Wicked Tuna: North vs. South (2014–…): Season 3, Episode 1 - Back in the Battle - full transcript
It's bluefin tuna season off the coast of the Carolinas, and the visiting fleet is excited to haul in the lucrative giants again. But to profit, they'll have to test new fishing techniques,...
The conditions
are gonna be terrible.
So there's going to be
fog, there's going to be snow.
There's a snowman.
There's going to
be torrential rain.
The ocean
gets extremely rough.
The next thing you know
you're in trouble.
As soon
as I wake up down here,
I'm already sweating
because I'm scared of what
I'm about to encounter.
Whoo!
Batten down the hatches.
I'm
petrified right now.
I'm, like, scared
to go fishing.
You
have the sandbars, the
inlet, and the tide.
With it going so fast,
it makes the seas huge.
That's some of the
roughest I've seen it man!
Every day we go
out, we really don't know
what's gonna happen.
She's overheating.
Obviously, I
have a leak somewhere.
Oh! Whoa.
- I
- can't! She's going down.
People have no idea
what we encounter here.
But the Outer Banks
is one of the best fishing
spots in the world.
Winter is
coming to North
Carolina's Outer Banks.
It's that
time of the season again.
Here we go!
And America's
best tuna fishermen.
It's every man
for himself out here.
Will face the
most dangerous season yet.
Holy mackerel.
- Oh, there he is!
- We're on!
- Whoo!
- Yeah, baby!
There we go, Dave!
That's what
we were waiting for.
Jig it, jig it!
Jig it, jig it!
Get
'em. Get 'em, get 'em.
When a single
Bluefin can fetch more
than $20,000, the captains
and their crews will
fight for the prize.
Will you shut up!
We're
coming for you!
Or die trying.
That bridge to that
inlet could ultimately
end our lives.
- Whoo!
- Yeah!
Pa-pow!
Welcome
to the Outer Banks.
And we're
fishing baby!
Oh, man
this feels good!
I'm Greg Mayer.
I'm the captain of
the Fishin' Frenzy.
We're on! We got her.
The last two years,
we did very well.
We caught some fish.
We ended up at
the top the fleet.
Nice fish!
Nice! He's so pretty!
I've got
two of the best mates around.
I've got a boat that was
built for the conditions.
We got the full package.
I got
the news last night.
One guy said
he marked them.
So, and I rallied
the crew and,
we put our stuff together
and got out here to give
it a shot.
We're the first
boat out here,
we're the only
boat out here.
Nobody else is fishing
'cause they don't know the
fish are here yet.
The
season opens January 1st.
But the tuna often don't
finish migrating here.
Until weeks after the
season officially opens.
The season closes
March 31st,
or when the
quota is caught,
which is 49 metric
tons this year.
And that can happen fast.
All we got to do is circle
around and see if we can
find these things.
There they are.
Here's the mark at 15.
Nice.
We got a mark already?
Could be Yellowfins.
Yeah, I like
to think the opposite though.
I'm jiggin' the stick.
We got fish, just give a
little bit more action.
It's probably
rough enough,
I don't need to do it.
But it feels good.
But it makes
me feel better.
Fishing down
south, we use a green stick.
A green stick is a 40-foot
fiber glass pole attached
to our main line
using a breakaway.
The tension in the line
keeps our baits elevated,
dancing on the
surface of the water.
And when a fish bites, the
breakaway snaps away and
the mainline is reeled
in on our bandit reel.
I'm watching this
squid I can't take
my eye off of them.
I got this line
around my hands.
This
is a 700-pound test.
It's very, very
unforgiving,
it'll snatch you
right overboard.
Rip a finger right
out of socket.
We don't want
that on day one.
Usually it's a couple
weeks before we catch our
first tuna but I support
my family with these
Bluefins so I need
them to show up ASAP.
Hey, Nick!
You better watch
your fingers.
They're right
here with us.
They're up on
top right here.
All right. Sweet!
If we get one today,
we're gonna set the tone
for the rest
of the season.
Be the
first fish of the year.
Oh! We're on!
Get your, get
your rigger in.
Yeah.
Oh yeah!
Definitely a fish.
We're on! 2016!
Yo.
Frenzy
is hooked up right now.
Oh, really?
The
fish are here, man.
Oh, boy.
Thanks
for the info. Bye.
Oh, man.
I don't know if I wanted
to get that phone call.
What
do you think Reba?
I just heard from another
fishing pal of mine that
the Frenzy got out today
and they're hooked up.
We just
traveled a long way to get here.
I did not anticipate
getting here and have to
go fishing immediately.
I got to get my
riggers out, my bandit reel up.
I got a lot of stuff
I got to get right.
From Gloucester
Harbor, it's about
580 miles down here.
So we've got a lot of
expenses already built up
already that we need
to start paying off.
That means we're going
fishing tomorrow.
What up, cuz?
Let's get to it.
The fish are here, and
Frenzy's hooked up.
I swear he
does it every year.
Somebody came to me and
said Greg got a fish.
Now I know that it's
game on, it's time to go.
I know it's been a
grind from first
thing this morning.
Stick up, getting all the
stuff switched over,
tying knots, roll chains,
the steering, the coolers,
all of the other stuff.
Anyway, we get over here and
get our ice, get our fuel.
And
that's gonna be about the
last of it, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
We'll get a
jump in the morning.
Sounds like a
plan to me, brother.
Let's go
get 'em this year, boys.
Oh, she's shaking.
That ain't good.
A lot
of people are saying that,
"Oh, man, the fish
are here early."
Having said that, I'm
glad they're here.
I wish I were out there
today fishing but I'm dead
in the water.
Right now, we got a
gauge that's giving
us a hard time.
Hopefully, it's just one
little cinder that's got
us fouled up.
I spent $50,000
on my boat to get
everything to go
for this season.
I was gonna get a new
truck, now we're gonna,
we got a new
motor instead.
I want to make sure
everybody gets paid.
I'm gonna make sure
everybody gets paid and so
we have to push when
we can so that we
can pay the bills.
I
spent a lot more money on
my boat than I planned
on but it's part of it.
Everybody's all
wound up but we're still
stuck in the boatyard
trying to get this last-minute
stuff finished up.
So hopefully, we can
get out there and go
fishing tomorrow.
I'm ready
to go fishing.
I'm ready for this
to be behind me.
I'm
really excited to go fishing.
I'm so happy to
be down here.
When I heard the Bluefin
showed up, Nick and I,
we got here and
we're ready to go.
My mate this season
is Nick Fudge,
but everyone
calls him Duffy.
I've known Duffy for a
long time and we haven't
always seen
eye-to-eye but.
We don't, we don't
really see eye-to-eye but
we can both see
out of one eye.
And we have
all we need to
catch a tuna, baby!
Hey.
Last night, we
got into a little bit
of a disagreement.
We hashed it out but we're
here to catch tuna fish.
This
is what we're here for.
Bottom line, Duff is here
to work and that's what
we're gonna do.
Him and I, we're good.
We're a dream team.
He
doesn't know too much
about the inlet and it's
gonna horrify him
a couple times.
But I'll tell
you one thing,
I know he's got confidence
and faith in me and my
abilities as a captain,
and my abilities to
keep us safe.
And
that's why he's trusting
me to bring him
down here and fish out in
the most dangerous inlet
in the world.
We're on!
Just what we wanted.
It's early in
the day still,
hopefully this fish will
be a keeper if we get this
thing back out and try
for another before dark.
Feels like I got a
decent fish here, Greg.
Nothing would make
me happier than to put the
first one on deck
for the season.
You know, first
fish of the season.
There's not even any
wild fish on the
market right now.
This fish could go
as high as ten grand.
Yeah, baby!
Great work, Frenzy.
We gotta
get him in here, boys.
We're gonna start
crankin' him up here.
It's actin'
funny, way up here by the bow.
Oh, yeah.
Oh yeah.
Got him.
We got it.
Tail rope.
Left
side, left side.
Good job. All right.
All right. You're on.
Hold on. Hold on.
Stick 'em,
stick 'em, stick 'em!
Dart pulled! Dart pulled!
Gaff
Billon. Gaff Billon!
Fish it up by the bow!
Pull the dart in the
boat right there.
I'll gaffe him.
Let's
liter up and gaffe him, Nick!
Okay.
Right there.
Get him, heavy work.
We got him.
We walk around him.
All right.
Walk right
to the stern. Okay.
I got his tail, let his
head down a little bit.
All right. We got him.
All right.
All right.
Yes!
Pretty work.
He's ours!
Whoo!
It couldn't have
worked out any better.
That's a nice
fish, nicer than I thought.
Get her going down
sea there, Greggo!
Frenzy, one.
The rest of the
fleet, zero.
Nice start to the season.
He's fat too, buddy.
Butterball. Butterball.
Butterball. Butterball.
All
right, Cliff, so that's it?
We're ready to go, huh?
Yes, sir.
I'm excited now.
I can't wait to see
this thing in action.
