Wicked Tuna: North vs. South (2014–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - First Strike - full transcript

On the season premiere

of Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks...

some of New England's
best fishermen

head south to North Carolina's
famed fishing grounds...

Whoa!

...and reignite a war

with the local fleet.

Take that, Frenzy!

It's Pinwheel, he's hooked up.

Outer Banks, baby! Whoo!

It's known as
the graveyard of the Atlantic.



The dangerous waters...

Whoa!

...fishing limits...

That quota's gone
in a matter of days.

...and battle
for territory...

I will stomp
the ... out of you.

Woman driver,

move the ... out of my way.

...make the Outer Banks

one of the most
challenging places in the world

to catch bluefin tuna.

Come again.

Whoa!

-Got him on, got him on.
-Got him on.



So why do they do it?

We're on, baby!
Whoo hoo!

Shut the ... up
and drive the boat.

... you!

There it is,
there it is!

Because each giant
could be worth up to $20,000!

Boom, wicked tuna!

But can they survive?

We're losing it!

The Outer Banks.

Let's get
this thing rolling here.

I'm ready to get started.

Today's the opening day
of the season
and we're ready to go.

We're going fishing.

I'm chomping at the bit.

We've got
home field advantage.

We came out on top last season

and we plan
on doing it again this year.

Yeah, I'm ready, dude.

I mean, somebody's
gotta catch the first one.

Oh, we have
a new addition this year.

I've got two guys
fishing with me.

With two guys on there,

it's really gonna
make it easier for us

to keep cycling and keep going.

What do you think, Billon,
you jacked up, buddy?

I'm ready, baby.

I'm Billon Hollingsworth
and I'm the new deckhand

of the Fishin' Frenzy.

Greg and Nick
brought me onboard this season

so they can focus
on landing more bluefin.

And I'm here to pick up
everything else

and hopefully learn
a thing or two.

Here.

So these
northern boats are gonna be
a fish out of water.

They don't have a chance here
this year.

They'll be lucky if they catch
anything this season.

We put the first one
on the dock last year,

we're gonna put the first one
on the dock this year.
I'm ready.

I'm ready
to catch a couple of fish.

You ready to rumble, Paul?

I am so tanked
right now.

Time to go fishing.

Last year, I was
in second place and it's tough.

But this year
I'm trying to beat Frenzy.

I'm trying to beat
everyone down here.

We're gonna
get one today, baby, yeah!

Going fishing.

Let's go fishing, boys...
and Reba.

We struggled last season
down here in the Outer Banks.

That's the only way really
you can put it. We sucked.

We didn't catch nearly
as many fish as we should have.

We're good!

We gotta perform better

and I'm optimistic we will.

All right, let's do it.

Let's go see if we can catch
a few fish.

Yeah, let's hope
those fish cooperate.

We worked really hard
back in Gloucester

and it paid off.

Nice.

We came out
on the top of the fleet

with over $100,000
worth of fish.

It's a great way
to end the season.

-Thanks a lot, man.
-No problem.

It was a pleasure
doing business with you.

It was the best season
I've ever had.

But we also got very lucky,

and I've been in this game
long enough to know

luck can change.

So we've come back
to North Carolina,

hoping to keep the streak alive

and bank some more money
for the family.

All right, Jay, let's go.

Pa-pow!

Whoo!

We spent a lot of money
getting down here.

It's a huge commitment.

The key will be, can we make
this gamble pay off?

Failure is not an option
for the Hard Merchandise.

Woo-hoo-hoo!

Are you ready? Are you ready?

You ready to eat
some tuna tails or what?

Outer Banks, Reba, you ready?

Yeah, we've gotta
redeem ourselves

from last year's
... performance.

All right, let's do it.

I got this picture of Greg
just to keep me motivated,

so that way we keep our eye
on the prize.

It's very important
we beat Frenzy this season.

Hey, Paul, check it out.

Motivation.

Let's go kick
some southern ass.

All right, guys,
here we go.

- Fire in the hole!
- Don't shoot it.

God damn, don't shoot it
up in the air.

It did, it curved!

Look at it curving.

I got an idea.
Let's toss it up

and shoot it with a shotgun,

A real one, a loaded one.

Now, let the games begin!

We're headed out
to that 100-fathom curve, bro.

Twenty miles to go
to the promised land.

It's the start of the season,
and that first fish could be
$10,000 bill,

so everyone is goin' out there
tryin' to get that first fish.

These fish could ultimately be
anywhere off the coast
of North Carolina

constantly on the move.

But today, we're headed out
to the 100-fathom curve.

