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00:16I'm Jakob Wagner, and I'm going further than Eddie before to catch the biggest freshwater
00:24fish on the planet.
00:27These incredible predators are rare, tough to catch, and absolutely massive.
00:34That's a very big fish.
00:36That's a big fish.
00:37Their hunting grounds are remote corners of our planet.
00:42Look at this.
00:44And I'll track them down, whatever it takes.
00:48I need to be in touch with a fish.
00:50This time, I'm heading deep into the Amazon rainforest.
00:54And this looks like a different world.
00:57On the hunt for South America's biggest freshwater fish, the arapaima, a powerful predator encased
01:05in armored scales.
01:07Its hunting grounds are remote jungle lagoons, infested with piranha.
01:13There are thousands of them.
01:15The journey there will be difficult.
01:17Hold on, guys.
01:18Hold on.
01:18Hold on.
01:18But catching the arapaima will be even tougher.
01:23Arapaima, arapaima, arapaima.
01:27This was a giant.
01:39I'm heading east, across Ecuador, towards the Amazon jungle.
01:44My quest on this expedition is to explore a completely new river system.
01:49I know from satellite images that there are some very remote lagoons.
01:53And I hope there might be very big arapaima.
01:58The arapaima is the undisputed giant of the Amazon river.
02:03A super fast predator that can grow as big as three meters.
02:09It's an air-breathing fish that can survive in oxygen-depleted lagoons, reaching the surface
02:15to take huge gulps of air.
02:23To reach the arapaima's lagoons, I'll travel 200 kilometers along the Rio Aquarico, deep
02:30into the rainforest, towards the border of Peru.
02:35This is lago.
02:36The gateway to the Amazon rainforest.
02:38And my last chance to buy supplies.
02:41I need two weeks worth of food and water.
02:44There is no chance of resupply in the jungle.
02:47Perfect.
02:47You can stop here.
02:49That's perfect.
03:04I need to buy 20 meters of this one.
03:07I need to be on the river as soon as possible.
03:10That's it.
03:11My fishing window here is incredibly tight.
03:16To catch my arapaima in the wild is extremely difficult.
03:20Now even more because we are right between dry season and wet season.
03:25In the next three months, over a meter of rain will fall, flooding the rainforest.
03:31I need to find the arapaima's isolated lagoons before they burst their banks.
03:37If the water level will be high, fishing will be extremely difficult because all arapaima
03:43will be deep in the jungle.
03:50It's our main guide.
03:57My guide, Marco, says it will take two days to reach the jungle lagoons.
04:03Okay, let's go, Marco.
04:04We have at least five hours to go.
04:12The Amazon rainforest is around twice the size of India and is home to 10% of the world's
04:19known species.
04:20These rivers are the hunting grounds of caiman, anacondas and piranhas.
04:26This expedition is very special.
04:29I'm heading far from civilization, deep into the jungle.
04:32I'm going to explore a new river system.
04:38But before I can fish for arapaima, I need bait.
04:42The best is a catfish called Bolo, which lives in the fast-flowing rivers.
04:48I need to catch some before I get to the lagoons.
04:51These river people should know exactly where to find these catfish, because that's what
04:56they eat.
04:57And I need to find a good fisherman, because the right bait is the most important thing
05:02for my quest.
05:03I need to catch them.
05:06Okay.
05:08Yeah, let's park over there where is the small tree coming from the water.
05:13Tonight, we'll make camp in this small fishing village.
05:19And I'm hoping they'll help me catch some Bolo catfish.
05:25I have no idea where we are going, but we are getting deeper and deeper to the jungle.
05:32And they are promising there will be some good bait.
05:36This rain really drives me crazy.
05:41The water will be high, the water will be cold.
05:45It can't be any worse.
05:48The villagers say, I'll find great catfish bait in the rotting trees.
05:54Here, here are the mayonnaise.
06:02Ah...
06:04How do you call them?
