Wicked Tuna: North vs. South (2014–…): Season 3, Episode 9 - Striking Distance - full transcript

On this episode
of Wicked Tuna Outer Banks.

This is brutal, man.

If you wanna make
some money, you got to
catch the big ones.

There are only five
days left in North Carolina's
Bluefin tuna season.

Whoa, there he is!

We're on!
We're on!

And
the pressure's on.

Hopefully,
they're all big enough.

That's all we want.

To land
final paychecks.

There he is! Whoo!
Over there!



There he is, all right.

And out fish.

Here he is right here
on this first one, Billon!

Nicky!

The competition.

- Let that stick roll.
- Hang on.

Let it go! Let it go!
You got a double on.

We got a
double on, baby.
Oh, my God.

This is...

Let it go!
Ready, go and throw it.
Triple-header!

- Dammit.
- Yay!

Wicked
Tuna Outer Banks.

With the end of the
season in sight, Pinwheel is
in the lead for the first

time this season, but fellow
Northerner, Hot Tuna and
local boats Foolish Pleasures



and Fishin' Frenzy are
only one good fish away
from the top spot.

Meanwhile, Hard Merchandise is
running out of time to salvage
their nightmare season.

I'm looking
for a big paycheck.

I see a whole line
of boats back here.

It looks like, I don't know,
ten or a dozen boats or so
coming out.

I guess the word's
out, the bites on.

Right now, there's only
five days left this season.

Our title's on the line.

It's pissing me off.

You got the Hot Tuna, the
Pinwheel and Foolish Pleasures
ahead of me?

That doesn't work.

We need to get back
to the top of the fleet.

And away we go.

Here we go.

We got to get a move on it.

The success of a season
used to be determined
to me by whether

I caught the most fish.

Now it's not
whether I catch the most
fish, but it's whether I've

provided for my family.

Catch us a triple
today for the home team.

And we're off.

- Off they go or.
- Yeah, let's go.

We're only behind one boat.

We've had a great
season and we're so close
to winning this whole thing.

Fishing is a lot of luck but
all we need to do is stay
focused and do what we do

best, get the
tuna on the deck.

It would be nice to finish
this thing out strong at the
top of leader board just prove

to these guys and to ourselves
that we're not the hacks they
think we are.

All right, Cliff.

Let's get out there and see if
we can get in the game, man.

Yeah, man.
I'm ready.

Here we go again.

So far we've had
zero luck because we
have zero keeper tuna.

But with five days left.

All set?

Yes, sir.

It's still possible
to catch a Bluefin, or two,
or even three.

Hopefully,
we'll get on some fish.

Do you want me
to put the ice in there?

Kind of makes for a nice big
bed for a couple of big
Bluefin tuna.

When you know that
you only have days left of the
season and that you've not

done very well, it's
panic, it's nothing else
but pure panic.

I'm ready to see three of
them laid up in that thing.

Is that good?
Yes, sir.
That's perfect.

It's all about luck.

I mean we have to catch some
fish now and every day gets a
little more tense.

Sun's coming up, you know.

Hey, Ed.

Swing that poly
ball into the boat.

Trying to get out, fish
today, fish tomorrow morning.

Time's running out,
the season's gonna be
over real soon.

We didn't catch a fish
the last time out and being
behind Pinwheel and Hot Tuna,

the Southern boats
ain't representing very
well right now.

I can't afford any more
bad luck, but we're
still ahead of old Greg

on the Fishin' Frenzy.

That's a damn good thing.

I'm ready
to kill something!

That what I wanna hear.

Ready to kill this ****.

What do
you think, bud?

Time to throw
out the pineapple?

Time to put up
the pineapple, baby.

Let's put up the pineapple.

Yup, this old
Hawaiian pineapple.

We're now number
one in the fleet, but
we're not gonna rest,

we're gonna fish
harder if anything.

Just strap
it up there, Pally.

We got a lucky
charm up our sleeve.

The lucky pineapple is
definitely gonna keep
us on top.

There it is, the lucky
pineapple is now on the bow.

We can now catch some fish.

He's doing the Mario March.

Mario!

Duffy has really turned
out to get a great
addition to the Pinwheel.

I have all the
confidence in the world
that we're gonna win

this whole thing.