Right on that 100-fathom curve
in that Gulf Stream water,

there's a lot of nutrients,
which in turn holds
a lot of bait fish,

which ultimately brings
the tunas into that area.

Let's hope
they're waitin' there

with their mouths
open, frothin'.

There's got to be
one dumb tuna out there
with our name on it.

I hope so.

We gotta get
some lines in the water

'cause this quota is small.

The game don't last long!

We wanna catch as many tuna
as we possibly can this season.

But down here,
the bluefin quota
to help sustain the species

is a lot smaller.

And this year
limits us to 42 tons.

That's only about 270 fish.

So this season
can be over in weeks.

But who knows?

It's a whole different ballgame
than back at home.

The Outer Banks
in the wintertime
is a rough place to fish.

You got freezing spray.

And in addition to that,

we've got the bridge
and the inlet to deal with.

The conditions
are always changing.

The channels are shifting,
the currents are changing.

If you're not on your game
every day,

you're gonna be in trouble.

It could sink you right there.
It's happened before.

Today,
I have a really good feeling.

It's all about your bird.

Back home,
we wait for the tuna
to come to us.

Here, we can't do that.

You have to go hunt for them

because they're constantly
on the move.

So we use the greenstick
to catch these tunas down here.

A greenstick
is a 40-foot pole

that's attached to the mainline
using a breakaway.

At the end of the line
is a floating device
called the bird

and that helps attract
bluefin tuna.

It creates tension
that elevates the lures.

Got a nice squid, here.
We call this one

"Mean Joe Green."

He will be out behind
my boat dancin' away.

There we go!

That's what we wanna see,
right there.

Those fish
see that thing and they wanna
come check it out.

They're like,
"What the heck is that thing?"

So when the fish bites...

the breakaway snaps
and the tuna's reeled in
on the hydraulic bandit reel.

The more lines you have
in the water here,

more chances to catch fish.

Let's catch some fish!

What's gonna set us apart
is the ballyhoos I'm gonna rig

With small bait fish.

You poke these eyeballs out

and, uh, if he thinks
the ballyhoo is not lookin'
his way,

he'll, he'll pounce on him,
just like a big cat.

It's no different than a tiger.

He won't attack
when he's being watched.

Paul, definitely looks
like some fish up ahead.

You see some?

Yeah, it's right up there.

Nice!

My goal's this year is to catch
a lot of fish.

You know, to come down here
cost me $5,000 easy.

It's a 700-mile journey.

So I need to put
that first fish on the deck

to take care of these expenses
and that's what it's all about.

Got some whales over here
and some birds.

- That's what we want.
- Everything's
starting to be fishy.

Any minute,
we could get a bite.

We're starting to see
a lot of other wildlife here
and that's a great sign.

When you're seein' birds,
you know there's bait fish
in the area.

and wherever there's bait fish,
there's predators.

That looked
like a pod of tunas, dude!

Straight, straighten out.

Last year,
we came in second.

This year we wanna kill it
and take the top spot.

It's not gonna be easy,
trust me.

We're competing against
the best fishermen
in the ocean,

in their backyard.

They're here, smashin' around
on this bait.

There he is,
right there!

That's him!

There's a big mark here.

There's a big mark there.

That's, that's probably
a dozen fish

all in one little knot.

And they're only down there
20 fathoms.

That first fish is exactly
what we're looking for.

But everywhere I look,
there's a Yankee boat.

All right, Jay,
we're here.

Let's get these rigs out
and see if we can
get in this game.

All right.

We're gonna deploy this stuff,

start lookin' around,
see if we mark anything.

Keep our fingers crossed
that we get a bite here
before sunset.

Day one out here
on the fishin' grounds,

Let's see if we can score one
right off the bat.

That would be
the ideal scenario.

It's the Hard Merch.

There's a lot of boats
in the same area.

It's just a matter of time
before someone gets
that first bite.

Everybody's here.
You can see Pin Wheel
right behind us.

And just to the left of that,
that big red boat,

that's the Fishin' Frenzy.

TJ on the Hot Tuna's
right there.

Dave Marciano's out
to the southeast of us
a little bit.

This is pretty much
the only game

on the East Coast
right now, so.

If you're a tuna fisherman,
you're right here,
right now, so.

Holy ...!

What?
Jig the stick, jig the stick.

Yeah.

When you're jigging,
you're bouncing the baits

up and down off the water.

You're making action, splashing

and it excites the tuna fish.

They will jump on them.

- Ooh, what was that?
- This thing
is gonna go at any minute

and we gotta capitalize
on this.

We gotta hook a fish.

It looked like
I might've just had

one go at it.