06:05Marco, how do you call them?
06:07Is this the name?
06:08Chontacuro.
06:09Chontacuro?
06:10Yes, Chontacuro.
06:11This is called Chontacuro.
06:13It's good for Bolo.
06:14Is it good bait for Bolo?
06:16It's very good for Bolo.
06:18It's good for eating.
06:20It's very good for eating.
06:21Yes?
06:22Yes.
06:29The Chontakurus are the larva of the palm beetle.
06:33The more I get, the better the chance of some quality bait for a giant arapaima.
06:40Catfish start hunting at dusk.
06:42If I catch some now, I could be fishing for arapaima tomorrow.
06:54Bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo!
06:59My first bolo.
07:01That's my bait.
07:02It's bolo probably around 14, 15 centimeters.
07:06A perfect bait for arapaima.
07:10The arapaima feed on fish using a tooth-covered tongue to crush prey against the roof of their mouth.
07:19Marco, I have a bolo.
07:20Another bolo!
07:21Another bolo!
07:23Another bolo!
07:23Another bolo!
07:23Another.
07:25Every baitfish is very important.
07:28Because every baitfish could mean one more arapaima.
07:34Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:36Come on, come on.
07:37Bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo.
07:39Ah, did you hear that?
07:44They do exactly this under the water, and that drives Arapaima completely crazy.
07:52I've got my bait, but with every drop of rain, the river goes up, and my chance of catching an
08:00Arapaima goes down.
08:09OK, come on, guys. We have at least five, six savers in front of us, so if we want to
08:17fish today, we have to move.
08:26If we don't fish soon, I'm worried the rising water will ruin my chances for good.
08:39The water level is just about to rise to the dry land.
08:44If we get more rain and 20, 30 centimetres more, we have a big problem.
08:53But it's just after midday, and a tropical storm is landing right on top of us.
09:00Marco, let's cover everything. It won't get wet.
09:05The wind is picking up, and cold rain is lashing down.
09:14This is the worst thing that could have happened.
09:18The rainy season is here, and my dream of catching a giant Arapaima is being washed away.
09:38I'm on the hunt for the Amazon's biggest freshwater fish, battling a jungle storm.
09:45The Arapaima is a powerful predator that hunts in the warm lagoons of the rainforest.
09:51But the jungle rains are my worst enemy.
09:55This is what I was talking about, heavy rain.
09:59There are two problems if the water rises.
10:03The first problem is, if the water goes to the forest, Arapaima goes very well.
10:08And the second problem is, the rain brings a lot of oxygen to the rivers and lagoons.
10:17And our Arapaima don't need to come up and go to the air.
10:22So I don't see them, and then I can catch them.
10:25I'm trying to reach a village that sits on a bend in the river, deep in the rainforest.
10:31Satellite images show hundreds of lagoons in the surrounding jungle.
10:36But as the storm lifts, the water is still rising fast.
10:41The Arapaima's lagoons will soon disappear.
10:43That's the village, right in front of us.
10:49Around 200,000 indigenous people live in the Amazon rainforest.
10:54Many are still isolated from the outside world, relying on the jungle for all their needs.
11:01I'm really pleased that I can see the canoes over there on the shore.
11:05Exactly the size of what I need to get to these lagoons.
11:09The men of the village fish and hunt for their food.
11:12But even here, giant Arapaima is a rare sight.
11:17Only six houses in the whole village.
11:19And this is basically it.
11:22I'll make camp later.
11:24I'm desperate to start fishing right away.
11:27The villagers say there's a giant lagoon nearby, surrounded by thick jungle.
11:32Finding it is not going to be easy.
11:40We have left the main river.
11:43Now we are heading to the lagoon.
11:45We are only two hours from the village.
11:47And this looks like a different world.
11:52If the rain holds off, I'll start fishing straight away.
12:01We are nearly there.
12:10You see all the trees over there, the palm trees?
