- 5 weeks ago
Big Fish Man S01E01 Amazon H 264
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TVTranscript
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.
00:37Their hunting grounds are remote corners of our planet.
00:44And I'll track them down, whatever it takes.
00:51This time I'm heading deep into the Amazon rainforest.
00:54And this looks like a different world.
00:58On the hunt for South America's biggest freshwater fish, the arapaima, a powerful predator encased
01:05in armored scales.
01:08Its 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.
01:18But catching the arapaima will be even tougher.
01:22Arapaima!
01:23Arapaima!
01:23Arapaima!
01:24Arapaima!
01:25Arapaima!
01:50Arapaima!
01:52lagoons and I hope there might be very big arapaima the arapaima is the
02:00undisputed giant of the Amazon River a super fast predator that can grow as big
02:06as three meters it's an air-breathing fish that can survive in oxygen depleted
02:13lagoons reaching the surface to take huge gulps of air
02:23to reach to our Pima's lagoons I'll travel 200 kilometers along the Rio
02:28Aquatico deep into the rainforest towards the border of Peru this is like oh the
02:36gateway to the Amazon rainforest and my last chance to buy supplies I need two
02:42weeks worth of food and water there is no chance of resupply in the jungle you can
02:48stop your that's perfect
03:04I need to buy 20 meters of this one I need to be on the river as soon as possible
03:09that's it my fishing window here is incredibly tight to catch mighty arapaima in
03:18the wild is extremely difficult now even more because we are right between dry
03:23season and wet season in the next three months over a meter of rain will fall
03:28flooding the rainforest I need to find the arapaima's isolated lagoons before they
03:36burst their banks if the water level will be high fishing will be extremely difficult
03:42because all our pima will be deep in the jungle
03:49it's our main guide
03:57my guide Marco says it'll take two days to reach the jungle lagoons
04:03okay let's go Marco we 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 known
04:19species
04:20these rivers are the hunting grounds of caiman anacondas and piranhas
04:27this expedition is very special I'm heading far from civilization to keep into the jungle
04:32I'm going to explore new river system
04:39but before I can fish for arapaima I need bait
04:42the best is a catfish called Bolo which lives in the fast-flowing rivers
04:47I need to catch some before I get to the lagoons
04:51these river people should know exactly where to find these catfish
04:54because that's what they eat
04:57and I need to find a good fisherman because dry bait is the most important thing for my quest
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
05:28but 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
05:44it can't be any worse
05:48the villagers say I'll find great catfish bait in the rotting trees
06:04how do you call them Marco how do you call them nombre?
06:07este nombre? Chontacuro
06:09Chontacuro?
06:10si Chontacuro
06:11esto se llama Chontacuro
06:13es bueno para Bolo
06:15is it good bait for Bolo?
06:16for Bolo es muy bueno
06:17si
06:18es bueno también para comer
06:20es muy bueno esto
06:21si
06:21si
06:22si
06:22es sabroso
06:25si
06:27si
06:28si
06:29si
06:29the Chontacuro
06:30are 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
07:07the arapaima feed on fish using a tooth-covered tongue to crush prey against the arapaima
07:16the roof of their mouth
07:19Marko, is it Bolo?
07:21otro Bolo
07:22no
07:23si
07:24si
07:24si
07:24good
07:25every bait fish is very important
07:27because every bait fish could mean one more arapaima
07:34yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
07:36come on, come on, come on
07:37Bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo, bolo
07:43ah, 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.
08:10OK, 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's going to 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.
09:27Come on, guys, come on!
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.
10:00There are two problems if the water rises.
10:03The first problem is if the water goes to the forest, Arapaima don't do as well.
10:09And 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 that, and then I can catch them.
10:26I'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.
10:37But as the storm lifts, the water is still rising fast.
10:41The Arapaima's lagoons will soon disappear.
10:44That'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.
11:13But 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.
11:26The 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 and 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!
12:16Suddenly there is more light everywhere around us.
12:19Means there are no trees.
12:21And that means only one thing, there is a lagoon.
12:25We are very close.
12:28This could be my first chance to catch an Arapaima.
12:42It's huge. Look at this!
12:47It's like an ocean.
12:50What I'm looking for, very big fish on the surface.
12:56The water in this lagoon is warm and low on oxygen, but the arapaima can gulp air above
13:03the 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.
13:17Arapaima.
13:20Let'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 and cast on the fish, hit it right, and then if you're lucky, you
13:39might get a take, but one, two, three casts a day, that's it.
13:54There's a fish, there's a fish, fish, arapaima, arapaima, arapaima.
14:05I need to hold tight.
14:06The arapaima is already trying to power towards the trees.
14:11There's a big arapaima hole.
14:15I cast on the fish, and it took maybe ten seconds, and the fish took my lure.
14:24It's hard to say how big this fish is.
14:27Okay.
14:28Okay.
14:28But the fight is definitely not over.
14:31It's pulling fight, yeah.
14:34Whoa, whoa, whoa.
14:34Not on the boat, not on the boat, not on the boat.
14:36Ugh.
14:37God.