This is the Pinwheel's season.

That's why we're the
best to ever do it.

- The Mario March.
- The Mario March.

A little Mario
March never hurt nobody.

We're here to take
the trophy, baby.

We came down here to win
and we're gonna kill it.

Sun feels good.

I'm warmer
than I was yesterday.

I was gettin'
ready to say the same thing.

Bottom line,
times running out
and we need more fish.

Always more fish.

I've got to support my family,
I got to pay my crew, I have
to maintain by boat,

and I have to try
to save some money.

It's a tall order but
I do it every year.

Twenty fathom mark.

Line a mark.

Let's get on
top of these fish, boys.

I wanna do
everything I can to help
my dad and Caine.

I'm still learning,
got to learn every day, but
all about help right now.

They're
Bluefin marks, buddy.

Come on, boys,
60 foot of fish.

Whoa, there he is.
There he is.

Whoo-hoo!
Got 'em on!

I think we got
what we want out here, baby.

Looked good, looked good,
the splash looked good.

Come on,
boys, we need this one.

Get these lines up.
Get these lines
up now, Austin.

Watch your drag.
I'm gonna come around here.

All right, come
on, girl, 75-incher.

Yeah!

Forward, forward, forward.

Come on, Mr. Fishy!

It's coming up,
Austin. I see color.

Bud, you got to
take the shot when you get it.

It's gonna
be a nice fish.

All right, stick him!

Still a lot of
head shaking going on.

Come on baby, girl.

Austin, slide, slip,
you got to hit him now.

Throw the dart.

We're losing him.
Stick him, Austin!

Where's he at?
Where's he at?

Throw the dart!
Throw it.

Throw it!
Throw the dart!

Oh, the hook come out.
What?
The hook come out.

Everything is gone!

You're kidding.
Nope.
Golly dang!

How in the world
did that happen?

You tell me, dude.

Dude, it looked
like a perfect dart shot.
It was.

To lose a fish
like this is devastating.

Paycheck's swimming
away so close to the
end of the season.

I mean, it's like, wow,
I really just blew it.

I feel like I let my
dad and Caine down.

I mean the fish isn't here.

The fish is gone.
I let them down.

Oh, my gosh.

When you lose a fish,
it burns you down, it ruins
your insides to a point where

you can start
questioning yourself.

What you should never do.

How in the
world did that happen?

I don't know.

Austin's primary
job it to dart the fish.

This is a very
discouraging loss.

Major kick in the gut.

Austin can't make that mistake
again, but there's no sense
crying about it.

We just need to set back
out and go back fishing.

All right come on,
let's get set out.

All right, daddy-o.

God dang!

We need a bite.

Go give the
pineapple a lucky rub.

Do a little dance.

Hippy dance, come on.

Maybe a little
Mario March up there.

Yeah, charge!

I was fishing on
the boat last summer and
we lost a bunch of fish.

We found a pineapple.

Whoo!
Lucky pineapple.

Frigging walked it up
to the bow rod holder,
rubber banded it.

By the time I walked back,
the rod was lapped over
and we killed the fish.

Whoo-hoo!

Never leave the dock
without your lucky pineapple.

Yeah!

I really wanna be the top
boat with Duffy because
he's got a great attitude,

he knows what it takes
to catch Bluefin tunas,
I can trust him.

A guy that's actually
into it and actually
is in it for the boat.

Oh, big marks, T.

Oh yeah, that's them.

Jig the stick.

This is the mother
lode right here.

We're going over
the mother lode.

These are
95, 100 inchers.

Still there,
keep jigging.

Come on, tunas.
I know you're here.

It's our turn, man.

Jig.

There he is! Whoa!

That was a nice one!
Whoo!

There he is!
All right!

There he is!
Whoa, that was a nice one.

Yup.
That was a good one, buddy.

That was a
good one, brother.
There he is.

There he is, all right.

Yeah!

That's the one
we wanted right there.
That was a big explosion.

This fish has to
dress 350 all day.

It's a bigger fish.

And the bigger fish have been
holding better quality for
some of the guys that have

been catching
them this season.

So if you want to make
money, you've got to
catch the big ones.

No doubt about it.

This one's a keeper.

It's the one we've
been waiting for all day.

Dude, let's
make some money, man.