We get over the
fish and that will tell
the tale.
That's right, we'll
get out there and put some
meat on the deck.
All right,
sounds good.
This is the third
season the Hard Merchandise
has come down to
the Outer Banks.
Oh, yeah,
we're on something.
My
first season here,
my nephew Jay and I
caught seven fish.
Boom.
Tails up
just how we like 'em.
And then last year.
bang!
After hitting the Bonner Bridge
and not catching
a single Bluefin,
we cut the season short.
Let's point this boat
towards Gloucester
and let's get out of here.
All right.
This year, we're
gonna do some damage to
the fish and
not to the boat.
This year, Jay didn't want to
come back to North Carolina
but I'm
determined to break my
Outer Banks curse.
And I
brought on a veteran
local guy to help me out.
All right,
Dave, we're free.
My name is Cliff Spencer
and I am the first mate on
the Hard Merchandise.
I've
been fishing my whole
life on the Outer Banks.
My father was a charter
boat captain for 22 years
and that's where I've
gained my experience
chasing Bluefins.
I just started
going every year.
I mean it just
became a love for me.
He's very
knowledgeable about this
fishing with
a green stick.
He thinks he
can set it up a little better.
When
I saw the Hard Merch for
the first time,
I was, I was like, "Whoa!"
The
boat is not designed for
fishing the Outer Banks
in the wintertime.
I mean the boat's slow.
I'm
still learning the game.
So why not learn
from a professional?
That's the way
I look at it.
Basically,
what we need to do.
Yeah.
Is if we can turn
and run out towards the
bridge over here.
All right.
And there's
plenty of water.
Okay. So I'm
clear to turn here?
Yes, sir.
Are we overheating?
Are we overheating?
We need to get this
outside so I can
get down this main
hatch, a pain in the ass.
What
was the gauge reading?
It's up there
over 220 or something,
got pretty hot.
I don't understand it.
Maybe leaked
out, you know, this, now,
tank's empty after
running it a sec.
Maybe it's just
at the top.
The question
is where did it leak out?
Sucked down the
whole gallon.
Let's try that again.
Temperature came down.
I think it had an air
bubble in there somewhere.
What I've done is
put a Band-Aid on
the engine for now.
I'm
worried it's still
leaking fluid though.
So unfortunately, I've got
to head back to the dock.
We just got to figure out
now you know where that
fluid's going 'cause it
was dripping out slowly
over time but at least we
got the boat running and
we can correct
that problem.
Thankfully, this didn't
happen 20 miles off shore
or we could have
been stranded.
I'm gonna go talk
to the mechanic.
All
right. Sounds good.
Hey, Nick,
let's go ahead and get that
fish in the boat.
- All right, ready?
- Ready?
One, two,
three GREG: Three.
I'll tell you what, it's a
great feeling having that
first fish of the season.
What do you got?
358
and a half inches.
Good start to the
season, Billon. Yes!
Ready to get set out
and get another one here.
That's a good feeling.
Hopefully, this is a
good-quality fish and
we'll get a
great paycheck.
Hey,
Frenzy, you on this one?
Yeah, come in.
This
is Captain Dale of the
Foolish Pleasures.
You guys got room for
one more boat out here?
I'm Dale Lisi and I'm
the captain of the
Foolish Pleasures.
We're
looking forward to go up
against the best
tuna fishermen
in the world.
We're definitely looking
to prove something,
as well as make
some money.
Sounds like Frenzy's the
boat to beat out here,
so we'll start chipping
away at him first.
Whoa!
Foolish Pleasures is an
unknown boat this season.
But
any guy that wants to
call out Fishing Frenzy,
is a friend of mine.
And Fishing Frenzy better
get ready for a battle.
We're not
giving up without a fight.
We're up on top right now
and I think we're gonna
plan on staying there.
I don't
even know who the guy is.
I don't know Dale.
I wouldn't know him if
I stumbled across him.
It doesn't
matter if Frenzy doesn't know
who we are yet.
Hopefully, when
we leave here,
they'll know
exactly who we are.
Who's your best
friend in the whole
wide world, Dale?
You are, Will Billy.
My first mate on the boat
is Will Hathaway, a.k.a.
Will Billy.
Frenzy's the one to beat.
I ain't saying I wouldn't
go fishing with the man,
I'm saying on race day,
he's going in the wall.
There's no ego
problems on this boat to
where we'll be fighting
amongst ourselves.
Second mate on the
boat is Ed Gross also
known as "Ed the Beard."
I have known
captain Dale for 15 years.
There's nothing
he can't do.
There's things that he
would like to have an
extra hand with, no
pun intended, but he,
it doesn't stop him.
I hope you catch
a million of them.
We just a million
and one on this rig.
Pretty
work on your fish.
We'll talk to you soon.
Okay, you got it.
We'll see you later.
I don't
wish Dale anything but luck.
He's gonna need it.
That's
Foolish Pleasure.
They're
the new boat to the fleet.
Everyone's around, bro.
Everyone's wanting
to get in the game.
Be nice to
find one of these big fish.
73 and a half,
that's all we need.
Yeah, but I
want 100 incher.
Yeah. Me, too.
I lost my arm in
'92 in a boat accident.
We had a steering
malfunction with a
hydraulic line on a
boat that blew off.
When the
line blew off, it caused the
motors to turn sideways.
I got thrown
out of the boat,
and then the boat just
went into circles,
then I got hit in the
arm with the boat
when that happened.
That was pretty much
the end of that.
You
know, you work around it.
I don't feel like my
life has suffered
because of it.
I bet we get a bite
going up sea here, Dale.
Yeah. I'm
marking a lot right here.
Good marks.
Here in the Outer Banks,
we're sort of outsiders.
Whoa!
Wow.
Did you see
that? That was a Bluefin.
Holy hell.
Dude,
that was a tuna fish.
I know
we know how to fish.
My guys in the back
of my boat know we
know how to fish.
I know
what a tuna fish looks like.
That came out of
the water like a F-15 with
its mouth open.
It's nice to be able
to cash a check with your
body that your
mouth's writing.
Come on, baby.
100 incher. Tear it down.
Got him?
We got the right
one on here.
Come on, superstar.
That's a bite right
there, brother.
Man, she come down
screaming off of there.
Waiting all day for this.
Hopefully, it's
the right one.
Be a nice one if we could
get him in the boat.
Right now, we got
the heartache.
This is the right one.
All we got to do is
get him in the boat.
I don't know how big he
is, but he ain't little.
I don't think we got to
worry about putting a tape
measure on him.
That
ain't no 65 incher.
Down deep.
There's the
gear. Damn it, Will Billy.
Everything's tangled up.
It's not looking
real good right now.
These lines all tangled
up creates weak points
in the line.
We don't need
no busted line right now.
Just nice and easy.
I
wouldn't put too much heat
on him cause all that
tied up.
You know what I mean?
'Cause that's
definitely some sketchy
situation right there.
There's a big knot in
the mainline where he's
tangled it all up, so it's
kind of sketchy getting
into the boat getting
the knot undone without
losing the fish.
This one counts.
We need this one.
Frenzy might have
caught the first one,
but it doesn't mean he got
the most expensive one.
This one could
put us on top.
That's what we
need right now.
New boat,
we wanna be number one.
Whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Watch the lines!
Watch out! Watch out!
Whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Watch the lines!
A loop of mono
came off the spool.
Oh, wrapped
off of there.
You just don't
wanna get too much slack.
Slack.
On this side of
your hand, you know.
If he
wants to go, let him go.
I'm gonna tighten
it up a little bit.
We got
hooked up with our first
fish of the season.
We got to get these
tangles figured out quick
or we're gonna
lose this fish.
Hang on, Dale!
Yeah, I'm outta
gear right now, Will.
All right. Don't
hold it too long, now.
Just undo it.
There ya go. There ya go.
That's good right now.
You
have the tangle undone?
Just let him
come right here.
He's gonna come
right here.
Hey,
yeah, that's a keeper.
Come over here.
Ed.
Where do you
want me, Will?
Right here. Right here.
Look, look, look.
Shove it in it.
Yeah.
There you go, pull it out.
Get the head,
get the gaffe.
Unclear the dart
from the ropes.
Knots up in the tail
rope! There you go.
Come on, Ed.
I can't hold
him much longer.
You got him?
Yeah, we good there?
Yeah! Whoo!
We are on the board!
That's
what it's all about, baby!
Yeah, baby! Yeah!
Whoo!
You can write
all them checks to
your babies' mommas.
Son of a bitch!
Dammit, Will Billy.
That's a fish, son!
That's a fish.
Getting a nice fish
on the first day out.
There ain't no
better feeling.
93 and a half! Yeah!
It sends a
message to everybody saying,
"Look, you know, we're
here and we're,
we're ready to do it."
This definitely gonna
hurt some feelings when
they see it on the dock.
It feels awesome.
Who knows, we
could be on top.
This is gonna be
a payday right here.
Got the first
one out of the way, boys.