14:38I'm scared I might lose the fish.
14:40Be careful, Marco.
14:41Yeah.
14:42Whoa!
14:43Did you see that?
14:45Whoa!
14:47Whoo!
14:47It's too big to land on the canoe.
14:49I need to get closer to the shore.
14:51Vamos, vamos, vamos, vamos.
14:52Let's try to get somewhere over there.
14:58Okay.
14:59Now we are close to the shore.
15:05Yeah!
15:06Got it!
15:08Whoa!
15:09Wow!
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, but it was hard to get it.
15:22My quest is to catch one twice this size, but it's a good start.
15:27She needs to gulp the air.
15:29They are able to breathe not only underwater, but as well above the water.
15:35Okay.
15:36The hook is away.
15:37Look at the eyes.
15:39Do 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.
15:48One more gulp and I will release her.
15:54Oh!
15:58This wasn't definitely the biggest arapaima, but every single arapaima is important because
16:06we 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, good training day.
16:26I can trust my gear now 100%.
16:30Tomorrow I'm traveling deeper to the jungle where 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 and cooling the warm lagoons.
16:48Cold water has more oxygen, so 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 tonight.
17:02Because the water is rising through 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, but only if the flood water hasn't reached it.
17:17Water is rising a lot and most of the lagoons are completely flooded.
17:22Like that, there's a lot of current getting in.
17:25But this lagoon looks fine because the current is really slow.
17:29And 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.
17:58Normally you see at least small fish jumping on the surface.
18:07Now it's completely dead.
18:10I need to move to a different spot, but 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.
18:57If I cast and wait because the water is full of piranhas, they 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 to sit here all day without a single movement waiting for a fish which
19:21is not showing up.
19:26Yesterday was frustrating.
19:28I didn't get a single take.
19:30Today I'm trying a different lagoon, but the rain clouds have returned.
19:36With this weather and everything is more difficult, we must catch a fish today.
19:49I only have a few days before the lagoons are completely flooded.
19:55I 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, if 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 whole night, stay as calm as possible and start fishing as soon as
20:36possible.
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, it'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, yeah, and one here.
21:25I've been building rafts since I was a kid, but 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 because if I would hook a big or a pimer, I have to be
21:42able to fight from the raft and 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.
22:14I have to be extremely quiet.
22:20I'm very pleased that it works.
22:23And it's very quiet, which is important.
22:27If this will fall apart in the night, I will be swimming with anacondas.
22:54I'm at the end of the lagoon in the deepest part.
22:58It was 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, is the home of some very strange and very big animals.
23:24I can hear some big splashes from the other side.
23:28And from my left.
23:31And definitely another a pimer.
23:35Big caiman.
23:38Definitely.
23:46Still, it's a very strange feeling.
23:49They just know that they are around you.
23:53Four or five meters long.
24:02There was something very big under my raft now.
24:18Five-thirty in the morning.
24:23Nothing has touched my bed.
24:26Not even a small lip.
24:31I'm alone, on a raft, deep in the Amazon jungle.
24:36I'm convinced it's the only way to catch a giant arapaima.
24:42But, I've nothing to show for my efforts.
24:49Piranhas again.
24:51The same story all the time.
24:56Was in water.
24:57Twenty seconds.
25:01I've only four bigas left.
25:06So...
25:10We'll have to go for a bait fish again.
25:21I'm down to my last bait fish.
25:23And finally, the bite I've been waiting all night for.
25:30I've hooked an arapaima.
25:32But it's trying to escape.
25:34The fish is throwing me to the grass.
25:42I waited whole night for this moment.
25:45And now, the fish is throwing me to the grass.
25:47And I can't stop it.
25:50I don't know how big the fish is.
25:52But, she got already to the grass.
25:55I might lose the fish.
25:57I might lose the fish.
26:04My line is going slack.
26:06I can't feel the fish anymore.
26:09The fish is probably...
26:14Lost.
26:26I thought raft fishing will be better than from the canoe.
26:32But I already know that not.
26:36I will have to fish from the canoe.
26:41Because raft is very quiet.
26:44It's a very good platform to fish from.
26:47But it's too slow.
26:49I have to be a little bit faster when I see the fish.
26:53The raft's failed.
26:54And the water is still rising.
26:57The arapaima could be anywhere.
27:00I only need to find one giant fish in one perfect lagoon.
27:04That'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.
27:22I need to get up high.
27:23But it's a risky strategy.
27:27I have to be careful for snakes and scorpions.
27:31Especially scorpions.
27:32There are a lot of them on these trees.
27:38Okay, let's go for it.
27:51Here's a wasp nest.
28:03Here'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.
28:17It could be my perfect lagoon.
28:20There are a lot of trees.
28:23And the water is everywhere.
28:26Getting very far to the jungle.
28:28But close to the trees right there,
28:31there is an empty spot.
28:35There are no trees.
28:36It's a good sign.
28:38And there might be a lagoon.
28:41This is exactly what I'm looking for.
28:44For 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.
29:06That lies completely still in shallow water waiting to pounce on smaller fish.
29:18I'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 a torch.