You seein' somethin'?

I thought I just saw somethin'

comin' up on whitewater.

What did you see, bubby?

Oh, it was a dolphin
and I saw a shark, too.

With this small quota
and the limited time
we have out here,

we need to get bit fast.

We're seein' fish, you know,
lots of bait,

and we're right in the zone.

Right there, dude, right there!

- What?
- There's a tuna,

I just saw one smash.

That was a tuna!

We really
need this fish

because every tuna
that another boat lands

is a fish that we can't catch.

I'm seein' somethin' way off
in the horizon, smashin'.

Real quick smashes.

Oh, my goodness.

Wow.

- Holy .... There's a mark.
- Whoa!

You get a mark like that,
that's a good sign.

Come on, come on.

It's startin' to be
primetime here, Jarrett.

Take it, come on.

Is that a boil?

Whoa, there he is,
there he is!

- Whoo!
- Pa-pow!

Oh, my goodness. Wow.

Holy .... There's a mark.

It's startin' to be
primetime here, Jarrett.

Take it. Come on!

Whoo! Wow!

Breaker just broke, we're on.

Whoo!

We're on, baby!

This fish is exactly
what we need

to start our season down here
in the Outer Banks.

If we can land this fish,

it will send a message
to everyone else

that the Hot Tuna
is the boat to beat.

- How did it look, big?
- I see a boil
behind the boat

and it popped outta the water
and grabbed this.

Big boil, big boil.

They're definitely
smoking me, I gotta go back.

- All right.
- It's gettin' low.

- He's coming in, right?
- Yeah.

Just take it
nice and easy, nice and easy.

As long as he doesn't dump us.

Take your time.

- Sorry, bro.
- It's all good.

Just try to get
some line back.

Not sure if it's
a legal-sized fish
or undersized fish, but...

That was
a pretty big explosion.

- You saw it, too, right?
- Yeah!

How'd he look?

He looked
pretty decent man.

All right, well,
take your time.

It looks like
a legal-sized fish.

- Just don't over force it.
- I'm like barely pulling on it.

Why don't you go,
let him go.

We're just taking our time,
playin' him easy,

and hopefully we get him,
fingers crossed.

Wait, something's up here.
We got a tangle or something.

There's a whole
cluster ....

All right,
try to undo it then.

Right now,
some of our other lures

are wrapped up
around our mainline.

If we give this fish any slack,

the hook will pull
and he's as good as gone.

Michael, I can't see.
You gotta let me know
what's going on.

So we've only got
one shot at him right now.

I'd better make it count.

TJ, he's right here.

He's right here,
right here, right here.

Here he comes,
right there.

Take a shot!

- Missed him!
- Aw, ...!

Hey, go forward.

Keep goin' a little more.

- MIKE, He's right here.
- Get a gaffe,
get a gaffe!

Got 'em, get a gaff!

Whoa, hey, whoa!

Michael,
hit the tail, tail!

- I got him, get a tail rope!
- Tail rope,
tail rope,

- get a tail rope!
- Get to him!

- Whoo!
- Yeah, baby!

- Yeah.
- Yeah!

- Whoo!
- Yeah.

-Nice bite!
-Whoo!

- All right!
- Whoo!

I'm so stoked
we got that first fish.

Now the fleet knows
that we're definitely
the boat to beat.

We're on it, baby,
pa-pow, whoo!

Nice work, nice work,

- Yeah!
- Whoo!

That's a good sized
tuna, too!

Bro, we got
a nice 90-incher there.

Ahhh, nice.

- Oh, yeah, we got it, baby.
- Lemme tell ya, it was nice.

- It was nice action.
- 90-incher.

Yeah I, I'd say.

You know, they look
so small behind this boat.

I can't believe that TJ
out of all people

catches the first fish.

That puts me and the rest
of the fleet already behind.

Not too bad
for a first hour of fishing
on the first day!

That's a big thing,
getting that first fish.

It shows everybody
that you're serious.

Couldn't ask
for more, that's for sure.

Oh, it feels so good
to get the stink off the boat.

The whole rig was in a knot.
Oh, my God.

Thank God we caught that fish.

I don't want to see
those northern boats
coming down here

and catching the first fish.

We were supposed to do that.

TJ's got a golden horseshoe.

First one, TJ got him.

So everybody's gunnin'
for TJ now.

Hey, he's a hell
of a fisherman.
You gotta give it to him.

- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
- We've got him on, Jake!

Whoa, we've got him on!

- We got one on here.
- Oh, easy, easy, easy, easy.

Looked like
a pretty good splash.

Definitely,
definitely a bluefin.