Come on.

Sure, brother.

My biggest fear is
straightening out a hook.

The biggest concern when
fighting a big tuna like this.

These Bluefin are so
powerful that sometimes the hook
will actually straighten out.

Allowing fish to get away.

That could not happen today.

Come on, Duffy.
Come on, Duffy.

All right,
we're gaining on him, bro.

I see him.
I see him, color, buddy.

Definitely getting tired, man.

He's gonna be
doing a pinwheel, watch.

Yeah?

I see him too.

Nice fish.

You steer
that, brother.

I got you.
I got you.

All right.
Nice fish.

Yeah, brother! Yeah.
Whoo!
A hundred-incher, baby.

That's a hundo.
Nice fish, bro.

- Right.
- Bring it, yeah.

Listen, let's get this
fish in the boat, walk him
right to this side with me.

Come on.

This fish is gonna extend our
lead over the entire fleet,

it's definitely
Pinwheel's season.

Where the hell
did this fish come from?

Wow!

Wow.
That's a beautiful fish.

Whoo-hoo!
Wow, baby.
Yeah, buddy.

One more
monster fish for Pinwheel.

Bastard!

Ah, shoot!

Ugh, my nightmare, bro.

The fish are
here now, so hopefully,
we'll get a bite here.

Getting a
little excited here,
we're coming out today,

all the boats have gotten
here an hour or so before us,

and they're starting
to get fish already.

They're catching and we're
still an hour away from them.

Hopefully, they'll still be
biting when we get there.

Ninety-six inches, baby!

Yeah!
This is a nice fish.

Yeah!

The lucky pineapple
definitely did its job.

- We got a sea monster.
- Yeah!

Dammit!

I hate gannets.

Birds are
driving us nuts right now.

They are hungry.

They've eaten the flat
line off, they, let them go
away and we'll try it again.

The whole
crew is frustrated.

There's three
boats ahead of us.

We haven't been on
top for weeks now.

Pinwheel's already
caught a fish and we cannot
keep the birds off our bait.

Time is running out.

There he goes.

Got you!
Dammit.

- Damn birds.
- Bastards.

A gannet
is probably the best
fisherman in the ocean.

They are some badass birds.

They see our bait swimming.

They dive on them, they
pick them apart, chew them up.

If a gannet dives on
your bait, you better
go ahead and crank it in,

'cause it ain't no good.

We'd like to put
our best stuff out first.

You know our biggest,
prettiest ballyhoos and birds
have eat all those now,

so we're on the
crappier stuff.

We can catch these fish
just as good as anybody in
this world and for us not to

be producing, it hurts our
pride, it hurts our wallets.

You get into kind of a
rut and it's like the
farther you get in it,

it's harder to get out.

There's a reason
those gannets are there.

They're there 'cause
there's fish around.

The problem is trying
to fish around them.

I mean, there ain't,
there ain't no way to
catch a fish so I can't

keep a bait right.

No. I know. I know.
It's a pain in the ass.

Damn birds are
killing us today.

It'd be nice to
catch some today.

Right now.

Oh, man.

We ain't got a
scratch on the machine and
Pinhead has already put

a fish on the boat.

I got each other riding
on this season, my crew,
my family,

my house, my bills.

The clock is ticking.

Still working
on trying to get our
first fish of the trip.

This is brutal, man.

Dammit!

We'll get 'em, skipper.
We'll get 'em.

I know.
It just hurts right now.

It hurts.

You just got to stay
focused and kill.

Yar.

My favorite
fish, dead fish.

When you're out here
nearly every day for
weeks on end,

it takes a toll on you
mentally and psychically.

None of us would rather be
anywhere else, but that
doesn't mean fishing's easy.

Got a mark right here.

Pile of 'em.

- There he is!
- Yeah, dude.

That was a pretty
big splash there, Dale.

- Yeah.
- Whoo!

Over there.

That is a
monster.

That thing
was a hundred inches.

Got a mark right here.

- There he is!
- Yeah, dude.

That was a pretty
big splash there, Dale.

- Yeah.
- Whoo!

Over there.

That is a
monster.

That thing was a
hundred inches.

Go, Dale!

Come on, baby.

Come on, breakaway.

He didn't come tight?

- No.
- Oh, man.