Cat's out of
the bag, yeah.
Way to go, Team Frenzy.
First blood of 2016.
Way to go, guys.
Well, we got lucky.
We got a good report
that panned out.
Let's check her
out, see what we got.
Nailed 'em.
328 pounds dressed.
Good start,
we'll take it.
All right.
Nice start
to the season.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you. Thank you.
When you
bring a tuna to the buyer,
what they're looking
for is good fat content,
good color, and that you
brought a good product
to the market.
A great fish
can get you 20 to $25 a pound.
Ooh. That's nice!
Wow, there's a lot
of fat in this fish.
Wow, that's
just a gorgeous core.
Look. Nice clarity.
The color is like really
blossoming on this.
It's a really nice fish
and a super way to start
off the season.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, what
do you think?
I mean, first fish
of the season here.
We got a
nice fish, a lot of fat.
$25 a pound.
Oh, yeah.
All right.
That's a good
way to start!
Way to start, boys.
We're off to
a great start this year.
And then, we
got lucky today.
Got the first fish of
the season and I swear,
it's nice to start
off where we ended
up last year.
Well, see you tomorrow.
We'll see
you tomorrow hopefully.
Let's
go get one tomorrow.
Got 'em!
Way to go, guys.
First day out,
you guys nail one.
That looks like
a big fish.
We're happy
as hell about it.
What's it weigh?
347 dressed.
Hell yeah.
Let's grade
her out and see what
she looks like.
See what we got here.
I don't see any yaki.
The color's not
super sharp.
How much blue gold
are we getting out of this?
$15 a pound.
Nice.
Rent's paid.
Well done, guys.
Thanks for the fish.
Thank you.
Man,
getting the first fish,
you got so much
pressure on you.
The last thing you wanna
do is come back to this
dock empty handed,
empty handed.
Frenzy's
definitely the guy to beat,
but I feel like
we're the crew that
can take him down.
We're gonna do everything
we can to do it.
Home
again. Home again.
Jiggity, jig.
Here we go.
And we're off.
We're going fishing.
I hope I get out
there and get a bite
before anybody else.
Hang on, boys.
Getting across the bar
every day is the most
difficult part
of your day.
The
bar is the transition
point from the sound
to the ocean.
It's a very shallow area
and when you couple a wind
and sea coming
from off shore,
and a current that's
in the sound going out,
where the two meet
on top of the bar,
it becomes very
treacherous.
Looks fuzzy on the bar.
It ain't gonna be pretty.
Y'all be ready to duck.
Come on boys.
Oh, watch out! Oh!
Looks fuzzy on the bar.
It ain't gonna be pretty.
Getting across the bar
every day is the most
difficult part
of your day.
Y'all be ready to duck.
Come on boys.
Watch out.
Oh. Lordy.
Sheesh, we just took 15 feet of
white water right over top
of her.
You can unpucker!
Huh?
You can unpucker.
Yeah.
How about it, Shack?
Hey, guys, y'all don't
be in no super all
fired hurry.
Just had one wash
across me there.
We took 15 feet of white
water coming across there
at the top of the tide.
Oh, good God.
That just gave me anxiety.
That's the
biggest boat in the fleet, man.
If that was us, we
would have just blew
our windows out.
I'm like
sweating after I heard that.
It ain't
no shooting across there this
morning, you kind of
got to take what comes.
I would recommend a
little bit of daylight.
Starting to attract light,
I want to make sure I
could see the bar going
through it today.
You're always
better off seeing what you're
gonna deal with.
The fish are here now.
We're gonna take
advantage of it.
All
right. All clear?
Yup, we're good.
Last time out
our trip was cut short because
the engine started
to overheat.
I think we got that
all figured out.
So, now, it's
time to check out the inlet
and that bar.
I'm jacked up
ready to go fishing, man.
I got the jitters.
We're
making our way to the bridge.
Hopefully, for us, this
is the trip that gets us
started and gets
us in the game.
God, after last year, I
still got my heart in my
throat every time
we go by this thing.
I understand.
You just swing her out
and get lined up punch
her through there.
Alright.
You can go towards the
tip of the jetty until we fall
in the channel.
Okay. Good stuff.
I'm still learning.
You can turn back
up in the channel now.
All right,
there we are, yep.
Now, we just got to
get over that bar.
Yeah, you want to
hover that green side area
see how it stacks
up right there?
Yeah.
You want to
hover this side of it.
There's some
days the breaking waves are so
big you just can't
even attempt it.
All right, right
after the next buoy, right?
That's right.
You
could get rolled over.
You could get smashed
out of the bottom.
It's not gonna be pretty.
Pull
her back, there you go.
And that's it.
We're successfully across
the bar for the first time
this season.
How
'bout it, Merch?
Staying in the bar?
Yeah. Good, good.
We're coming along.
We're finally out fishing.
It's good to
see you back, Dave.
I, I didn't think after last
year, we'd see you again.
I felt like I
had to redeem myself
from last season.
Welcome back to town.
I'm sure Cliffy will help
you out as much as he can.
Yeah.
I don't think I could
have crossed that bar
without him.
We're both excited
just to finally be out
here and be fishing.
You'll get out
there and get some fish.
I'm sure of it.
That's it.
Have a great day.
You, too, buddy.
We're
just gonna get started.
I mean, there's
some fish around.
Dolphins. It's a good sign.
Any kind of life.
Means there's some bait
around, means there's,
life in general is
always a good sign.
Yeah, we got our nemesis behind
us trying to sneak up on
us, that little rat.
I need
this very much.
The hospital and the
insurance company
needs it bad.
We, we need it.
This year is gonna be
different than any other
year for me because my
daughter is very sick.
Ginger
was diagnosed with Hodgkin's
Lymphoma nine weeks ago.
And I'm torn for
the first time ever.
Always in my life fishing
has been the answer.
Now, a
very large part of me wants
to be with my daughter.
But I understand that I
need to go to work and
make some money.
That's a mark right there.
Rascals are deep.
Waiting patiently.
Waiting patiently.
At least
it's a mark.
That's a good thing.
Sometimes it's your
turn, sometimes it's not.
We're due for our turn.
Got them
on the rod here, baby!
That's a tuna
on that stick. Yeah!
There he goes!
There he goes!
Coming to you live, cuz!
All right. You got to
get this other rod up.
Yeah, that's him.
Got a for real
one on here.
Feels like a nice one.
Going
through the dolphins.
That was
a nice bite on that stick.
Did you see
the stick bite?
I saw the splash.
I sure did.
This one here,
if it makes,
it's gonna be
barely legal.
I'm
hoping for 73!
We'll
take it for sure.
I like the
bend on that thing, Shack!
I mean,
it's the best mark
I've seen all day.
Now I turned around
just in time to see a
really nice fish.
It looks
good. It looks really good.
I like to see the
fleet catching fish.
Shack
and I have been friends
for a long time.
You know he's trying
to feed his family,
he really is.
Coupled
with that, this year his
daughter is sick.
He needs these tunas
as much as anyone.
She's
coming through the boat.
Color right there.
Come on. Look at that.
Come on, baby!
What it look like, Austin?
Tail yet?
It looks
like it's pretty big.
I think
he's gonna be big enough.
Definitely
big enough.
Come on,
baby boy. Come on, baby.
Got
him coming up now,
darts in his hand.
Come on baby!
There
he is. There he is!
There's a dart shot
come on, Austin.
Bud, you
got to take the shot
when you get it.
Come on, Austin.
Get him.
Get him, buddy!
You
missed him. Missed him.
Shoot, man!
Come on, buddy.
Bud, you
got to take the shot
when you get it.
Come on,
Austin, get him!
Get him, buddy.
Get him! Get him.
You
missed him. Missed him.
He missed him,
shoot, man! Son of a gun.
So close,
yet so far away.
Come on, baby girl.
We need you bad.
Get him, buddy.
Come on, Austin.
Get him, buddy!
Come
on, Austin! Stick him.
Missed him again.
Shoot.
God dang, man.
Bud, you've got to hold
that thing straight.
Turn it over.
You see where that,
that shaft is, yeah.
You got to pay
attention to that man.
That stuff needs to
be straight as an
arrow every day.
He's got
his dart ready.
Come on, baby!
Get him, Austin!
Get him!
Come on, Austin.
Come on.
There he
is, I see the fish.
Come on, Austin.
Get his ass!
All right! Stick it!
Dart him down.
Got him!
Good shot.
Three times a charm!
There we go!
- Great work!
- Yeah.
We got a dart in him.
I don't count him on board
unless he's on this deck.
One, two, three.
It's our turn.
I told you it
was our turn!
76. Good job, everybody.
That
ain't no dolphin.
That ain't no dolphin.
We'll take it.
All right, let's go
ahead and get set back
out here.
We'll take him.
Plenty big
enough believe me.
I'd take two more
just like it today.
Past couple of years
we've had to fish, fish,
fish before we put
a fish on the deck.
