So I have to have someone here
who knows the way.

Zé Luis has been going up
this particular creek

since he was a lad,

and certainly, without him,
I'd never get in.

And more importantly,
I'd never get out.

Narrator: Eight hours
into the flooded forest,

and the best accommodation is
an abandoned logger's hut.

Staying alive in the jungle

takes more
than great fishing skills.

Survival here
demands a strong stomach

and an open mind.

And as the cook, Zé Luis has got
a special treat in store

for jungle rookie Jeremy.

Wade: Uh-huh.

So, Luis is saying that
this has got something inside

which we can eat later,

maybe as a pudding
with our fish meal,

assuming we get some fish
in a few minutes.

Yeah, silly question.

Obviously, they fall down,
aided by gravity,

and they come from
that tree up there.

So, it's a type of palm nut.

They don't look very appetizing,
do they?

I definitely agree more
with his first verdict

about what this was useful for,
which was fishing bait.

I think that would make
a great fishing bait,

but for human consumption, um...

Yeah, I'm not so convinced.

There we are...
Sort of maggot kabob.

Lovely idea.
I'm sure we could export that.

Narrator: The maggots
are prepped for eating

after a quick roast on the fire.

Wade:
I'm trying to remain detached
and academic at this point,

but there comes a point
where the emotions kick in.

I'm gonna be getting some
messages from my taste buds

in a little while,

and I'm not really quite sure
what to expect.

Wade: Uh-huh.

He says he knows
it's ready to eat

when it turns
sort of yellow in color.

This one apparently is ready.

So, here we go.
That one's still moving.

That's a little bit
disconcerting.

Anyway, in it goes.

Crispy and crunchy.

Can you hear that?
Mmm. And, uh...

Mmm.

That is sort of bacon...

Sort of
a grilled-bacon taste to it.

And actually,
the texture's really nice.

I really like that
sort of crispiness it's got.

And, um...

Yeah, sort of liquid-y bacon,
really.

But, yeah, not bad at all.
It's all right.

I could live off that,
if pushed.

Obviously, during the time
that it's taken to get here,

I've needed to eat
to keep myself going.

And basically,

the food is being provided
by Zé Luis and the Cat.

They've gone out,
put the nets out,

and, yeah, I've been
merrily chomping fish,

keeping my energy levels up,

but feeding on fish,
none of which I have caught.

Watching Zé Luis and the Cat go
about their business of fishing

has really made me aware
of the difference

between their kind of fishing
and my kind of fishing.

And it's sort of thrown me
into a bit of confusion, really.

You know, I had this idea...

I'll come here, and I'll try
and catch this fish.

But, you know, suddenly,

I'm starting to question
the whole exercise.

You know, what on Earth is
the point, really?

You know, their fishing
has a real reason,

a real connection with life,

and, you know, they're obviously
quite puzzled by my motivation,

and I'm starting to get
a bit puzzled by it, as well.

Narrator: Jeremy heads deeper
into the Brazilian rainforest

in search of a lake thought to
contain the giant arapaima.

The waterway
becomes thick and tangled,

but Jeremy insists they push on.

The team transfers the gear
into smaller canoes

so they can navigate

the dense and seemingly
impenetrable jungle ahead.

Finally, after fighting
their way for hours,

the team emerges onto the lake.

Their timing, it would appear,
is perfect.

Wade:
Well, just where we came in,

there was a noise in the water,
under the water when we came in,

like a sort of "blb!"

Like sort of a dull...

Like almost like an explosion
under the water.

And, according to the Cat,
that was an arapaima,

actually under the water
taking fright and heading off,

so right at the point
where we came in.

But since then,

just in no more
than a couple of minutes,

there have been two or three
arapaimas surfacing

down the bottom end of the lake.

And this place is
just fantastic.

It just almost smells
of big fish.

It's just
a tremendous atmosphere.

And there's another one
running over there.

Almost certainly, no one's
yet been here this year.

And, uh...

In my opinion, you know,
it looks as if, you know,

the fish can't get out of here,
so it's just perfect timing.

Narrator:
Jeremy waits until nightfall,

when the giants
are more likely to hunt.

Wade:
The moment of truth has arrived.

There's possibly a little bit
of fear creeping in

because, you know,
I felt the power of these fish.

I've seen the size of them
close up.

This is the water I had
in my mind.

There's a real
sort of archetypal quality

about this place.

It is the abode of monsters,
no doubt about that.

I haven't yet put a bait in.

Time to do that,
no more prevaricating.

This is what I came here for.

For better or worse,
time to do it now.

Narrator: After days of
trekking to a remote lake,

his long journey into the jungle
now seems to have been in vain.

Wade: I can't believe
the total lack of interest.

Quite a disappointment.

So far, it's a bit of a mystery

why the fish are that aloof
to the bait

when they are clearly here
in quite some numbers

and also quite active, as well.

Narrator: As the sun rises,
Jeremy reels in his line.