All right, bud, go ahead
and move that rod
to your right.

Let's get our ropes ready
and our gaffs ready.

It's Griff, he's hooked up.

I see him.

Griff's a legend
on the Outer Banks.

Griff and I have always
competed for the top spot.

So the Reels Of Fortune,

they're gonna be
a tough boat to beat.

He's definitely gunning for me.

We need a bite,
we really need a bite now.

Right now, the pressure's on
to catch one, you know?

We just haven't caught one yet!

My name is Charlie Griffin,
everybody calls me Griff.

I started fishing
when I was a pretty young boy

and I've spent my entire life
on the Outer Banks.

And I hope we get that rascal.

This thing's acting
really crazy.

I don't know I'm liking
the way things are

up in the water so much.

Ease him
back up here, 60, 70 yards.

Let's see
what we're dealing with,

see if he's gonna be
a, a legal fish.

Name's Jake Griffin.
I'm the first mate
on the Reels Of Fortune.

My dad and I make
a very good team.

I've been fishing with him now
for seven years.

He's been my teacher
from day one,

So I hold
our relationship high.

I'll be very surprised
if this fish isn't a big one.

Oh, that's definitely
the Reels Of Fortune, Jay.

Looks like he just hooked up.

Griff on the Reels Of Fortune
was in the slip next to me
last season

so I got to know him

and his son, Jake, pretty good.

They always came back
to the dock with fish
in their boat

So I know they're gonna be
a force to be reckoned with.

This right here
is the one we need

to start everything off, man.

I look calm,
but trust me,

inside I'm a raw nerve ending.

I can't even breathe right now.

We have to catch fish
so that we can pay our bills,

so that we can take care
of the people that we love.

So it's very important
that we start catching fish
right away.

Here comes our first leader.

Acting weird, man.

Acting really weird.

This thing is really doing
a lot of sporadic

all over the place ... man.

This fish is pulling us.
It's really pulling hard.

I don't wanna be
too hard on him.

I know.
We need this one, bud.

Yep, just ease him on
up there, buddy.

Talk to me, Jake.

Keep it going ahead.
Just keep it going ahead.

Be careful, Jake.

This thing is really doing
a lot of sporadic all over
the place ..., man.

This fish is pulling us.
It's really pulling hard.

I don't want
to be too hard on him.

-I know.
-We need this one, bud.

Yep, just ease him on
up there, buddy.

Rather than shoving a harpoon,

which is pushing a fish away
from the hook,

that's when most fish are lost,

we're pulling him
towards the boat.

If we catch this fish,
we can start paying some bills.

It takes a little
of the pressure off

and it gets you started
in the right direction.

- Talk to me, Jake.
- Keep it going ahead some.

Just keep it going ahead.

Take it, Bubba.

Be careful, Jake.

Stick his ass.

Stick him, bud!

- You got a bite yet?
- No.

- You got a bite now?
- Yes.

Want me to let go
of the rope right now?

There he is.

Look at that!

Whew, Lord and mercy.

His ass is had, son.

- That's a good one.
- Good work, man.

Hell, yeah, man.

I love you, man.

That's what we needed
right there, bud.

God almighty.
Look at him, he's a butterball.

That's what I'm talking about.
He's a butterball.

Look at him, look at him!

Look at the head on that mule!

Oh, yeah,
yeah, son.

Having my son, Jake,
work with me

has been really a blessing.

He's a pretty tough character.

Now, Jake does most of the work

as you can see.

He's my go-to man.

Renegade, go look
at that fish, go look.

We got renegade last year
just before bluefin season.

He's our second mate
and he's our buddy.

And a better deckhand
than my son because
he never complains.

Never ever complains.

Look, what's that?

What's that, what's that?

Maybe 5-6, $8,000,
who knows, you know.

Look at him!

That's a nice fish,

That is a really nice fish,
fat fish.

Thank goodness.

That's a good solid start
right there.

That's a pretty fish.

It's been a long wait
to get that one.

Well, we got the hardest one
under our belt.

Now it's all gravy from here.

You need help
getting him up there?

You might have to.

- Good lord, son.
- It's a nice one, bud.

This is the
biggest fish we've caught
in two or three years.

This is a great start.

I cannot wait
to get him in there

and see what this thing's
gonna be worth.

That's a good one there, son.

You know it.

Ninety-nine.

That's almost 100 inches, boy.

- Good God.
- Ah.

I got a tuna, I got a tuna.

Thank goodness.

All right, time to see
how big this fish is.

Come on, baby,
be good to us.

- Whoo hoo.
- Nice.

Whoo, yeah.