The very first day we go
fishing and we put one on
the deck, man.
It feels awesome.
All right.
Got one in the box.
That was pretty
pitiful but all that
matters is we got
him in the boat.
Getting
that first one is a huge sigh.
Okay, we got that
out of the way.
Now let's get on with it.
All right your
turn, Griff.
Good work, Shack.
How big was he?
Not very big. 76.
You'll take him.
Yes, sir.
Good going.
Yes, sir.
76 that was
Shack, Doghouse.
What?
Yep, right there.
Shack, that's Shack.
We
were able to get a fish
yesterday and got out
ahead of just about
everybody but now they're
all out here today, and
it's a different story.
Put us on
the meat, cap!
I've been doing it.
Don't pat yourself
on the back yet, buddy.
We're not gonna come
down here and, you know,
Doghouse and Frenzy's home
water down here and act
like some punk kid
that's gonna tear 'em up,
you know.
But we
also would like to
shake this game up and,
and make a name for ourselves.
We need to put money
in our pockets,
that's what we have to do.
If we catch a couple
tunas we might be able to
get our hair did, and get
some new 'gator skins.
That's right.
Well, have to get us a
spa treatment one day.
Get us a mani pedi.
Yeah.
Get our hair did.
Get some new 'gator skins.
They'd better get me a
half price off on manicure.
Dollar,
dollar bill, y'all.
Oh hell.
I lost
the, the second boat I
owned: The Angelica Joseph.
January 13th 2003,
3:35 in the afternoon.
She sank in 35 minutes in
the time the high water
alarm went off.
My gosh.
Anybody who has
been in this fishery long
enough has got a horror
story about dangerous
situations on the water,
and I'm no different.
We've been playing the
game as, as cautiously as
possible I guess you
know what I mean?
That don't give
no guarantees.
But
when it happens, you never
think it's gonna be you.
I had a bunch of
volleyballs you know tied
up to the bow,
because the waves,
once she broke apart, I, so,
so she sunk and the cabin
ripped off, she slid
under out of sight right.
And the flags they
straightened out one more
time and then she
slowly slid down.
Uh, that's.
She's like
saying goodbye.
Waving at you.
I was treading water
right by the boat in my
survival suit though.
You know 'cause that's the
only reason I'm here to
tell the story.
Just getting to
know Marciano with these
first days out, I've got
a lot of respect for him.
Marciano
has been through it all,
he's lived to
tell the tale.
And a lot of people
can't say that.
You know,
no loss of life,
which is always the most
important thing you know.
Eventually a boat
could be replaced.
No
two ways about it.
Nothing easy about trying
to fish for a living,
no matter how
you slice it.
What you got?
You know me, buddy,
I like the short fat ones.
It was very first
day we go fishing;
we put one on the deck.
Man, it feels awesome.
Well let's
check it out.
195.
We'll
take it, bud.
Let's check it
out see how it looks.
Let's check her out.
The
moment of truth.
That looks good. Yeah.
Yeah, what do
you think, brother?
The anticipation
is killing me.
Beautiful color.
Just a
little bit of oil in this.
Not much fat at all.
I'll get you $14
a pound for this.
14. Come on.
$14 a pound is okay.
But most importantly it's
our first fish of the
season and it feels great.
Oh man, I would
love a bite right now.
I've got
to get a mark here, man.
So far this season, it's
been nothing but southern
boats finding the fish.
We
steamed 600 miles from
Gloucester to prove to
ourselves and
everyone else that
we can get it done.
So we need to start
landing some tunas.
We're gonna do
it. We're gonna get
'em up in here today.
Number four.
Watch we're gonna go.
All right.
I'm marking
right here, TJ.
I'm marking right here.
Oh, there they
are right there.
Marking up.
Marking them good.
Come on. Come on.
I don't know why
they won't eat 'em.
Jig it
baby, jig that thing.
Oh, oh.
Wait a second we
might have a bite here.
Shake it again, jig it!
Just missed one!
Pull it down.
I am
holding it down!
Jig a little more.
Oh we're on. We're on.
Oh there we go
we're getting hit.
No. Not
yet, not yet he missed it.
There he is again!
We're on.
Hold the spool light.
Hold the spool light.
Easy, easy. Easy.
I need gloves, man.
This is hot.
Just
missed one! Pull it down.
I am
holding it down!
Jig a little more.
Oh we're on.
We're on.
Oh there we go
we're getting hit.
No, not
yet, not yet he missed it.
There he is again!
Hold the spool light.
Hold the spool light.
He's dumping me.
Easy. Easy. Easy.
I need gloves, man.
This is hot.
Punch the
lever up a little bit.
I've got it
up all the way.
Don't
put it all the way.
Turn the
hydraulics off.
They're on.
Line going out.
I can't believe
I didn't get bit there.
Damn dog.
All right we still
know how to do this.
We still have some idea
on what we're doing.
Bubba, come on,
Bubba, make it happen, Bubba!
We saw the
splashes, you know,
we missed him a
couple times and he
finally committed.
We're not sure
how big this fish is.
Fingers crossed
it's a keeper.
It is nice to be back
out here getting into the
thick of things knowing
that our stuff is fishing
right, and that, you know,
it looks good to these
fish because we
had multiple bites.
Nice and easy,
Bubba. Nice and easy.
Let him go. Let him
go, let him go.
He's taking
a lot of line there.
This is him.
This is him.
I'm telling you there's
some weight here, TJ.
Let him run.
Let him run then, let
him run, don't horse him.
I'm not
doing anything.
Okay. Nice and easy.
I don't
wanna break him off.
He's right here
you can see him going.
I think he's
a keeper, man.
Michael,
stop, stop it.
Michael, walk backwards.
I'm away
from the reel.
- I
- don't know, man.
That's
a keeper.
That's
a keeper, dude.
- That's a keeper.
- Move forward.
Should I keep
going forward or what?
No.
Ripple, get inside.
It's gonna be a
hard deep shot but he's
just sitting right there.
Got
him. Get a gaffe.
Here. You pull on this.
Michael pull on that.
Watch your feet.
Walk back, Michael.
Walk back. Ripple, get inside.
Grab
your slacks you move
your right foot over
to the left.
Ripple, get inside.
Get inside, girl.
Come on.
Coming up.
Coming up.
Michael,
grab it. Come on.
I got it, TJ.
I'm holding it.
TJ, come over
here, come on.
Michael, come
on. Why are you letting it go?
'Cause it's
ripping through my hands.
Get right
behind the rope.
Get a tail rope.
Rope, Michael.
Hold on,
I'm getting it.
Michael,
where's the rope?
The tail's right
there, man. Whoo!
That didn't
take long, baby!
Yeah.
There we go, there we go.
Back in action, baby!
That's
the way to start it off.
Oh yeah.
Yeah, baby.
I don't
have any doubts now.
Wohoo, good job, baby.
81 inches, buddy.
Nice!
I'd say this is like
our redemption tour.
We're back here to prove
to ourselves and prove to
these southern guys.
That we can catch
fish here just as
much as they can.
Yeah, yeah. Yup.
81 inches.
Nice! Pretty work,
dude. All right.
North finally
strikes, dude.
I'm thinking
another ten of those.
Glad you
broke the ice, bro.
Let's grind on these guys.
I'm just happy
to be on the board, bro.
All
right standing by, pally.
On
one hand you know I'm
pretty happy that TJ
caught a fish
because it shows
"Hey, us Northern
boys, we're here.
TJ's catching some fish.
We're doing some damage."
But you know what?
At the same time,
it's a fish that I
wish I had caught.
It's every man for himself
out here this year.
We don't have any friends.
It's all about
making money.
That's
what I'm here to do.
The Southern
boats have started out hot
with newcomer Foolish
Pleasures and family
operation Doghouse
trailing behind last
season's champion
Fishin' Frenzy.
Meanwhile northern boat
Hot Tuna has a fish they
have yet to weigh in.
Hey, Griff.
Yeah.
What
time you thinking about
pulling the plug?
I
damn sure ain't gonna spend
the night you know.
Whenever you guys leave
I'll leave with you.
I got you.
Yeah, that's what
I was thinking.
No luck
today for the Reels
Of Fortune. Anyway.
Mayday!
Mayday! Mayday!
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday.
Boat's taking on water.
Hit the back end of it.
Someone's
sinking, dude.
Mayday!
This boat's got damage!
I ain't gonna be
able to stop it!
You taking on water?
You hear me, TJ?
Yeah, I'm coming
right at you. What do
you need me to do?
That don't
sound good.
How 'bout a
high water alarm?
You hear that thing?
How far is he?
Five miles.
Four and half miles.
I
don't know nothing what
to do but to keep
floating on it.
TJ!
I'm about four and half
miles offshore I'm heading
that way I do not have
my radar yet but I
know where he is.
I'll
be there in a few.
I'm right
here next to him, guys.
See if I can go down
there and help him out.
Where's that pump?
I ain't
gonna be able to stop it.