29:38How the locals do.
29:45There are two.
29:46There are two viejas.
29:47Do you see?
29:47Do 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.
30:04If 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 a Pima.
30:16I'm very happy that I have this fish.
30:20Do you have it?
30:26Oh, damn it!
30:44I think we have enough.
30:58I'm heading for the lagoon I spotted from the tree.
31:02It'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.
31:35This could be the one.
31:41We have arrived today very early.
31:44I didn't see a single fish yet.
31:50So I don't want to paddle around.
31:53I want to wait for a big fish.
32:12That's huge.
32:13And our Pima has surfaced.
32:16First, I need to get closer to cast my bait right on top of the air bubbles.
32:24But any noise will spook it.
32:27The fish was right here.
32:40I was right, the fish is there and it's taken my bait.
32:48It's going to jump, it's going to jump.
32:50The arpaima can leap out of the water to snitch 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.
33:08It's a very big arpaima, it's a very big arpaima.
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.
33:55I've got to reel her in first place.
34:05I've got to reel her in first place.
34:05Oh, no, there's no room for us, she's got to move.
34:17She's got to keep it when she goes back.
34:17Hey!
34:17Hey, hey!
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.
34:44I don't know what happened.
34:47I was trying to pull it far from the trees and then...
35:00I don't know what happened.
35:05That was the fish I'm looking for.
35:11This was a giant.
35:25I'm deep in the Amazonian rainforest, on the trail of a giant arapaima, hiding in this remote jungle 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.
35:48But my problem are piranhas.
35:52They are constantly stealing my bait.
35:55All the time.
35:57I got a chicken from the local villagers.
36:00And I got as well flesh of the fish.
36:05And Paku.
36:08Big Amazon fish.
36:11With teeth like a humans.
36:14Look at this.
36:16Very cool.
36:17Really like a humans.
36:18Because they are eating seeds and nuts.
36:20That's what they feed on.
36:22I'm going to leave these three bait on different spots.
36:27And hope that it will attract piranhas far from my bait.
36:33I will leave the chicken here.
36:35Paku somewhere else.
36:37And meat of the fish.
36:39They are behind the corner.
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.
36:55And get the blood to the water.
37:02It's quite bloody.
37:04So I want to show you how does it look like when piranhas are feeding crazy.
37:11So I have camera here on the stick.
37:13And I'm going to leave here the chicken.
37:17Right in front of 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.
37:37But I think it's bloody enough.
37:56You see that?
38:02I'm only two, maybe three meters from the chicken.
38:06And they are already feeding frenzy.
38:09Red-bellied piranhas eat plants and insects.
38:12But they are also scavengers that feed on injured and dead animals.
38:17It's crazy how many of them are here.
38:19They swim in shoals to protect themselves from predators.
38:23But their fearsome reputation comes from their razor sharp teeth.
38:28And these frenzied attacks.
38:29walls to protect themselves from their legs.
38:40Sh**. I can see them from here.
38:48There are thousands of them. Thousands.
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 the giant arapaima
40:07it's my best chance of getting a take
40:44i have to be very careful here because there are a lot of big trees around in this lagoon
40:46i've hooked an arapaima but it's heading for the trees like a bullet
40:51it's getting close to the shore i have to be very careful here because there are a lot of big
40:56trees
40:57surrounding 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 these trees the fish might cut my line
41:20i've got to get it to the canoe i'm going to see the fish i'm going to see whoa it's
41:26good or a pima
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
41:45it's coming out
41:53be careful be careful we don't want to jump no
41:57you land up in the canoe okay
42:00Come on, come on, come on!
42:02Deeper.
42:03Oh!
42:04Now she looks...
42:06Oh!
42:06I was just going to say that she looks calm, but she doesn't.
42:11She's tiring, but she's too big to land on the boat.
42:14I have to get her to the shore.
42:16Come on, come on, come on!
42:17And fast.
42:21Cana, cana, cana!
42:27Woo!
42:27Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
42:29Look at this!
42:31What amazing arpaima!
42:34This fish is definitely more than 80 kilos.
42:38It has to be close to 100.
42:53It's too heavy.
42:57I'm tired.
42:58The fish is tired.
43:03But...
43:05We made it.
43:06It's a very important moment when she gulps here,
43:09because that's the moment when she's getting oxygen into the body
43:14and more energy back as well.
43:16I will try to show you the teeth arpaima.
43:20She might get a little bit angry.
43:23Do you see them?
43:25Tiny, tiny teeth.
43:27But very, very sharp.
43:31Look!
43:33How long she is.
43:39Over two meters.
43:41Whoa!
43:43Did you see that?
43:44That was the famous gulp.
43:46I was looking for so many days here in the Amazon.
43:51This is the queen of the Amazon.
43:54This is arpaima.
43:58Tropical storms,
43:59unforgiving jungle,
44:01and piranha-infested lagoons
44:03have all stood in my way.
44:04And I'm going to let you go now.
44:07But...
44:07I got what I came for.
44:09A giant arpaima.
44:10HALLgn�
44:16Knit
44:17A
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