We'll take it, baby, whoo.

-Good job.
-Nice work.

- Good job, buddy, whoo!
- Nice work.

Nice fish,
just what we needed.

What do you think, Reb?

Nice one, huh?

Right now, my crew's
firing on all cylinders.

You know, when we get
that first fish,

The guys are stoked,
I'm stoked.

We just wanna
keep giving it hell
and try and repeat that.

Great shape.

He's built like us,
round in the belly.

All right,
let's measure him out.

What'd you got?

Ninety-two.

All right, 92.

- Reba, what'd you think, baby?
- It's a nice one.

Nice fish, whoo!

Ninety-two
is perfect size, baby.

Jarrett: you guys wanna do
a tail cut,

- see what he looks like?
- Yeah.

All right,
let's see what we got.

Oh, hoo, hoo, hoo!

He got fat
in the minors.

Real good color.

Here's the real test.
If you eat it,

I'll know it's a good one.

You want this?

- Give me a high-five.
- She's licking
her chops.

All right, here you go, ooh!

Oh, good girl.

She's happy.

A lot of guys
are sitting empty right now,

so you know what?

This is huge for us right now.

I think our luck
is changing, baby.

Hot Tuna, pa-pow.

Whoo!

Yep.

Ooh, marking 'em.

Now that the first fish
of the season's been caught,

Paul and I definitely
gotta buckle down

and put one in the boat.

We can't afford
to pull the hook.

Ooh, get ready.

Now we're gonna get a bite.

Yeah.

Now we're fishing.

The stakes are way higher
right now.

There's some fish around,
people are hooking up,

We really need to get a bite.

Here we go, get ready.

My favorite lures right here
In the whole world.

Come on, fish, bite!

Whoa, we got him on!

- We got him on, there he is.
- Whoa, whoa!

There he is!

There he is,
we're on!

Whoo. They're ready.

Now we're gonna get a bite.

Yeah.

Now we're fishin'.

We're marking right now
and we gotta capitalize
on this one.

We've gotta hook a fish.

I've gotta get mine now.

My favorite lures right here
In the whole world.

I'm just hoping, you know?

Whoa, we got him on!

- We got him on, there he is!
- Whoa, hold on!

There he is, we're on!

Whoo,
I saw that one!

- That was nice!
- Ahhh.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Nice.

Let it roll!

Watch out,
dipping the corner!

Hold on, baby!

Whoo,
that's how you know it's rough!

All right, got him on.

Gotta worry about
hand lining this fish

and Paul's gonna
pull this fish in by hand.

Hand lining's very dangerous.

I'm hand lining
this one in
because the bandit reel drag

won't line the fish in,

so I'm giving it some help

and I'm pulling it in by hand.

I've seen people get line
caught around their hands

and get pulled right in.

I've seen a lot of
experienced people get killed.

That's what happens
when you're not smart.

- You good, everything good?
- What do you need?

Yeah.

Took it right outta my hand.

Jiggin' works.

Feel like a good one
or feel like a rat?

I don't know,
it's hard to tell.

He took off really good.

Watch out.

Come on, Paul!

Reverse.
You got it, brother.

Color,
we got color.

- There he is.
- You got a keeper?

Hold on.
Talk to me, you need help?

Want a little gaff?
What do you wanna do?

Oh, no!
Rat, rat, right?

One-hundred-pounder.

Any fish we catch
that is under 73 inches

we consider a short fish.

We let those go to reproduce
and benefit the fishery.

You wanna tag him?

Yup,
let's tag him.

We're gonna tag this fish.
It's gonna put a small tag

inside the tuna

and allow us
to preserve the species.

This fish is too short
and we have to let it go.

But before we release it,
I wanna put a tag in it,

so that scientists can get
some knowledge and learn
about the fish.

These electronic tags
collect information,

such as migration patterns,

diving behavior,
and water temperature.

About 60 days
after the fish is tagged,

the device will release
from the fish

and float to the surface

where satellite tracking
enables it to be collected,

so scientists can analyze
the information

and learn more
about the species.

I'm ready, pal.

Come here, tuna.

Nice.

Nice workout, huh?

Be careful, be careful.

Let him go.

- Nice 100-pounder.
- There he goes.

- Yeah!
- 100-pounder released.

-Got the tag in him, whoo!
-Yeah.

All right, dude.

It's not a paycheck, but, hey,
we've already had a tuna
bite our lines.

- Yeah.
- So we know
we're in the game.

Oh, yeah,
they're here. We just need
some big ones, that's all.

We'll get 'em.

- What's up?
- What's up, TJ?