It's coming in over the sides,
the whole back of the boat...
Oh my God.
This is
the worst thing you ever
wanna see in your life.
Captioned by
Cotter Captioning Services.
are gonna be terrible.
So there's going to be
fog, there's going to be snow.
There's a snowman.
There's going to
be torrential rain.
The ocean
gets extremely rough.
The next thing you know
you're in trouble.
As soon
as I wake up down here,
I'm already sweating
because I'm scared of what
I'm about to encounter.
Whoo!
Batten down the hatches.
I'm
petrified right now.
I'm, like, scared
to go fishing.
You
have the sandbars, the
inlet, and the tide.
With it going so fast,
it makes the seas huge.
That's some of the
roughest I've seen it man!
Every day we go
out, we really don't know
what's gonna happen.
She's overheating.
Obviously, I
have a leak somewhere.
Oh! Whoa.
- I
- can't! She's going down.
People have no idea
what we encounter here.
But the Outer Banks
is one of the best fishing
spots in the world.
Winter is
coming to North
Carolina's Outer Banks.
It's that
time of the season again.
Here we go!
And America's
best tuna fishermen.
It's every man
for himself out here.
Will face the
most dangerous season yet.
Holy mackerel.
- Oh, there he is!
- We're on!
- Whoo!
- Yeah, baby!
There we go, Dave!
That's what
we were waiting for.
Jig it, jig it!
Jig it, jig it!
Get
'em. Get 'em, get 'em.
When a single
Bluefin can fetch more
than $20,000, the captains
and their crews will
fight for the prize.
Will you shut up!
We're
coming for you!
Or die trying.
That bridge to that
inlet could ultimately
end our lives.
- Whoo!
- Yeah!
Pa-pow!
Welcome
to the Outer Banks.
And we're
fishing baby!
Oh, man
this feels good!
I'm Greg Mayer.
I'm the captain of
the Fishin' Frenzy.
We're on! We got her.
The last two years,
we did very well.
We caught some fish.
We ended up at
the top the fleet.
Nice fish!
Nice! He's so pretty!
I've got
two of the best mates around.
I've got a boat that was
built for the conditions.
We got the full package.
I got
the news last night.
One guy said
he marked them.
So, and I rallied
the crew and,
we put our stuff together
and got out here to give
it a shot.
We're the first
boat out here,
we're the only
boat out here.
Nobody else is fishing
'cause they don't know the
fish are here yet.
The
season opens January 1st.
But the tuna often don't
finish migrating here.
Until weeks after the
season officially opens.
The season closes
March 31st,
or when the
quota is caught,
which is 49 metric
tons this year.
And that can happen fast.
All we got to do is circle
around and see if we can
find these things.
There they are.
Here's the mark at 15.
Nice.
We got a mark already?
Could be Yellowfins.
Yeah, I like
to think the opposite though.
I'm jiggin' the stick.
We got fish, just give a
little bit more action.
It's probably
rough enough,
I don't need to do it.
But it feels good.
But it makes
me feel better.
Fishing down
south, we use a green stick.
A green stick is a 40-foot
fiber glass pole attached
to our main line
using a breakaway.
The tension in the line
keeps our baits elevated,
dancing on the
surface of the water.
And when a fish bites, the
breakaway snaps away and
the mainline is reeled
in on our bandit reel.
I'm watching this
squid I can't take
my eye off of them.
I got this line
around my hands.
This
is a 700-pound test.
It's very, very
unforgiving,
it'll snatch you
right overboard.
Rip a finger right
out of socket.
We don't want
that on day one.
Usually it's a couple
weeks before we catch our
first tuna but I support
my family with these
Bluefins so I need
them to show up ASAP.
Hey, Nick!
You better watch
your fingers.
They're right
here with us.
They're up on
top right here.
All right. Sweet!
If we get one today,
we're gonna set the tone
for the rest
of the season.
Be the
first fish of the year.
Oh! We're on!
Get your, get
your rigger in.
Yeah.
Oh yeah!
Definitely a fish.
We're on! 2016!
Yo.
Frenzy
is hooked up right now.
Oh, really?
The
fish are here, man.
Oh, boy.
Thanks
for the info. Bye.
Oh, man.
I don't know if I wanted
to get that phone call.
What
do you think Reba?
I just heard from another
fishing pal of mine that
the Frenzy got out today
and they're hooked up.
We just
traveled a long way to get here.
I did not anticipate
getting here and have to
go fishing immediately.
I got to get my
riggers out, my bandit reel up.
I got a lot of stuff
I got to get right.
From Gloucester
Harbor, it's about
580 miles down here.
So we've got a lot of
expenses already built up
already that we need
to start paying off.
That means we're going
fishing tomorrow.
What up, cuz?
Let's get to it.
The fish are here, and
Frenzy's hooked up.
I swear he
does it every year.
Somebody came to me and
said Greg got a fish.
Now I know that it's
game on, it's time to go.
I know it's been a
grind from first
thing this morning.
Stick up, getting all the
stuff switched over,
tying knots, roll chains,
the steering, the coolers,
all of the other stuff.
Anyway, we get over here and
get our ice, get our fuel.
And
that's gonna be about the
last of it, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
We'll get a
jump in the morning.
Sounds like a
plan to me, brother.
Let's go
get 'em this year, boys.
Oh, she's shaking.
That ain't good.
A lot
of people are saying that,
"Oh, man, the fish
are here early."
Having said that, I'm
glad they're here.
I wish I were out there
today fishing but I'm dead
in the water.
Right now, we got a
gauge that's giving
us a hard time.
Hopefully, it's just one
little cinder that's got
us fouled up.
I spent $50,000
on my boat to get
everything to go
for this season.
I was gonna get a new
truck, now we're gonna,
we got a new
motor instead.
I want to make sure
everybody gets paid.
I'm gonna make sure
everybody gets paid and so
we have to push when
we can so that we
can pay the bills.
I
spent a lot more money on
my boat than I planned
on but it's part of it.
Everybody's all
wound up but we're still
stuck in the boatyard
trying to get this last-minute
stuff finished up.
So hopefully, we can
get out there and go
fishing tomorrow.
I'm ready
to go fishing.
I'm ready for this
to be behind me.
I'm
really excited to go fishing.
I'm so happy to
be down here.
When I heard the Bluefin
showed up, Nick and I,
we got here and
we're ready to go.
My mate this season
is Nick Fudge,
but everyone
calls him Duffy.
I've known Duffy for a
long time and we haven't
always seen
eye-to-eye but.
We don't, we don't
really see eye-to-eye but
we can both see
out of one eye.
And we have
all we need to
catch a tuna, baby!
Hey.
Last night, we
got into a little bit
of a disagreement.
We hashed it out but we're
here to catch tuna fish.
This
is what we're here for.
Bottom line, Duff is here
to work and that's what
we're gonna do.
Him and I, we're good.
We're a dream team.
He
doesn't know too much
about the inlet and it's
gonna horrify him
a couple times.
But I'll tell
you one thing,
I know he's got confidence
and faith in me and my
abilities as a captain,
and my abilities to
keep us safe.
And
that's why he's trusting
me to bring him
down here and fish out in
the most dangerous inlet
in the world.
We're on!
Just what we wanted.
It's early in
the day still,
hopefully this fish will
be a keeper if we get this
thing back out and try
for another before dark.
Feels like I got a
decent fish here, Greg.
Nothing would make
me happier than to put the
first one on deck
for the season.
You know, first
fish of the season.
There's not even any
wild fish on the
market right now.
This fish could go
as high as ten grand.
Yeah, baby!
Great work, Frenzy.
We gotta
get him in here, boys.
We're gonna start
crankin' him up here.
It's actin'
funny, way up here by the bow.
Oh, yeah.
Oh yeah.
Got him.
We got it.
Tail rope.
Left
side, left side.
Good job. All right.
All right. You're on.
Hold on. Hold on.
Stick 'em,
stick 'em, stick 'em!
Dart pulled! Dart pulled!
Gaff
Billon. Gaff Billon!
Fish it up by the bow!
Pull the dart in the
boat right there.
I'll gaffe him.
Let's
liter up and gaffe him, Nick!
Okay.
Right there.
Get him, heavy work.
We got him.
We walk around him.
All right.
Walk right
to the stern. Okay.
I got his tail, let his
head down a little bit.
All right. We got him.
All right.
All right.
Yes!
Pretty work.
He's ours!
Whoo!
It couldn't have
worked out any better.
That's a nice
fish, nicer than I thought.
Get her going down
sea there, Greggo!
Frenzy, one.
The rest of the
fleet, zero.
Nice start to the season.
He's fat too, buddy.
Butterball. Butterball.
Butterball. Butterball.
All
right, Cliff, so that's it?
We're ready to go, huh?
Yes, sir.
I'm excited now.
I can't wait to see
this thing in action.
We get over the
fish and that will tell
the tale.
That's right, we'll
get out there and put some
meat on the deck.
All right,
sounds good.