Missed the bite.

Dammit.

Snake bit,
man, I'm telling you.

That was a hundred
inches, every bit of it.

When a tuna comes
airing out on the stick
and misses your bait,

it's a heartbreaker.

When you're not catching fish,
I don't care who you are, you
get down and out sometimes.

Bad mojo.

Bad mojo.

Just gonna try to drive in and
out of here and hope and pray
something bites.

Renegade,
come here baby boy.

Come on, let's go.

Oh, yes.

Hey,
buddy, where's the fish?

Where's the fish?

We're near the end of the
season and I was hoping we'd
have six at least by now but

we only have four fish.

Our weakest fish was
only 6 dollars a pound.

I'm glad you finally
got one, but, uh, I think
this is a bad fish.

Yeah.

But how do you know people
don't want damaged fish, man?

They can't all be perfect.

We've spent a lot of money
and a lot of effort and a
lot of work to get our boat

ready for this season,
you know, so that we
wouldn't have any problems

and it still wound
up getting us.

We've had some pretty
lousy luck, you know.

At the rate things are
going ,we'll be lucky if
we, if we break even.

All right, come on, baby.

Come on, baby.

All right, Jake.

Damn, look at this.

That ought
to be a bite there.

Come on,
man we need this one.

Hey! Hey!

There he goes!

We're on.
We're on.

Come on, man.
We need this one.

I don't know, bud.

Hey, hey!

Is he
on there or not?

No.

- Dammit.
- Damn!

You're only gonna
have so many chances, and
anytime you lose a fish,

it's a chance that's
gotten away from you.

And it, and it hurts.

Fish come off.

Breaker breakaway
and it pulled off.

Great old big boy
on that teaser, man.

I know how it's like.

Oh, that was our chance.

There's probably six or
seven boats gonna spend
the night tonight.

We'll stay until we
run out of something.

Patience, food, fuel.

I think patience
will be the first one.

What do you think, buddy?

Tomorrow being a
new day, fresh start.

Tonight, we're
gonna stay up and we're
gonna fish with bait.

Everybody's trying
to, you know, put
something in the boat.

It's gonna be a long night,
and hopefully, they'll bite.

What's your plans, cap?
Wanna stay the night?

Yeah, I don't see
why we need to run home.
Put a bait down, get a bite.

Yeah.

I'm jacked up.
We need a bite tonight.

Pull it down and
pipe it out so I can get
my rigger up.

It's gotten pretty now.

We need to stay out
here as long we can.

Clock is ticking.

Come on, fish.

Where you hiding?
Where you hiding?

So far today it's
been pretty uneventful.

We are gonna spend the
night, throw a bait or
two in the water,

and see what happens,
maybe we'll get lucky.

We really need some
luck now, stupid tuna.

Been a long
day with no Bluefins.

Just stay out here
overnight, and hopefully,
tomorrow morning

we'll find something different.

The wind's supposed to
flop out and change a
different direction

and see what happens.

We need to
start catching fish.

We're gonna fish all night,
and hopefully, we can catch a
fish in the morning.

We'll get
them in the morning.

Get up early, put the time in.

Pretty morning.
I know that.

Oh, hell yeah, man.

It don't get no
prettier than this.

Unless you're tight.

That's really
beautiful right now.

Yeah.

We have not had
good luck this trip.

Nothing's biting and
we only got four days left.

We got a mark.

Come on, fish.

Come on, man.

Get out of here, Frenzy.
Get out of here.

Whoa, there he is.
There he is.
There he is.

We're on.

Dale, he's got
a bite right there.

They're on.

Foolish Pleasures.

Pretty work.

When that season's getting
to a close, you're under
a lot of pressure.

Is he gone?

Hang on.
I don't know, Dale.

You got four days
to make a paycheck that's
gonna get you to whatever

the next fishery is that
you're fishing.

If you can't get it done, you
could be in a real bad spot.

We need this one, boys.

Is he on there?

I don't know.
I can't tell.

Something's on there.

I think he's gone, man.

He's gone.
Dammit.

That was a hell
of a bite, man.

Yeah, it was.
Man.
Broke off.

Nah, it came off.

It came off.

A good bite, Dale?
Did you see it?

Yeah, it
was a good bite.

Dale said he had
a bite and it come off.