- Not much, man.
- Been a while.

Yup.

What do you got today?

I got like a 400-pounder.

This is our
first fish in season,

so we're stoked.

Now how do you know it's 400?

You got a scale onboard or?

Uh, it's bigger than me.

- Are you ready?
- Let's check it out.

This is the first fish.
This could be big money for us.

We're hoping for a great price.

- Got a dress weight?
- Gonna get it up
right now.

That look on your face
tells me you think this is
the nicest fish

you've ever seen in your life.

Ah, we'll see.

All right,
let's get it weighed.

All right, let's see
what we got.

Three hundred
and fifty-six pounds.

- All right!
- All right,
we'll take it.

- Thank you, Bubba.
- We'll take it.

Wanna check the quality out,
Get a core sample, tail cut?

I'll see
what it's worth.

The weight
was pretty good,

but if the quality's good,

that will make
all the difference.

We want that
good ruby red color,

lots of oil, high fat content

to really make this
a high dollar bluefin.

- All right.
- What do you got?

Check it out.

It's got some fat
through the majors, huh?

Not bad.

See how it looks inside.

I don't know, man. I don't see
any burn there buddy.

Looks like a pretty nice core.

Yeah, look, man,
it's beautiful.

Yup, nice job.

That's a little bit
above average for down here.

It does have
a little bit of fat.

That's an $18 fish.

- Ooh!
- Yeah!

Yeah, all right!

Thanks, buddy.

$18 a pound
is a pretty good price.

That's how we reel you in
so you go back out
and get another one.

Yeah, well, we'd love
nothing more than
to bring you more.

All right.
Who am I kiddin'?
All right.

- Good luck, guys.
- Thanks ,man.

Bubba, take care.
Lucas, thank you.

How about it, Dave?

Hard Merch, you busy?

Yeah, yeah, Griff,
what's going on?

Go ahead
and get this thing started.

Still figuring this place out.

It's only the second season
down here, but...

just marked something down
at 20 that looks
pretty substantial.

- I met Dave last year.
- I'll tell ya, I like Dave.

He comes across as a fellow
who didn't come
from a lot of money

and everything he's got
he's worked and paid for.

That's my situation.

Man, I hope he gets a bite.

Marking the ...
out of 'em, Jay.

I'd be happy
with something here

to get some blood
on the deck, you know?

Yes, sir, yup.

A couple of fish at 40.

Hey, we're on,
we're on the rod!

We're on, baby!

There you go,
there you go!

I'm right here,
right behind you.

- We were just getting
set up and we got a bite.
- Yeah, baby.

Now let's hope
we could get him in the boat.

Should I tighten the drag?

Yeah, yeah,
put it back in full.

Attaboy, you're doing great,
Jay, you're doing great.

Good job, keep going,
keep going.

Let's see if we can get him.

The fishery's just started.

These first few fish could
be worth the most money.

Now with all we've spent
coming down here,

this is just gonna
get us caught up.

Come on.

Now we just need
a little bit of luck

so we can get him in the boat.

Yeah, he's not giving up
too easy.

Just a fat pig.

Let's hope we get him.

Any minute now
we should start to see him.

He's getting close.

Fight him with the rod, Jay,
fight him with the rod.

I think
I just got a glimpse of him,

There he is.

He's just doing deep circles.

He's taking his time.
We'll just baby him.

All right.

He looks like
a good one for sure, Jay.

Definitely a big fish.

- Reel, reel, Jay, reel.
- Get ready!

Get him readied up, Jay.

Doing good, Jay, doing good.

- Go on, go on, go on.
- Go on, go on, go on.

Here he comes.

Hit him,
hit him, hit him!

I think I just got a glimpse
of him.

There he is.

He's just doing deep circles.

He looks like
a good one for sure, Jay.

-That's a really big fish.
-Reel, reel, Jay. Reel.

-There it is.
-Bring it up, Jay.

We're hooked up to our
first fish of the season.

We really need to get this one

'cause every time
another boat lands a fish,

those early-season big prices

get smaller, and smaller,
and smaller.

Doing good, Jay, doing good.

Go, go, go, go, go, go!

Dave Marciano,
Hard merchandise.

Here he comes.

Hit him,
hit him, hit him!

You missed him!
Hit him again.

Hit him again!

Oh, you serious?

Goddammit! Ah!

He's gone.

I can't believe
we lost that fish.

It looked to me

like he was worth
probably over five grand.

but you can't win 'em all.

We're just gonna have to put
the lines back out,

keep the hooks in the water
until it goes tight again.

I wish you caught that one.

I would've loved
to have heard you on the radio

talking about that thing
on the deck.