12:14Marco!
12:15Suddenly there is more light everywhere around us.
12:19Means there are no trees.
12:21And that means only one thing, there is a lagoon.
12:26We are very close.
12:28This could be my first chance to catch an Arapaima.
12:55The water in this lagoon is warm and low on oxygen.
13:00But the Arapaima can gulp down the water.
13:02The air above the surface.
13:04I need to watch, wait and listen.
13:08Giant adults only come up a few times a day.
13:11If there are any signs of bubbles, I'll cast straight away.
13:16Arapaima.
13:19Let's try to go over there.
13:22I need silence when I'm fishing.
13:24The Arapaima are easily scooped.
13:31You have to spot the fish.
13:34Then cast on the fish.
13:35Hit it right.
13:37And then if you are lucky, you might get a take.
13:42But one, two, three casts a day, that's it.
13:54There's a fish.
13:55There's a fish.
14:00There's a fish.
14:02Fish!
14:04I need to hold tight.
14:07The Arapaima is already trying to power towards the trees.
14:11There's a big Arapaima on!
14:15I cast on the fish.
14:17And it took maybe ten seconds.
14:19And the fish took my lure.
14:24It's hard to say how big this fish is.
14:27Okay.
14:28But the fight is definitely not over.
14:31It's pulling fight, yeah.
14:34Whoa, whoa, whoa.
14:34Nothing about, nothing about.
14:37I'm scared I might lose the fish.
14:40Be careful, Marco.
14:41Whoa!
14:43Did you see that?
14:45Whoa!
14:47It's too big to land on the canoe.
14:49I need to get closer to the shore.
14:52Vamos, vamos, vamos, vamos.
14:53Let's try to get somewhere over there.
14:55Whoa!
14:58Okay.
14:59Now we are close to the shore.
15:05Yeah!
15:06Got it!
15:07Whoa!
15:09Do you see the power of the fish?
15:11It's incredible.
15:13It's not the biggest Arapaima in the world.
15:16It's probably around 55, 60 kilos.
15:20But it was hard to get it.
15:23My quest is to catch one twice this size.
15:26But it's a good start.
15:27She needs to gulp the air.
15:29They are able to breathe not only under water, but as well above the water.
15:35Okay.
15:36The hook is away.
15:37Look at the eyes.
15:38Do you see them?
15:39How big they are?
15:40This fish hunts by sight.
15:43The Arapaima is armored.
15:44These scales are very tough because of piranhas.
15:49One more gulp.
15:51And I will release her.
15:54Whoa!
15:58This wasn't definitely the biggest Arapaima.
16:01But every single Arapaima is important.
16:05Because we know that they are still around.
16:17I'm really pleased that everything worked today.
16:20Always the first fish is the most important.
16:23And it was a good day, a good training day.
16:26I can trust my gear now 100%.
16:30Tomorrow I'm traveling deeper to the jungle.
16:34Where I'm hoping to find the real big Arapaima.
16:41It's been raining heavily all night.
16:44The cold water is flooding the forest.
16:46And cooling the warm lagoons.
16:48Cold water has more oxygen.
16:50So the Arapaima come up less for air.
16:52It's even harder to find them.
16:55It looks so beautiful.
16:58But I'm really scared we are here to light.
17:02Because the water is rising to the forest a lot.
17:07Local fisherman Virgilio is taking me to a lagoon downstream from the village.
17:12It could be a good place for Arapaima.
17:14But only if the flood water hasn't reached it.
17:17Water is rising a lot.
17:19And most of the lagoons are completely flooded.
17:22There's a lot of current getting in.
17:24But this lagoon looks fine because the current is really slow.
17:30And it means there's getting not so much of cold water from the main river.
17:47The water in this lagoon feels much warmer than the river.
17:51Now I need to watch for signs of Arapaima.
18:07I need to move to a different spot.
18:13But I risk disturbing any Arapaima that might be here.