10 long hours
of patiently waiting

have brought in no reward.

Defeated and frustrated,
Jeremy reassesses his tactics.

Wade: Zé Luis is not just
keeping me physically alive

in the jungle.

He's also
very much keeping me sane.

He's pretty mystified
by what I'm doing here,

and, you know, the more
I get to sort of see

what he gets up to
in the jungle,

I mean, you know, that's
starting to rub off on me.

You know, what am I doing here?

When I arrived at the lake,
it looked so good.

There were fish rolling,

and when night fell, you could
actually hear them feeding.

But I've now been here
two nights.

Nothing has shown any interest
in the baits.

You know, I'd be up
for staying a bit more

and trying different techniques,

but basically, Zé Luis is
my life-support system.

I can't survive here
without him.

He needs to back.

He needs to go
pack the things up and go

and, yeah, admit defeat, really,
at this stage.

Narrator:
Zé Luis returns to his family,

but Jeremy refuses to quit.

His search for a giant arapaima
is energized by a new leader.

Wade: I've been in the Amazon
now several weeks...

Not very much
in the way of results,

but I've learned a lot.

Asking around,

I've been directed
to a totally new tributary...

Floodplain lakes,

where, rumor has it,
there are giant arapaima.

I'm with a chap called Wilson.

He knows the river well,
and I'm feeling quite excited.

I reckon this could be the place
where it finally happens.

There have been
so many dead ends

that it's now
looking like, you know,

this perhaps
isn't going to happen.

And so there's this battle

between
self-confidence and doubt

that's being fought out.

Wade: Primo Aldon
is a friend of Wilson's.

There's a lake
out the back here,

and he says there's lots
of arapaima there.

So, as soon as we've had
our coffee,

we're off, hitting the trail.

Can only go by foot,

but looking forward to
checking the place out.

Is it a good idea
to express too much hope

when a place looks good?

You know, in the past,
things have looked good.

And, you know,
is that the kiss of death

to actually say it looks good?

But, no,
this does look promising.

It's got a real atmosphere,
this place.

Narrator: Battle-weary,
Jeremy knows all too well

that this could be
yet another long night

with nothing to show
at the end of it.

It'll take all of his stamina
to remain focused

if he is to stand any chance of
landing the powerful arapaima.

12 hours later,

Jeremy has finally hooked into
what he hopes is a giant.

Wade: Ooh.

It's coming in
towards those weeds.

It's potentially
a bit dangerous, yep.

There we go.

Keep him in this clear patch
is the idea.

It's coming in towards me.

Wow.

Whew!

Wade: Splashing.

This fish here
is just about 15 kilos,

so 30-something pounds.

Narrator:
It's not the giant he's after,

but it's a great start.

Uh, 1 meter 10...

Uh, 1 meter 15,
something like that.

How good to arrive at a place
where there are fish

and then get a take and then
get the fish on the bank.

I mean,
that's what it's been about.

And that feels very good.

Not a monstrous fish,
but it is the fish that is,

you know,
practically uncatchable

in certain parts of the Amazon.

And we found a place
where it is catchable,

which is brilliant.

Narrator: Having successfully
landed a small arapaima,

Jeremy's confidence soars,

and he's now
more determined than ever

to go after a true leviathan.

Wade: He said there
are monsters here,
and they're feeding.

And, you know,
if the caymans leave us alone

and the mosquitos leave us alone

and the gulls don't keep
chewing the line, who knows?

There might be another one.

Narrator:
With time running out

and Jeremy still eager to catch
the 400-pound arapaima

that are known to prowl
these waters,

Jeremy travels upriver
to a man who, his guide claims,

is an expert
at locating the monsters.

Wade: There's a man
who lives on an island

just down here
in the middle of the river.

He's been there with his family
for about 20 years.

Everybody says he's the person
who really knows the river,

knows the fish,
knows the animals.

I'm getting a wee bit desperate.

I need that special something
to take me to the fish,

and maybe he's the man
who can give that to me.

Yeah, this is Manoel Karajá,
who lives on the island here.

He's been here
for over 20 years.

And just from talking to him
for a couple of minutes,

you know, he knows the place,
knows his stuff.

And I think, you know,

if anybody can help me
get close to the fish,

then this could be the guy.

Narrator:
Manoel was brought up by Indians

and knows their secrets
for catching arapaima.

He's agreed to help Jeremy,
but there's a catch.

Where they're going,

only traditional handline
fishing techniques

are permitted.

Wade: So, yeah, just stopping
to look at this...

I mean, very, very large hook.

The thing is, if you haven't got
the fine control of a reel,

you know, you're putting a lot
of pressure on the hook.

And a smaller hook, you know,
runs the risk of opening.

Very thick line here

and a bit of lead
to give you a bit of weight

to get the bait out.

And, yeah, this is jumbo stuff.

You know, even fishing for
conger eels out of shipwrecks,

you know, you'd use stuff that
was a bit thinner than this.

That's quite impressive.