That would make
this trip out here worth it.

Yeah,
I know, but doggone it,

I wish you'd pulled
one out of your hat.

Maybe when
some fish show up

and we get something
going here,

I'll be able to smile
a little bit more.

But right now,
I'm pretty grumpy.

Hard to feel like
we even started.

We haven't even put a fish
on the deck yet of any sort.

Everything's
gonna come together.

Hang in there.

All right, Dave,
meet me in the morning,

we'll go out together
and we'll get all the fish.

So far,
we haven't had any luck
over here

on the Hard Merchandise,

so maybe going out with Griff

will help change our luck

by learning
from his experience.

We need to start producing
some fish so we can come home

with a fish on the deck
instead of comin' home empty.

Two boats
have already caught fish,

so we're quickly starting
to fall behind.

I got some marks here.

We're going to slow down
here and check it out.

If we don't capitalize
on these marks and land a fish,

we're in trouble.

We're gonna
catch a tuna!

There he is, there he is!
Long rigger! Long rigger!

Got him, crank this one in?

- Hook up.
- Move that rod

right out of the rod holder.
Get it out of the way

and put it
on the other side of the boat.

TJ and Griff are both
one fish up on us,

So no mistakes,
we gotta put this one on board.

Yeah, baby.
don't turn towards him no more!

Okay, will do.
He stopped going.

I'm good.

Billon,
you got it coming in?

Yes, she's coming.

Tighten her up!

The long rigger
took a bunch of drag.

We're jacked up, there you go.

-There we go.
-Now, we'll let her feel
some drag.

- Take it over for a sec.
- Let me get my coat off.

Go to high gear,
go to high gear!

We've got
plenty of line.

Just let him do
what he's gonna do.

Yeah,
don't force him.

I love that sound.

That's the sound of checks

getting cashed right there.

Cross our fingers,
hope we get it.

Let me see
what you got there.

Oh, we got good drag.

- Now we just got to...
- Get him in the boat.

Get him up here
and put him in this rig

and try to find
his big brother,

big sister, big cousin.
I don't give a ....

He's acting like a nice fish.

He's holding that rod
bent down.

That's how you know
they're nice ones.

You know,
it's not bouncing at all.

Oh, yeah,
there ya been, bubba.

I really wanna get the fish
straight up and down.

But he's not that far away
right now. He's 100 yards.

I'm not gonna rush it.

This is a nice fish, Nick.
Nice fish.

Probably 90 inches,
close to 90 inches,

something like that, so.

It's a nice 500 dresser.

Come on, baby.

I hope we get a chance
to put a tape on him.

You come here.

Come on.

He's just doing
what we want to do.

He's just being mean, big fish.

As long as that fish
don't let go, we're all right.

Looks like he's starting
to pinwheel on us here.

There's your leader,
there he is.

Oh, there's the swivel.

Come on, baby.

Soon as I stick this fish,

I want you ready
with the tail gaffe.

All right.

Leader's in the tip.

Coming around one more time
my other side. He's coming
right up, right there.

Right there. There's your shot.

There he is.
There's the swivel.

Leader's in the tip.

Coming around one more time
my other side.
He's coming right up.

Right there. There's your shot.

Whoo, yeah, baby.

Nice, nice, tail gaff!

- Tail gaff.
- Right here.

- Other side of me, other side.
- Stick his tail, stick.

Never mind,
get to the stern.

Back drag that, back it off,
back it off, back it off,

back it off, back it off!

Right now we're jacked up,

we're trying to get that fish
in the boat

but he's still not ours.

Stick it, stick it.

There you go.

Pull him up here. Pull him up.

There you go.

Lift him high.

Game over.

Good job, guys!

Good job, guys, good job, guys!

We got him dragging.

Greg: I like it, I like it,
I like it.

Whoo.

We're off to a great start.

The Frenzy's the boat to beat.

Probably gonna get
top dollar for him.

It looks like a really,
really nice fish.

We're in business, baby.

Hey,
I'll take it, yeah.

I'll take it any freaking way
I can get it, bud.

My bank account's
going in the right direction.

We're gonna take it back
to the dock.

Man,
that feels good, dude.

Feels real good.

Look at it breaking in front
of the main span there.

- There should be what?
- 15 foot of water there?

Supposed to be
12 minimum.

It's hard enough
to catch a fish out here,
but we got one.

However, it's even harder
to get back to the dock.

In order to do that, we have
to go back through the bridge.

Whoa!

Damn.

Right there, that's how quick
it happens.

Going through
the inlet right now

is definitely
not an ideal situation.