This is the third
season the Hard Merchandise
has come down to
the Outer Banks.
Oh, yeah,
we're on something.
My
first season here,
my nephew Jay and I
caught seven fish.
Boom.
Tails up
just how we like 'em.
And then last year.
bang!
After hitting the Bonner Bridge
and not catching
a single Bluefin,
we cut the season short.
Let's point this boat
towards Gloucester
and let's get out of here.
All right.
This year, we're
gonna do some damage to
the fish and
not to the boat.
This year, Jay didn't want to
come back to North Carolina
but I'm
determined to break my
Outer Banks curse.
And I
brought on a veteran
local guy to help me out.
All right,
Dave, we're free.
My name is Cliff Spencer
and I am the first mate on
the Hard Merchandise.
I've
been fishing my whole
life on the Outer Banks.
My father was a charter
boat captain for 22 years
and that's where I've
gained my experience
chasing Bluefins.
I just started
going every year.
I mean it just
became a love for me.
He's very
knowledgeable about this
fishing with
a green stick.
He thinks he
can set it up a little better.
When
I saw the Hard Merch for
the first time,
I was, I was like, "Whoa!"
The
boat is not designed for
fishing the Outer Banks
in the wintertime.
I mean the boat's slow.
I'm
still learning the game.
So why not learn
from a professional?
That's the way
I look at it.
Basically,
what we need to do.
Yeah.
Is if we can turn
and run out towards the
bridge over here.
All right.
And there's
plenty of water.
Okay. So I'm
clear to turn here?
Yes, sir.
Are we overheating?
Are we overheating?
We need to get this
outside so I can
get down this main
hatch, a pain in the ass.
What
was the gauge reading?
It's up there
over 220 or something,
got pretty hot.
I don't understand it.
Maybe leaked
out, you know, this, now,
tank's empty after
running it a sec.
Maybe it's just
at the top.
The question
is where did it leak out?
Sucked down the
whole gallon.
Let's try that again.
Temperature came down.
I think it had an air
bubble in there somewhere.
What I've done is
put a Band-Aid on
the engine for now.
I'm
worried it's still
leaking fluid though.
So unfortunately, I've got
to head back to the dock.
We just got to figure out
now you know where that
fluid's going 'cause it
was dripping out slowly
over time but at least we
got the boat running and
we can correct
that problem.
Thankfully, this didn't
happen 20 miles off shore
or we could have
been stranded.
I'm gonna go talk
to the mechanic.
All
right. Sounds good.
Hey, Nick,
let's go ahead and get that
fish in the boat.
- All right, ready?
- Ready?
One, two,
three GREG: Three.
I'll tell you what, it's a
great feeling having that
first fish of the season.
What do you got?
358
and a half inches.
Good start to the
season, Billon. Yes!
Ready to get set out
and get another one here.
That's a good feeling.
Hopefully, this is a
good-quality fish and
we'll get a
great paycheck.
Hey,
Frenzy, you on this one?
Yeah, come in.
This
is Captain Dale of the
Foolish Pleasures.
You guys got room for
one more boat out here?
I'm Dale Lisi and I'm
the captain of the
Foolish Pleasures.
We're
looking forward to go up
against the best
tuna fishermen
in the world.
We're definitely looking
to prove something,
as well as make
some money.
Sounds like Frenzy's the
boat to beat out here,
so we'll start chipping
away at him first.
Whoa!
Foolish Pleasures is an
unknown boat this season.
But
any guy that wants to
call out Fishing Frenzy,
is a friend of mine.
And Fishing Frenzy better
get ready for a battle.
We're not
giving up without a fight.
We're up on top right now
and I think we're gonna
plan on staying there.
I don't
even know who the guy is.
I don't know Dale.
I wouldn't know him if
I stumbled across him.
It doesn't
matter if Frenzy doesn't know
who we are yet.
Hopefully, when
we leave here,
they'll know
exactly who we are.
Who's your best
friend in the whole
wide world, Dale?
You are, Will Billy.
My first mate on the boat
is Will Hathaway, a.k.a.
Will Billy.
Frenzy's the one to beat.
I ain't saying I wouldn't
go fishing with the man,
I'm saying on race day,
he's going in the wall.
There's no ego
problems on this boat to
where we'll be fighting
amongst ourselves.
Second mate on the
boat is Ed Gross also
known as "Ed the Beard."
I have known
captain Dale for 15 years.
There's nothing
he can't do.
There's things that he
would like to have an
extra hand with, no
pun intended, but he,
it doesn't stop him.
I hope you catch
a million of them.
We just a million
and one on this rig.
Pretty
work on your fish.
We'll talk to you soon.
Okay, you got it.
We'll see you later.
I don't
wish Dale anything but luck.
He's gonna need it.
That's
Foolish Pleasure.
They're
the new boat to the fleet.
Everyone's around, bro.
Everyone's wanting
to get in the game.
Be nice to
find one of these big fish.
73 and a half,
that's all we need.
Yeah, but I
want 100 incher.
Yeah. Me, too.
I lost my arm in
'92 in a boat accident.
We had a steering
malfunction with a
hydraulic line on a
boat that blew off.
When the
line blew off, it caused the
motors to turn sideways.
I got thrown
out of the boat,
and then the boat just
went into circles,
then I got hit in the
arm with the boat
when that happened.
That was pretty much
the end of that.
You
know, you work around it.
I don't feel like my
life has suffered
because of it.
I bet we get a bite
going up sea here, Dale.
Yeah. I'm
marking a lot right here.
Good marks.
Here in the Outer Banks,
we're sort of outsiders.
Whoa!
Wow.
Did you see
that? That was a Bluefin.
Holy hell.
Dude,
that was a tuna fish.
I know
we know how to fish.
My guys in the back
of my boat know we
know how to fish.
I know
what a tuna fish looks like.
That came out of
the water like a F-15 with
its mouth open.
It's nice to be able
to cash a check with your
body that your
mouth's writing.
Come on, baby.
100 incher. Tear it down.
Got him?
We got the right
one on here.
Come on, superstar.
That's a bite right
there, brother.
Man, she come down
screaming off of there.
Waiting all day for this.
Hopefully, it's
the right one.
Be a nice one if we could
get him in the boat.
Right now, we got
the heartache.
This is the right one.
All we got to do is
get him in the boat.
I don't know how big he
is, but he ain't little.
I don't think we got to
worry about putting a tape
measure on him.
That
ain't no 65 incher.
Down deep.
There's the
gear. Damn it, Will Billy.
Everything's tangled up.
It's not looking
real good right now.
These lines all tangled
up creates weak points
in the line.
We don't need
no busted line right now.
Just nice and easy.
I
wouldn't put too much heat
on him cause all that
tied up.
You know what I mean?
'Cause that's
definitely some sketchy
situation right there.
There's a big knot in
the mainline where he's
tangled it all up, so it's
kind of sketchy getting
into the boat getting
the knot undone without
losing the fish.
This one counts.
We need this one.
Frenzy might have
caught the first one,
but it doesn't mean he got
the most expensive one.
This one could
put us on top.
That's what we
need right now.
New boat,
we wanna be number one.
Whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Watch the lines!
Watch out! Watch out!
Whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Watch the lines!
A loop of mono
came off the spool.
Oh, wrapped
off of there.
You just don't
wanna get too much slack.
Slack.
On this side of
your hand, you know.
If he
wants to go, let him go.
I'm gonna tighten
it up a little bit.
We got
hooked up with our first
fish of the season.
We got to get these
tangles figured out quick
or we're gonna
lose this fish.
Hang on, Dale!
Yeah, I'm outta
gear right now, Will.
All right. Don't
hold it too long, now.
Just undo it.
There ya go. There ya go.
That's good right now.
You
have the tangle undone?
Just let him
come right here.
He's gonna come
right here.
Hey,
yeah, that's a keeper.
Come over here.
Ed.
Where do you
want me, Will?
Right here. Right here.
Look, look, look.
Shove it in it.
Yeah.
There you go, pull it out.
Get the head,
get the gaffe.
Unclear the dart
from the ropes.
Knots up in the tail
rope! There you go.
Come on, Ed.
I can't hold
him much longer.
You got him?
Yeah, we good there?
Yeah! Whoo!
We are on the board!
That's
what it's all about, baby!
Yeah, baby! Yeah!
Whoo!
You can write
all them checks to
your babies' mommas.
Son of a bitch!
Dammit, Will Billy.
That's a fish, son!
That's a fish.
Getting a nice fish
on the first day out.
There ain't no
better feeling.
93 and a half! Yeah!
It sends a
message to everybody saying,
"Look, you know, we're
here and we're,
we're ready to do it."
This definitely gonna
hurt some feelings when
they see it on the dock.
It feels awesome.
Who knows, we
could be on top.
This is gonna be
a payday right here.
Got the first
one out of the way, boys.
Cat's out of
the bag, yeah.
Way to go, Team Frenzy.
First blood of 2016.
Way to go, guys.