Feel like
it was a real one?

Of course.
They don't come off.

Had a big hit on the
greenstick and broke it off,
whatever it was,

I think it may
have been a shark.

It was a shark.
Was it a shark?
Yeah.

I guess it was a shark.

Aha!

Ah, Dale's bite was a shark.

Now, I know who
I'm dealing with.

If you're out here
tuna fishing, you should
know the difference between

a shark and a Bluefin.

All right.

- Ready to go?
- Yup.

Snake bit again.

I'd rather have no bites at
all than have a shark bite.

We need a tuna.

God,
thought that was him.

Trying to get
us on the meat here.

We need one nice big bite.

When the quota's at three fish
a day, any day can move you
ahead really quick.

But I'm a little
worried right now.

I never really expected
to be behind three boats.

Might catch a
fish here, first thing.

Come on, meat.
Come on, meat.

There he is!
Long rigger.

There he is!
Long rigger.
Long rigger.

Come on, baby.
That's a mark.

Let's say we get
on bite on this.

There he is on the stick.

There he
is on the stick.

- There he is.
- There he is.

We got to
get 'em today, boys.

There he is, oh, yeah.

There he is, on the rod.

Out on the rod,
we got one on the rod.

That didn't take long.
I got one on here.
Double-header!

- We got two, baby.
- Come on.

On the stick!
On the stick!
On the stick.

Keep her going.
Keep her going.

There he is, oh, yeah.

Come on.
Come on.

Let that stick roll.

Let the
stick roll, baby.

We got three on.

Triple-header.

Need to go under
the stick and over you.

You want
to switch sides?

Got to be prepared for
everything, a little
different scenario,

not every day do you
get three on at one time.

We need these fish right now.

We're, we've had some bad
luck the last couple of days,

things ain't really
going our way.

This would really help, kind
of, get us out of our little
slump that we're in.

Man, they
hit everything.

That's gonna put
us in the lead.

Eighty
inches I hope, bro.

Oh, all I
want is 80 inches.

All right, let
me have it, Billon.

Yeah.
I'll back the drag
off just a hair.

Hey, what do you think?
Hey
Frenzy, look at him.

I swear he
looks pretty good.

I swear he looks
okay, look at him here.

What do
you want to do?

Deck check him.

All right.

Right over
here to the door.

Right through the door.

Come on, baby.
One, two, three.

We got him.
Oh, yeah.
Get the tape.

- He'll make it?
- Yes, 75.

Cool.

Well, our first
fish was a keeper, man.

You know, it's only a
75-inch fish but, right
now I don't' give a

I want to get these other two.

See how close
they're getting together?

If those lines come together,
it's a really good chance
you're gonna lose your fish.

I think we've
got a tangle, but there's
nothing we can do about it.

All right,
there's your main line.
Look, get a gaff.

Get a long gaff, Billon.

If you have to pass
the rod through it, do it.

Looks like it's got a wrap.

Yeah.
You could back the
drag off and pass around it.

All right.
Oh, watch out.

Get on the reel!
We're losing 'em.
Crank up your loop.

It's wrapped in the main line
on the stick, so I don't know
what's gonna happen.

Dammit!

Get on the reel!
We're losing 'em.

Got to help me
out here, Billon.

It's wrapped in the main
line on the stick, so I don't
know what's gonna happen.

It's good?
I don't know,
on the tip there.

Pull it up there.

- Dammit.
- All right.

We still got a fish
on that greenstick line.

Back the drag off
and let him go.

I'm in the block.

There we go we're good.

That could not have
worked out any better.

Usually, it doesn't end
well when that happens.

We got very lucky there.

Yeah,
definitely a keeper here,
definitely a keeper.

One bite right here
could be worth 10 or 15 grand.

Three fish at one time, one
bite, it doesn't get any
better than that.

Hopefully, they're all big
enough, that's all we want.

Deep color.

There you go.
There you go.
Here we go.

Drill him, right there.

Get your tail rope.

Nice fish there.

Well, we just closed
the deal on number two,
we're gonna try and

get this third fish.

We ain't got him yet.
Triple-header!

You guys are doing
a good job down there.

You did a
great job, Billon.

Proud of you, buddy.

Thank you.
Thank you.