We don't have any jetties,
so it's necessarily
gonna shoal.

Wow, so I can't go
straight to that one.

Half a fathom, we just bumped
right there.

Hit the shoal,
you can't even see it.

The Bonner Bridge
is the gateway to Oregon inlet.

In the winter months,
stormy conditions create
sand bars

and unpredictable currents

that can capsize boats

or slam them
into bridge pylons.

So every time we go through,

we're risking our lives
to make a living.

I can't believe
we just bumped there.

Who knows what it's gonna
look like tomorrow morning.

Hey, how about it, guys,
first fish of the year?

- Yeah, man,
good to see you.
- You, too.

We found us
a nice one today.

Let's check it out,
you want to?

Yeah,
let's get him off the boat

-and see what we got here.
-All right.

All right,
take her away.

Buyer: Up and at 'em.

He's got a little shape to it.

- We got 312 dressed out.
- Nice.

- That was close.
- Good one, boys.

All right.
Let's get us a tail cut.

Check this thing out.

Let's see what we got
for quality here.

- Crazy,
you can barely hold onto it.
Uh-uh.

- That's a good sign, ain't it?
- Yeah, it is.

Real slippery.

She's got
some fat in her.

I'm thinking
like 30 bucks a pound, man.

Or 32, whatever you wanna
go with.

I'm good either way.

Let's see here
in a second.

All right, guys,
let's see what we got.

- All right, man.
- Check it out.

- Got some good color.
- Yeah,
yeah, cool.

Man, it's got
a little fat in it,

Not the best I've seen.

Minors aren't looking too good,
neither are the majors.

Just wish it was
a little bit better.

We'll give you 11 for it.

- I guess we'll take it.
- It is what it is.

You can't control the quality.

You can ruin a good one,
but you can't make
a bad one good.

It's a little over
three grand, not a bad day.

The quality wasn't
what we were looking for,

but you know something?

$3,000 check, I'll take it.

Hey, Griff, what do you got
for me today?

This is definitely gonna be
a good one.

Looks like
a nice fish, Charlie.

Let's get it up
and get a weight on it.

Yes, sir.

The first one's
always the hardest
and we're excited.

We can't wait to see
what we're gonna get for it.

All right, let's get it off
and get it processed.

Yes, sir.

We really need this one.

This one's gonna
take care of a lot of bills.

Renegade, get over here.

Let's see what she weighs.

All right.

Ooh!

524? That's a good one.

Yes, sir,
that's a good first one.

-It's a nice job.
-Glad to have him.

Thank you.

Come on, baby, be a good one.

The color's pretty nice.

Sorry, we can't bring it to you
in the light of day.

That's okay.

There's some nice,
fine fat in here.

What'd you think, man?

What are you thinking?

Come on, man.

I think the fat's gonna
come out tomorrow

after the fish
has chilled down a lot.

It's a nice fish
for the market.

Um...

$16 a pound.

Great, man, thank you.
Yes, sir, that's great.

-Great job
with the fish, great job.
-Good deal.

We're gonna go try to get you
another one.

- Or three more.
- How 'bout that?

One more anyway.

- Three more.
- Three more,

We'll see you
tomorrow afternoon

with another big load.

We're just two days
into our season...

and while that Yankee boat
Hot Tuna got a good fish,

our tuna got the highest price.

That's why they call us
the Reels Of Fortune.

Good morning, Dave.

Hey what's going on, Griff?

Uh,
just getting going here.

I'm just pulling out
of the fishing center now.

Is that you?

Yeah,
yeah, I'm gonna follow you

under the bridge.

All right.

God damn,
that tide's screaming.

Dave, this tide
is screaming, bud.

You get lined up
on that bridge,

you're gonna pop it
through there.

Yeah, okay.

about as hard as I ever see it.

All right, I'll let you
go through first

And then I'll, you know,
just circle around

and line it up good here.

So far, we haven't had
any luck over here

on the Hard Merchandise.

So maybe going out with Griff

will help change our luck

by learning
from his experience.

- You ready, Jake?
- Yep.

Uh, once he gets through,

I'm gonna have you
pop the top light on, Jay.

God damn it.

Did he make it?

- Are you all right?
- I'm fine, dude.

You get through?

I just hit the bridge, Dave.

I just hit the bridge,
I tore my console off.

- Be careful.
- He hit the bridge.

Well,
I'm committed now.

... this, dude,
... this.

Look at Dave,
watch Dave.

Here we go.

Come on, Dave.
Get through there, Dave.

Hey, dude,
Dave is ...!

..., Jay, we're losing it.

Losing it,
we're losing it!

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