The lake where we're going
has quite a spread of species.

It's got the peacock bass.
It's got the arowana.

It's got piranha.

It's got these
sort of armor-plated things

that live on the bottom.

But the most interesting one
from our point of view...

It has got the arapaima there.

He reckons up to
comfortably over 2 meters...

2 meters 10, 2 meters 20...

So some pretty hefty beasts
in there.

Narrator:
The thought of finally landing

a 7-foot living missile

makes a restful sleep
nearly impossible.

The next morning,

Jeremy and Manoel head
out early to the lake.

Wade: Manoel's brought me
to this lake,

which is, you know,
probably more than waist deep.

And I could easily lob a stone
to the other side.

And he's pointed out this little
flipping on the surface there,

almost like water boiling,

and what that is
is a shoal of baby arapaima.

And the interesting thing is
that this tiny little sign

is actually, um...

It means the big fish are near.

You know, the two parents,

the male and the female
are there,

somewhere
very, very close to us here.

And in order to be
breeding size,

they've got to be big fish.

They got to be
at least a meter and a half,

you know, about the size of me.

So, you know, there's two
very big fish, you know,

just out on the end
of this weed bed here.

Narrator: Manoel ensures

the monster tackle
is ready to cast.

For Jeremy, it's now or never.

Wade:
Manoel's just caught a couple
of good-sized triara here,

and one now he's just cut up.

And we've got four good baits
out of that,

so one of those is gonna go in

close to where
the two big fish are.

Narrator: Just moments
after the bait is cast,

Jeremy hooks into
something huge.

Wade: It's taking line.
It's taking line.

It's taking line.

Look at that.
Look at that, shaking his head.

It's way into the bank.

Manoel's been giving me
instructions,

hardly time to think.

It looks like it might be tired
out already on the strong line,

but this is always
the dangerous time,

when they're right in close.

Manoel...

Uh-huh.

Bring him 'round this way,
this way, this way.

And when he's here,
he's tiring, he's tiring.

The fish is now motionless
in the margins.

His eyes are out of the water,
looking at me accusingly.

He might give a sudden kick.

There's always that danger.

Manoel says
pick him up in the...

So get in the gills,

lift it, lift it, lift it,
and then pull.

Pull, pull, pull.

Pull. Pull.

Good heavens,
this is a heavy fish.

Look at that.

I'm gonna be very careful
with that hook.

Yeah, very...

He says, "Watch the head butt,"

and in that very moment,
that very moment...

Yeah, I'll keep my head
well out of the way.

Wow.

Woof! Look at that.

That was what was beneath

that tiny, tiny boiling
on the surface.

Tiny sign, and what a huge fish.

Good heavens.

Same size as me, that fish,
more or less.

This has to be the biggest...
Without a doubt,

biggest freshwater fish
I've ever caught in my life

on the very last day
of the trip.

Manoel said it weighs 90 kilos.

And it's the same size as I am.

Look at this.
The length is the same as me.

Huge... look at this red marking
here on the stomach.

Reckons it's a female
and huge scales, huge head.

What a monster.
I think we should get it back.

All right, time to get it back?

Narrator: Jeremy's reward

for weeks of fishing
in the Amazonian rainforest?

A 200-pound, 6-foot arapaima.

Whoa!

It's gone already.

You know, it hasn't sunk in yet.
It hasn't sunk in.

So much time here,
so close so many times,

always something going wrong,
always some sort of dead end.

And I, you know,
got to the point...

Today's the last day, you know?

It was going to be...

You know, I was just gonna be
going through the motions here.

I was gonna lob something out.

I was gonna wait.
I was gonna go home.

Manoel very confident,

but part of me
didn't really believe that.

And, yeah, it's happened
on the last day... fantastic.

Fantastic.
Can't get any better than that.

Yeah, during this trip,
you know,

I have really come to question
this whole business

of what it is
to be a sport fisherman,

you know,
the luxury of choosing to fish

for fish
that you don't really need.

And today
I could have just come here

and watched that fish
in the water

and, you know, got a real
appreciation of it from that.

And, indeed, I did.

You know, I spent
sort of an hour or so

watching the water where it was.

You know,
was it really necessary

to drag it out
by its lips, you know,

subject it to the indignity of
being pulled out into the air?

I don't know.
I think, yes, it was.

I can't explain why.

You know,
fishing connects with something

very deep inside all of us,
I think.

You know, I certainly feel
this need to catch fish,

and I can't explain it
very well.

But possibly
having caught this fish today,

I won't feel that need
so strongly in the future.

I don't know where I can go
from here, to be honest.

You know, this is, in many ways,

the culmination
of my angling career.

Anything after this
is going to be an anticlimax.

Narrator: Back then,
Jeremy could not have predicted

the extraordinary adventures
that lay ahead.

Nearly a decade later,

his "River Monsters" series
follows his quest

for the most elusive
freshwater giants on the planet.

In many ways,

Jeremy's angling career
had only just begun.