There you go.
Keep coming around, Frenzy.

There he is right here on
this first one, Billon.

Oh, he's big enough.

Plenty big.

Stick, him, Billon.
Just come here.

Tail, tail gaff him.

Right here.

You're good.

Okay.

That's a nice bite.

A triple-header.
Pretty work, buddy.

We got a triple.

Triple-header, baby.

Damn, those
boys have been lucky.

Come on!

Oh, man, son of a bitch.

These guys are
still catching fish and
it's driving us crazy

sitting here listening.

Ah, oh, my land, man.

As much as we hate
this cocky air that he
has about him,

it is what it is, he's a good
fisherman and you've got to
give credit.

Bring up number two.

- What we got?
- Seventy-six.

All right,
one, two, three.

Got him, now.
Number three.
There you go.

All right, Billon, let's
see what he measures out.

Eighty-one.

Eighty-one, baby.

All right.

I've got the
best crew out here.

Nick and Billon
did everything they could.

We got three fish in the boat.

We've got to be
back in the lead.
Good job, guys.

It's cool.
Way to go.
Way to go.

- Yeah, bud.
- Good job, Billon.

Where you
buyin' us lunch?

All we can
do is keep trying.

How about
you, Hard Merch? You on here?

Yeah, go ahead TJ.
Come in.

How goes the
battle over there?

It's a
tough battle over here.

I mean, I'm not,
I'm not giving up.

I'm not gonna let, you know,
not gonna let this place
conquer me but man we just

can't seem to catch a break.

I'm not gonna lie,
I feel bad for the guy.

He's got a family, you
know he's a fisherman.

He needs to catch
fish to support his family.

And two years in a row
now with no fish, you know,
that's a major hole.

It's a terrible feeling.

As fishermen, we've all been
there and I know Dave right
now is definitely bummed.

We just can't
seem to get any fish going.

You know
how that goes, man.

Last year
we hit the bridge and
didn't catch anything.

man.

This year we had a
busted fuel pump.

Oh,
we're overheating?

Yeah, I smell fuel bad.

We couldn't go
out because it was too rough.

If we get hit by one of those
breaking waves, it's gonna
punch the front windows out.

Ain't no fish
worth dying over.

And we still
haven't caught anything.

My luck
seems to have run out.

Don't throw
the towel in yet, man.

I know you're bummed out but
you're gonna get, um, dude,
if there's anything we can do

over here to help you,
you know, don't be afraid
to ask you know that.

I appreciate that, TJ.

I keep jumping
out of the frying pan and
into the fire, you know?

And you know all you
guys have been great.

You're letting me know where
the fish are, we just can't
catch a break, you know?

If we get over them this
afternoon, we start marking
them I'll let you know,

all right?

All right,
very good TJ, we'll be
standing by today.

All right,
Dave, good luck.

Good
luck to you too.
I hope you catch 'em up.

I mean we're right within
striking distance, you know,
so today's an important day

and if we don't fall
behind we'll be right
there in the hunt for

the top spot there, so.

This season has been both
frustrating and fantastic.

We've lost our lead last
time out because we
didn't bring in a fish.

But I know we can
get back on top.

We're down here to pay the
bills and that means we
got to catch fish.

We got a big school
of dolphins around the
boat right now.

That's a really
good sign, you know.

Tuna usually swim with the
whales and the dolphins, so
just gonna jig the stick

pretty good right now see
if I can raise something up.

This season is
really close to being over.

We have to get
some fish today.

Tyler on the Pinwheel already
caught and Fishin' Frenzy
landed a triple.

Now, it's our turn.

Come on, baby,
give me a big boy.

Get my gloves.

There goes the breaker.

There he is.

Man, I love it when
that greenstick goes off.

Get these lines up.
There's something there.

I'm on,
something's on.

Let it go, let it go!
You got a double on!

Michael, let that one go!

All right.

We got a double on, baby!

Whoo!

- Michael, let that one go!
- All right.

Got a double on, baby!
Whoo!

What do you want me
to do with this one, TJ?

Let him go, just crank
it up, keep it tight on him.

- Get tight on him.
- I'm tight.

Switch out!

It's what
we're here for, baby.
Got a double on here.

I think this is close.

Wanna let him go?

No, no, I wanna
get that one first.