Well, we got lucky.
We got a good report
that panned out.
Let's check her
out, see what we got.
Nailed 'em.
328 pounds dressed.
Good start,
we'll take it.
All right.
Nice start
to the season.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you. Thank you.
When you
bring a tuna to the buyer,
what they're looking
for is good fat content,
good color, and that you
brought a good product
to the market.
A great fish
can get you 20 to $25 a pound.
Ooh. That's nice!
Wow, there's a lot
of fat in this fish.
Wow, that's
just a gorgeous core.
Look. Nice clarity.
The color is like really
blossoming on this.
It's a really nice fish
and a super way to start
off the season.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, what
do you think?
I mean, first fish
of the season here.
We got a
nice fish, a lot of fat.
$25 a pound.
Oh, yeah.
All right.
That's a good
way to start!
Way to start, boys.
We're off to
a great start this year.
And then, we
got lucky today.
Got the first fish of
the season and I swear,
it's nice to start
off where we ended
up last year.
Well, see you tomorrow.
We'll see
you tomorrow hopefully.
Let's
go get one tomorrow.
Got 'em!
Way to go, guys.
First day out,
you guys nail one.
That looks like
a big fish.
We're happy
as hell about it.
What's it weigh?
347 dressed.
Hell yeah.
Let's grade
her out and see what
she looks like.
See what we got here.
I don't see any yaki.
The color's not
super sharp.
How much blue gold
are we getting out of this?
$15 a pound.
Nice.
Rent's paid.
Well done, guys.
Thanks for the fish.
Thank you.
Man,
getting the first fish,
you got so much
pressure on you.
The last thing you wanna
do is come back to this
dock empty handed,
empty handed.
Frenzy's
definitely the guy to beat,
but I feel like
we're the crew that
can take him down.
We're gonna do everything
we can to do it.
Home
again. Home again.
Jiggity, jig.
Here we go.
And we're off.
We're going fishing.
I hope I get out
there and get a bite
before anybody else.
Hang on, boys.
Getting across the bar
every day is the most
difficult part
of your day.
The
bar is the transition
point from the sound
to the ocean.
It's a very shallow area
and when you couple a wind
and sea coming
from off shore,
and a current that's
in the sound going out,
where the two meet
on top of the bar,
it becomes very
treacherous.
Looks fuzzy on the bar.
It ain't gonna be pretty.
Y'all be ready to duck.
Come on boys.
Oh, watch out! Oh!
Looks fuzzy on the bar.
It ain't gonna be pretty.
Getting across the bar
every day is the most
difficult part
of your day.
Y'all be ready to duck.
Come on boys.
Watch out.
Oh. Lordy.
Sheesh, we just took 15 feet of
white water right over top
of her.
You can unpucker!
Huh?
You can unpucker.
Yeah.
How about it, Shack?
Hey, guys, y'all don't
be in no super all
fired hurry.
Just had one wash
across me there.
We took 15 feet of white
water coming across there
at the top of the tide.
Oh, good God.
That just gave me anxiety.
That's the
biggest boat in the fleet, man.
If that was us, we
would have just blew
our windows out.
I'm like
sweating after I heard that.
It ain't
no shooting across there this
morning, you kind of
got to take what comes.
I would recommend a
little bit of daylight.
Starting to attract light,
I want to make sure I
could see the bar going
through it today.
You're always
better off seeing what you're
gonna deal with.
The fish are here now.
We're gonna take
advantage of it.
All
right. All clear?
Yup, we're good.
Last time out
our trip was cut short because
the engine started
to overheat.
I think we got that
all figured out.
So, now, it's
time to check out the inlet
and that bar.
I'm jacked up
ready to go fishing, man.
I got the jitters.
We're
making our way to the bridge.
Hopefully, for us, this
is the trip that gets us
started and gets
us in the game.
God, after last year, I
still got my heart in my
throat every time
we go by this thing.
I understand.
You just swing her out
and get lined up punch
her through there.
Alright.
You can go towards the
tip of the jetty until we fall
in the channel.
Okay. Good stuff.
I'm still learning.
You can turn back
up in the channel now.
All right,
there we are, yep.
Now, we just got to
get over that bar.
Yeah, you want to
hover that green side area
see how it stacks
up right there?
Yeah.
You want to
hover this side of it.
There's some
days the breaking waves are so
big you just can't
even attempt it.
All right, right
after the next buoy, right?
That's right.
You
could get rolled over.
You could get smashed
out of the bottom.
It's not gonna be pretty.
Pull
her back, there you go.
And that's it.
We're successfully across
the bar for the first time
this season.
How
'bout it, Merch?
Staying in the bar?
Yeah. Good, good.
We're coming along.
We're finally out fishing.
It's good to
see you back, Dave.
I, I didn't think after last
year, we'd see you again.
I felt like I
had to redeem myself
from last season.
Welcome back to town.
I'm sure Cliffy will help
you out as much as he can.
Yeah.
I don't think I could
have crossed that bar
without him.
We're both excited
just to finally be out
here and be fishing.
You'll get out
there and get some fish.
I'm sure of it.
That's it.
Have a great day.
You, too, buddy.
We're
just gonna get started.
I mean, there's
some fish around.
Dolphins. It's a good sign.
Any kind of life.
Means there's some bait
around, means there's,
life in general is
always a good sign.
Yeah, we got our nemesis behind
us trying to sneak up on
us, that little rat.
I need
this very much.
The hospital and the
insurance company
needs it bad.
We, we need it.
This year is gonna be
different than any other
year for me because my
daughter is very sick.
Ginger
was diagnosed with Hodgkin's
Lymphoma nine weeks ago.
And I'm torn for
the first time ever.
Always in my life fishing
has been the answer.
Now, a
very large part of me wants
to be with my daughter.
But I understand that I
need to go to work and
make some money.
That's a mark right there.
Rascals are deep.
Waiting patiently.
Waiting patiently.
At least
it's a mark.
That's a good thing.
Sometimes it's your
turn, sometimes it's not.
We're due for our turn.
Got them
on the rod here, baby!
That's a tuna
on that stick. Yeah!
There he goes!
There he goes!
Coming to you live, cuz!
All right. You got to
get this other rod up.
Yeah, that's him.
Got a for real
one on here.
Feels like a nice one.
Going
through the dolphins.
That was
a nice bite on that stick.
Did you see
the stick bite?
I saw the splash.
I sure did.
This one here,
if it makes,
it's gonna be
barely legal.
I'm
hoping for 73!
We'll
take it for sure.
I like the
bend on that thing, Shack!
I mean,
it's the best mark
I've seen all day.
Now I turned around
just in time to see a
really nice fish.
It looks
good. It looks really good.
I like to see the
fleet catching fish.
Shack
and I have been friends
for a long time.
You know he's trying
to feed his family,
he really is.
Coupled
with that, this year his
daughter is sick.
He needs these tunas
as much as anyone.
She's
coming through the boat.
Color right there.
Come on. Look at that.
Come on, baby!
What it look like, Austin?
Tail yet?
It looks
like it's pretty big.
I think
he's gonna be big enough.
Definitely
big enough.
Come on,
baby boy. Come on, baby.
Got
him coming up now,
darts in his hand.
Come on baby!
There
he is. There he is!
There's a dart shot
come on, Austin.
Bud, you
got to take the shot
when you get it.
Come on, Austin.
Get him.
Get him, buddy!
You
missed him. Missed him.
Shoot, man!
Come on, buddy.
Bud, you
got to take the shot
when you get it.
Come on,
Austin, get him!
Get him, buddy.
Get him! Get him.
You
missed him. Missed him.
He missed him,
shoot, man! Son of a gun.
So close,
yet so far away.
Come on, baby girl.
We need you bad.
Get him, buddy.
Come on, Austin.
Get him, buddy!
Come
on, Austin! Stick him.
Missed him again.
Shoot.
God dang, man.
Bud, you've got to hold
that thing straight.
Turn it over.
You see where that,
that shaft is, yeah.
You got to pay
attention to that man.
That stuff needs to
be straight as an
arrow every day.
He's got
his dart ready.
Come on, baby!
Get him, Austin!
Get him!
Come on, Austin.
Come on.
There he
is, I see the fish.
Come on, Austin.
Get his ass!
All right! Stick it!
Dart him down.
Got him!
Good shot.
Three times a charm!
There we go!
- Great work!
- Yeah.
We got a dart in him.
I don't count him on board
unless he's on this deck.
One, two, three.
It's our turn.
I told you it
was our turn!
76. Good job, everybody.
That
ain't no dolphin.
That ain't no dolphin.
We'll take it.
All right, let's go
ahead and get set back
out here.
We'll take him.
Plenty big
enough believe me.
I'd take two more
just like it today.
Past couple of years
we've had to fish, fish,
fish before we put
a fish on the deck.
The very first day we go
fishing and we put one on
the deck, man.
It feels awesome.
All right.
Got one in the box.
That was pretty
pitiful but all that
matters is we got
him in the boat.