18:31It feels like everything here is against me.
18:35Every time I cast, piranhas steal my bait.
18:40I'm fighting with piranha all the time.
18:44My bait was in the water maybe 10 seconds and has been eaten.
18:51The fish is still alive.
18:58And I have to cast and wait because the water is full of piranhas.
19:01They would eat my bait immediately.
19:04So I have to wait and wait and wait and wait and wait.
19:10But believe me, it's very difficult.
19:13To sit here all day without a single movement.
19:18Waiting for a fish which is not showing up.
19:26Yesterday was frustrating.
19:28I didn't get a single take.
19:30Today I'm trying a different lagoon.
19:33But the rain clouds have returned.
19:35With this weather and everything is more difficult,
19:40we must catch a fish today.
19:49I only have a few days before the lagoons are completely flooded.
19:54I have to do something to improve my chances.
20:07I've tried nearly everything, but nothing works.
20:12I don't know where is the problem.
20:14If my crew are too noisy or it's only because of the weather.
20:20But I have to try definitely something else.
20:23I want to leave my crew and Marco behind and build a wooden raft.
20:28I go to the lagoon, stay there the whole night.
20:32Stay as calm as possible and start fishing as soon as possible.
20:37The fish will be active in the morning.
20:39Like this I will be there in the best time and completely alone without any interruptions.
20:49This one looks good.
20:58It's definitely not the soft wood.
21:01Be careful, Marco.
21:02It's coming.
21:03It's coming, it's coming, it's coming.
21:05Be careful, Marco.
21:07Be careful, it's coming.
21:11I need to build a raft that's stable and big enough to sleep on.
21:17So, we basically create a catamaran.
21:20One here.
21:23Yeah.
21:24And one here.
21:25I've been building rafts since I was a kid.
21:28But this one needs to sit high above the water.
21:30Let's bring this one straight to the water.
21:33I don't want anything climbing on board during the night.
21:36It has to be very stable.
21:38Because if I would hook a big ropaima, I have to be able to fight from the raft.
21:45And probably even pull the fish on the raft.
21:51This might be my best chance of catching really big fish.
22:04Let's go.
22:06I need to find a good fishing spot on the lagoon before the sun sets.
22:13I have to be extremely quiet.
22:20I'm very pleased that it works.
22:23And it's very quiet, which is important.
22:26And if this will fall apart in the night, I will be swimming with anacondas.
22:54I'm at the end of the lagoon at the deepest part.
22:58It looks very promising.
23:00It's my first night on an amazon lagoon.
23:04I have no idea what to expect.
23:06This is my home for tonight.
23:12And over there, everywhere, there's the home of some very strange and very big animals.
23:24And here's some big splashes from the other side.
23:28And from my left.
23:30And definitely another ropaima.
23:34Big caiman.
23:38Definitely.
23:46Still, it's a very strange feeling.
23:49They just know that they're around you.
23:53Four or five meters long.
24:02There was something there, back under my rather...
24:16Ah. 5.30 in the morning. Nothing has touched my bed. Not even a small lip.
24:31I'm alone on a raft deep in the Amazon jungle. I'm convinced it's the only way to catch a giant
24:40arapaima.
24:42But I've nothing to show for my efforts.
24:49Piranhas again. The same story all the time. Was in water. 20 seconds.
25:01I've only four bichas left. So...
25:10I'll have to go for a bait fish again.
25:21I'm down to my last bait fish. And finally, the bite I've been waiting all night for.
25:30I've hooked a arapaima. But it's trying to escape.
25:34The fish is towing me to the grass.
25:42I waited all night for this moment. And now the fish is towing me to the grass and I can't
25:48stop it.
25:50I don't know how big the fish is. But she got already to the grass. I might lose the fish.
25:57I might lose the fish.
26:04My line is going slack. I can't feel the fish anymore.
26:09The fish is probably...
26:13Lost.