Don't let him
sit out there, Jarrett.
All right.

Oh, he's right here.
He's right here.
How does he look, little?

The way he dumped
that rod, I don't know.

All right, color.

Color.

Hey, I don't know.

He's short, right?

Is he a rat?

That ain't no keeper.

Get the hook out of the mouth.

Man, I thought was
definitely a keeper.

This fish is less
than 73 inches long.

We have to release it so
it can continue to spawn.

At least we've got
another fish on the line.

Feels like there's
some weight to this one, man.

He's right there.

That looks
like a keeper, no?
What do you think?

Looks close.

This one's
smaller than the last one.

Unbelievable.
Okay, let it go.

It was
awesome for a second.

Sustainability,
what can you do?

There's
something else on here?

There's
something else on here.

Well we have
three on, not two.

First two were, you
know, weren't of legal size.

Maybe the tuna gods will
hand us one today after all.

One out of three
has to be a keeper.

Come on, baby.
One more. One more.

Okay, let it go.
All right.

Michael, get a gaff.

Got it right here.

Dammit,
it's another short.

Three shorts,
what are the odds?

Look, I need
the hook, bub.

Well, that's
sustainability at its finest
right there.

Talk about a
Chinese fire drill.

Three fish on, three
fish all under 73 inches.

Getting three shorts right now
is definitely the ultimate
icepick to the forehead.

We could have paid a lot of
bills with three keeper fish
and be back on top.

We got to keep fishing.

We can't let this put us down.

We know there's a
keeper fish out there.

Man, oh, man!
That would have been nice.

Oh, I know.
What a bummer, right?

That would
have been so awesome.

You think?

That was a first.

Safe again.

Which has been a
challenge here lately.
Yeah.

What have
you got today?
Triple-header.

Nice.
Yeah, yeah,
let's check him out.

Yeah, man.
All right.

If you catch three fish
a day, you can very easily
move up the ladder.

I think we're back on top.

260 pounds dressed.

198 pounds.

186 pounds dressed.

What they're looking
for is good fat content,

good color and the
quality of the meat.

Fish one, got a pretty
good amount of fat in it.

Pretty.

We got 28 bucks a
pound for a fish this season.

That's what we're looking for.

So what's
the bottom line?

First
fish, $15 a pound.

Fifteen?
Fifteen.
All right, yeah, nice.

- Nice start.
- Nice.

Your fish number two,
it's actually got a little bit
more fat than the first fish.

Another good core.

I can do $17 a pound.

All right, nice.
Cool.
I'll take that.

Fish number three,
unfortunately this one.

The core as you
can see is just.

- Wow.
- It's roasted there.

I can't
figure that one out.

I can't either.

We can do $5
a pound for that one.

Did we really just
bring in the worst-quality
fish of the season?

Five bucks a pound?

With only three more
days until the season closes,

Fishin' Frenzy's triple catch
launches the reigning champion

back into the top spot.

But, with only a 10-dollar
lead over northern duo,
Pinwheel.

We're
here to find tuna.

There's less than three
days until the season closes.

We have a giant fish on board.

But, Frenzy landed
three fish and jumped ahead of
us in the earnings.

But we're not done yet.

There's a mark right there.

There's a nice mark.

yeah if we
don't get bit, I don't
know what's wrong.

That's them right there, baby!

Jig that thing.
Jig that.
Jig, jig, jig, jig, jig, jig.

Right there, 12
fathoms and 20.

At this point in the
season, you just got to fish
around the clock and try to

get some more paychecks
before it's all over.

- We're on.
- Got 'em on, dude!

Nicky!

Yeah, baby.

Yeah, baby.
We're on.

Got 'em on, dude!

Let him go.
Let him go.
Let him go.

Let go.

Letting him go.
We got two, I think, T.

I saw two
greenstick lines.

Let him dump you.
Let him dump you, dude.

I'll let him dump then.
Let's get him, T.

can't see.

I'll tell you
where everything is.

Straight back.

This is just
dumb, I can't see waves
coming into.

Straight back.
It's all good, baby.

There was
two that hit, so.

If there's two on
there, that would be great.

If we can two keepers and get
the hell out of here that
would be wonderful.

We already got
one fish on board.