Getting
that first one is a huge sigh.
Okay, we got that
out of the way.
Now let's get on with it.
All right your
turn, Griff.
Good work, Shack.
How big was he?
Not very big. 76.
You'll take him.
Yes, sir.
Good going.
Yes, sir.
76 that was
Shack, Doghouse.
What?
Yep, right there.
Shack, that's Shack.
We
were able to get a fish
yesterday and got out
ahead of just about
everybody but now they're
all out here today, and
it's a different story.
Put us on
the meat, cap!
I've been doing it.
Don't pat yourself
on the back yet, buddy.
We're not gonna come
down here and, you know,
Doghouse and Frenzy's home
water down here and act
like some punk kid
that's gonna tear 'em up,
you know.
But we
also would like to
shake this game up and,
and make a name for ourselves.
We need to put money
in our pockets,
that's what we have to do.
If we catch a couple
tunas we might be able to
get our hair did, and get
some new 'gator skins.
That's right.
Well, have to get us a
spa treatment one day.
Get us a mani pedi.
Yeah.
Get our hair did.
Get some new 'gator skins.
They'd better get me a
half price off on manicure.
Dollar,
dollar bill, y'all.
Oh hell.
I lost
the, the second boat I
owned: The Angelica Joseph.
January 13th 2003,
3:35 in the afternoon.
She sank in 35 minutes in
the time the high water
alarm went off.
My gosh.
Anybody who has
been in this fishery long
enough has got a horror
story about dangerous
situations on the water,
and I'm no different.
We've been playing the
game as, as cautiously as
possible I guess you
know what I mean?
That don't give
no guarantees.
But
when it happens, you never
think it's gonna be you.
I had a bunch of
volleyballs you know tied
up to the bow,
because the waves,
once she broke apart, I, so,
so she sunk and the cabin
ripped off, she slid
under out of sight right.
And the flags they
straightened out one more
time and then she
slowly slid down.
Uh, that's.
She's like
saying goodbye.
Waving at you.
I was treading water
right by the boat in my
survival suit though.
You know 'cause that's the
only reason I'm here to
tell the story.
Just getting to
know Marciano with these
first days out, I've got
a lot of respect for him.
Marciano
has been through it all,
he's lived to
tell the tale.
And a lot of people
can't say that.
You know,
no loss of life,
which is always the most
important thing you know.
Eventually a boat
could be replaced.
No
two ways about it.
Nothing easy about trying
to fish for a living,
no matter how
you slice it.
What you got?
You know me, buddy,
I like the short fat ones.
It was very first
day we go fishing;
we put one on the deck.
Man, it feels awesome.
Well let's
check it out.
195.
We'll
take it, bud.
Let's check it
out see how it looks.
Let's check her out.
The
moment of truth.
That looks good. Yeah.
Yeah, what do
you think, brother?
The anticipation
is killing me.
Beautiful color.
Just a
little bit of oil in this.
Not much fat at all.
I'll get you $14
a pound for this.
14. Come on.
$14 a pound is okay.
But most importantly it's
our first fish of the
season and it feels great.
Oh man, I would
love a bite right now.
I've got
to get a mark here, man.
So far this season, it's
been nothing but southern
boats finding the fish.
We
steamed 600 miles from
Gloucester to prove to
ourselves and
everyone else that
we can get it done.
So we need to start
landing some tunas.
We're gonna do
it. We're gonna get
'em up in here today.
Number four.
Watch we're gonna go.
All right.
I'm marking
right here, TJ.
I'm marking right here.
Oh, there they
are right there.
Marking up.
Marking them good.
Come on. Come on.
I don't know why
they won't eat 'em.
Jig it
baby, jig that thing.
Oh, oh.
Wait a second we
might have a bite here.
Shake it again, jig it!
Just missed one!
Pull it down.
I am
holding it down!
Jig a little more.
Oh we're on. We're on.
Oh there we go
we're getting hit.
No. Not
yet, not yet he missed it.
There he is again!
We're on.
Hold the spool light.
Hold the spool light.
Easy, easy. Easy.
I need gloves, man.
This is hot.
Just
missed one! Pull it down.
I am
holding it down!
Jig a little more.
Oh we're on.
We're on.
Oh there we go
we're getting hit.
No, not
yet, not yet he missed it.
There he is again!
Hold the spool light.
Hold the spool light.
He's dumping me.
Easy. Easy. Easy.
I need gloves, man.
This is hot.
Punch the
lever up a little bit.
I've got it
up all the way.
Don't
put it all the way.
Turn the
hydraulics off.
They're on.
Line going out.
I can't believe
I didn't get bit there.
Damn dog.
All right we still
know how to do this.
We still have some idea
on what we're doing.
Bubba, come on,
Bubba, make it happen, Bubba!
We saw the
splashes, you know,
we missed him a
couple times and he
finally committed.
We're not sure
how big this fish is.
Fingers crossed
it's a keeper.
It is nice to be back
out here getting into the
thick of things knowing
that our stuff is fishing
right, and that, you know,
it looks good to these
fish because we
had multiple bites.
Nice and easy,
Bubba. Nice and easy.
Let him go. Let him
go, let him go.
He's taking
a lot of line there.
This is him.
This is him.
I'm telling you there's
some weight here, TJ.
Let him run.
Let him run then, let
him run, don't horse him.
I'm not
doing anything.
Okay. Nice and easy.
I don't
wanna break him off.
He's right here
you can see him going.
I think he's
a keeper, man.
Michael,
stop, stop it.
Michael, walk backwards.
I'm away
from the reel.
- I
- don't know, man.
That's
a keeper.
That's
a keeper, dude.
- That's a keeper.
- Move forward.
Should I keep
going forward or what?
No.
Ripple, get inside.
It's gonna be a
hard deep shot but he's
just sitting right there.
Got
him. Get a gaffe.
Here. You pull on this.
Michael pull on that.
Watch your feet.
Walk back, Michael.
Walk back. Ripple, get inside.
Grab
your slacks you move
your right foot over
to the left.
Ripple, get inside.
Get inside, girl.
Come on.
Coming up.
Coming up.
Michael,
grab it. Come on.
I got it, TJ.
I'm holding it.
TJ, come over
here, come on.
Michael, come
on. Why are you letting it go?
'Cause it's
ripping through my hands.
Get right
behind the rope.
Get a tail rope.
Rope, Michael.
Hold on,
I'm getting it.
Michael,
where's the rope?
The tail's right
there, man. Whoo!
That didn't
take long, baby!
Yeah.
There we go, there we go.
Back in action, baby!
That's
the way to start it off.
Oh yeah.
Yeah, baby.
I don't
have any doubts now.
Wohoo, good job, baby.
81 inches, buddy.
Nice!
I'd say this is like
our redemption tour.
We're back here to prove
to ourselves and prove to
these southern guys.
That we can catch
fish here just as
much as they can.
Yeah, yeah. Yup.
81 inches.
Nice! Pretty work,
dude. All right.
North finally
strikes, dude.
I'm thinking
another ten of those.
Glad you
broke the ice, bro.
Let's grind on these guys.
I'm just happy
to be on the board, bro.
All
right standing by, pally.
On
one hand you know I'm
pretty happy that TJ
caught a fish
because it shows
"Hey, us Northern
boys, we're here.
TJ's catching some fish.
We're doing some damage."
But you know what?
At the same time,
it's a fish that I
wish I had caught.
It's every man for himself
out here this year.
We don't have any friends.
It's all about
making money.
That's
what I'm here to do.
The Southern
boats have started out hot
with newcomer Foolish
Pleasures and family
operation Doghouse
trailing behind last
season's champion
Fishin' Frenzy.
Meanwhile northern boat
Hot Tuna has a fish they
have yet to weigh in.
Hey, Griff.
Yeah.
What
time you thinking about
pulling the plug?
I
damn sure ain't gonna spend
the night you know.
Whenever you guys leave
I'll leave with you.
I got you.
Yeah, that's what
I was thinking.
No luck
today for the Reels
Of Fortune. Anyway.
Mayday!
Mayday! Mayday!
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday.
Boat's taking on water.
Hit the back end of it.
Someone's
sinking, dude.
Mayday!
This boat's got damage!
I ain't gonna be
able to stop it!
You taking on water?
You hear me, TJ?
Yeah, I'm coming
right at you. What do
you need me to do?
That don't
sound good.
How 'bout a
high water alarm?
You hear that thing?
How far is he?
Five miles.
Four and half miles.
I
don't know nothing what
to do but to keep
floating on it.
TJ!
I'm about four and half
miles offshore I'm heading
that way I do not have
my radar yet but I
know where he is.
I'll
be there in a few.
I'm right
here next to him, guys.
See if I can go down
there and help him out.
Where's that pump?
I ain't
gonna be able to stop it.
It's coming in over the sides,
the whole back of the boat...
Oh my God.
This is
the worst thing you ever
wanna see in your life.
Captioned by
Cotter Captioning Services.