26:25Lost.
26:26I thought raft fishing will be better than from the canoe. But I already know that not. I will have
26:37to fish from the canoe. Because raft is very quiet. It's very good.
26:44It's a good platform to fish from. But it's too slow. Now I have to be a little bit faster
26:51when I see the fish.
26:53The rafts failed. And the water is still rising. The arapaima could be anywhere.
26:59I only need to find one giant fish in one perfect lagoon that's completely sealed off from the river.
27:14This looks good. There might be a lagoon.
27:18It's impossible to see far through this thick jungle. I need to get up high. But it's a risky strategy.
27:27I have to be careful for snakes and scorpions. Especially scorpions. There are a lot of them on these trees.
27:38Okay, let's go for it.
27:51Here's a wasp nest.
28:05I'm getting higher and higher.
28:08I think there might be a lagoon.
28:14There is a clearing around 500 meters away. It could be my perfect lagoon.
28:20There are a lot of trees.
28:23And the water is everywhere getting very far to the jungle.
28:28But close to the trees right there, there is an empty spot. There are no trees.
28:36It's a good sign there might be a lagoon.
28:41This is exactly what I'm looking for.
28:43For a lagoon which is not connected with the cold river.
28:50The lagoon will have to wait.
28:53Piranhas have eaten all my bait.
28:56I've got to find more.
29:03I'm hunting for a fish called Trahira that lies completely still in shallow water waiting to pounce on smaller fish.
29:17I'm completely out of baitfish.
29:20And I don't want to spend my time fishing for baitfish in the morning.
29:26When it's the best time for Pima.
29:29So my only way and the best way is fishing with machete in the night.
29:36And with the torch, how would the locals do?
29:45There are two viejas. Do you see? Do you see them?
29:51I want you to right there.
29:56Sometimes it's very difficult to see them.
29:59Because the camouflage of the fish is perfect.
30:03If I'm fast enough, I can hit them with my machete.
30:07Okay, got it.
30:10My first Trahira tonight.
30:13It's a very good baitfish for our Pima.
30:16I'm very happy that I have this fish.
30:20Do you have it?
30:27Got it!
30:44I think we have enough.
30:58I'm heading for the lagoon I spotted from the tree.
31:01It's further upriver and deeper into the jungle than I've ever been before.
31:29The lagoon is massive.
31:33This could be the one.
31:35The lagoon is massive.
31:40We have arrived today very early.
31:44I didn't see a single fish yet.
31:50So I don't want to battle around.
31:53I want to wait for a big fish.
32:08Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
32:12It's the ground.
32:13An arapaima has surfaced.
32:17I need to get closer to cast my bait right on top of the air bubbles.
32:23But any noise will spook it.
32:28Fish was right here.
32:37Yeah.
32:40I was right.
32:41The fish is there, and it's taken my bait.
32:48It's going to jump. It's going to jump.
32:50The arapaima can leap out of the water to snatch birds.
32:54It could jump straight off a hook.
32:58Very big fish. Very big fish. Very big fish.
33:00It's pulling hard to escape towards the grass again.
33:10It's a very big arapaima. It's a very big arapaima.
33:14This could be the one.
33:27I've got to reel her in before she reaches the grass.
33:44The fish is still on my line.
33:57There's no...
34:04Oh my God.
34:11Sorry.
34:17Did you see that?
34:29That was the fish I was looking for.
34:37This was a monster.
34:40This fish was well over 100 kilos, I don't know what happened.
34:47I was trying to pull it far from the trees and then I don't know what happened.
35:05That was the fish I'm looking for.
35:12This was a giant.
35:25I'm deep in the Amazonian rainforest on the trail of a giant arapaima hiding in this remote
35:33jungle lagoon.
35:34So far I failed to catch it.
35:37The water's been too cold and piranhas are beating the arapaima to my bait.
35:43It's time to lose the piranhas.