Now, with two more on
the greenstick line, we could
potentially have a much bigger

lead over the
rest of the fleet.

Nicky!

Let's get him.
Look, he's trying
to take the ball down.

Look at that.

Oh, dude, yeah.

Right now, we're trying
to get these fish to tire
themselves out.

I don't want to straighten
out a hook or lose a fish.

Starboard.
You know they're
running right under the sun.

Yeah, I know, and
the tide's pushing them away.

- It's killing me.
- This tide's gonna me hard.

First clip coming up.

I know which one,
he's on the back ones.

Back one.

I guess they didn't
want the white one.

Oh, no, he, yeah, we
lost one on this one, look.

Told you it was
a big fish I saw him.

- Straightened us out.
- Straightened 'em.

I told you it was
a big fish, bro.

We still got one,
he's straight down.

Get ready to
hand line him, Nicky.

Yep.

It's definitely not a
small fish, brother.

I see him.

Really, you see him?
Yeah, baby.
I got color.

Nicky!

Oh dude, that's a short.

Let's let him go.

Damn, we
missed his older brother.

A bluefin has to
be a minimum of 73 inches
for us to keep.

Now, we're ready to head in
and get our fish wage, so we
can get right back out there

and fish around the
clock until it's all over.

Hey, at least we're
getting bites today, man.

We definitely had a
bigger fish on the line there
was no doubt about it,

there was a bigger
fish on the line.

What are you gonna do?

I mean she laid
right up there when you got
her up, you know?

But she took off so quick.

I didn't get a chance
to stick her, you know?

I don't know.

Losing fish like I
did, it's like heartbreaking.

Stick him, Austin!
Where's he at?
Where's he at?

Throw the dart.
Throw it!

Throw it!
Throw the dart.

Oh, the hook come out.

I just didn't hit
the fish and I'm taking it
really bad because if

I wouldn't have hesitated
I probably could have had
that fish in the boat.

- You okay, Austin?
- I'm good.

If fishing was
simple, everybody would do it.

You're dealing with so many
variables that you have no
control over.

I'm extremely proud of
him for giving it his all.

When you lose a fish like we
did, it's out of your control.

You just got to
go back fishing.

We'll get him next time.

Howdy, boys?
What's up, Tyler?
How's it going?

Great, man, we
got a really nice fish.

All right.
Let's check him out.

It's really good fish.

Duffy and I have found our
groove and even though Fishin'
Frenzy brought in three fish,

I think this monster is
gonna keep us on top.

What do we got for a
dress weight, Bubba?

436 pounds dressed.

Nice.
All right.
Good fish, man.

Let's do a tail cut
and see how it looks.

All right.

There's less than three
days of fishing left in the
season so it's more important

than ever to get a good price.

So far, my best price
has been $19 a pound.

I'm hoping for even
more for this fish.

A decent amount of
fat here, color's good.

How much are
we gonna get per pound
before I blow away?

$13 a pound.

We'll take that.
Yeah, buddy.
Awesome.

Thanks, guys.
Appreciate it.

It's not the price I was
looking for, but this fish
keeps me ahead of Frenzy and

the top boat in the fleet.

Now Duffy and me need to
keep the fires burning and
bring in the tuna.

Yay!

With less than
three days left until
the season closes,

Pinwheel regains the top
spot from reigning champion
Fishin' Frenzy.

Unlucky trips for Hot Tuna and
Foolish Pleasures puts them
further behind the top two.

Local father-son team,
Reels of Fortune, and
northern boat Hard Merchandise

continue their
disappointing run.

There's less than
three days left in the season.

We got a title to defend.

We've got to get
on the meat now.

If you're the top guy
out here in the Outer Banks,
you may as well be the

top guy in the world.

We definitely got
the skills to do it.

There's nothing that we want
more than to win this thing.

Another
Outer Banks fishing season,
so far, we got zero fish.

We steamed 600 miles from
Gloucester to prove to
ourselves and everyone else

that we could get it done, so
we're gonna make it happen.

The
stress builds daily.

You've got to catch one,
really need one, got to have
one until it's done.

It's the
bottom of the ninth,
we need a grand slam.

Ain't
nothing stopping us now.

We're on a roll and it's just
gonna get better and better
from here on out.

Captioned by Cotter
Captioning Services.