35:46I'm on the side of the lagoon, but my problem are piranhas.
35:52They are constantly stealing my bait, all the time.
35:57I got a chicken from the local villagers and I got as well flesh of the fish and paku, big
36:08Amazon fish with teeth like a humans.
36:14Look at this.
36:15Very cool.
36:16Real like a humans because they're eating seeds and nuts.
36:20That's what they feed on.
36:22I'm going to leave these three bait on different spots and hope that it will attract piranhas
36:30far from my bait.
36:33I will leave the chicken here, paku somewhere else and meat of the fish there behind the
36:40corner.
36:40And I have to hope that that will attract piranhas from my fishing spot.
36:47Blood will make them crazy.
36:49So I have to make it as bloody as possible.
36:52Open the chicken as much as I can and get the blood to the water.
37:02It's quite bloody, so I want to show you how does it look like when piranhas are feeding crazy.
37:11So I have camera here on the stick and I'm going to leave here the chicken right in front
37:18of the camera.
37:29To be honest, I really don't know if chicken is going to work for piranha.
37:34Piranha can't find chicken in the wild, but I think it's bloody enough.
37:56You see that?
38:02I'm only two, maybe three meters from the chicken and they are already feeding frenzy.
38:09Red-bellied piranhas eat plants and insects, but they are also scavengers that feed on injured
38:15and dead animals.
38:17It's crazy how many of them are here.
38:20They swim in shoals to protect themselves from predators, but their fearsome reputation comes
38:26from their razor sharp teeth and these frenzied attacks.
38:40S***, I can see them from here.
38:48There are thousands of them.
38:50Thousands.
38:56they're eating just about everything now i know why it's so difficult to catch our palma here
39:04it's crazy and they are moving everywhere around my hand
39:21look at this
39:26the chicken was in the water maybe i don't know two minutes
39:34and it has been completely eaten so try to imagine what's going on when i cast my bait
39:47and immediately when i throw it back the ropes start shaking again
39:54i have to go fishing very fast because this might help
39:59the piranhas will not be distracted for long i'm heading back to where i lost
40:04the giant arapaima it's my best chance of getting a take
40:42fish on
40:43fish on fish on it's a very strong fish i've hooked an arapaima but it's heading for the trees like
40:50a
40:50bullet it's getting close to the shore i have to be very careful here because there are a lot of
40:56big trees surrounding this lagoon it's a massive fish it took maybe two seconds and the fish was on
41:06it's definitely bigger fish
41:10it's taking a lot of line it's taking a lot of line
41:14the fish will reach the trees the fish one might cut my line i've got to get it to the
41:21canoe
41:23i'm going to see the fish i'm going to see whoa it's good arapaima
41:30i can't believe it i can't believe it whoa did you see that jump
41:37this is the fish i've been hunting for it's coming up it's coming up whoa 80 kilos
41:53be careful be careful be careful we don't want to go oh that was close he landed up in the
41:59canoe
41:59okay vamos vamos vamos oh now she looks oh oh i was just going to say that she looks calm
42:09but
42:09she doesn't she's tiring but she's too big to land on the boat
42:14i have to get her to the shore and fast
42:28look at this what amazing arapaima this fish is definitely more than 80 kilos it has to be close
42:39to 100
42:53it's too heavy
42:56i'm tired fish is tired
43:04but we made it it's very important moment when she goes here because that's the moment when she is
43:12getting oxygen into the body and more energy back as well i will try to show you the teeth
43:19arpaima she might get a little bit angry do you see them tiny tiny teeth
43:27but it's very very sharp
43:30look
43:33how long she is
43:39over two meters
43:43did you see that that was the famous gulp i was looking for so many days here in the amazon
43:51this is the queen of the amazon this is our time
43:58tropical storms unforgiving jungle and piranha infested lagoons have all stood in my way and i'm going to let
44:05where do you go now but i got what i came for a giant or a pimer
44:12you
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