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Aussie Lobster Men - Season 5 - Episode 01
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00:08Scrap for that one, John.
00:12Oh, boy.
00:14That's a good pot.
00:15That is a good pot.
00:16That's a good one, Brycey.
00:19It scares me getting roughs around here because it's like,
00:21I'm pointing.
00:25Risk versus reward, mate.
00:27When it comes to working around other guys,
00:30we all have a plan in our head.
00:31The problem is when you get three guys who all do the exact same thing,
00:34you miss out on certain spots.
00:40Oh, look, it's Miles.
00:41Yeah, it looks like a pirate ship.
00:43Army, oh, jeez.
00:47Ah, Jacob.
00:48You about it, Bryce?
00:50Hey, Miles, how you going?
00:52Is it? That's you right in front of me, is it?
00:54Yeah, I've got pots all in front of you.
00:57As you can see with your giant lights.
00:59So, in other words, you're shooting right through my pots.
01:03You, Bryce.
01:04It is a free-for-all for all of us.
01:06We all run separate businesses, so it's every man for himself out there.
01:09You know, if I've got to make business decisions to get everyone out of the way, I will.
01:14If you've got a boat that's small enough,
01:15you can sort of get a couple of pots down the inside of this one.
01:21Oh, f*** me.
01:23Gonna hit a rock on this side.
01:25F***.
01:26We hit pretty hard, so it's just double-checking.
01:28Hit pretty hard, didn't it?
01:30Did it do any damage?
01:31Not only too short.
01:43It's the start of the Tasmanian winter lobster hunting season.
01:49And there's been a big shake-up in the fleet.
01:53A team of under-30s, young guns, driven and ambitious, are taking on the old dogs.
02:0470% of our fleet are over 50.
02:07There's a few young guys coming through.
02:08All we can do is go fishing and, you know, show people that we can catch fish.
02:17Look at the waves breaking over at Southport.
02:20To the swell.
02:22A massive low-pressure system has set in over the east coast.
02:27For the day, we have to go all week.
02:30And the swell's running at five metres.
02:37The chieftains got the jump on the fleet.
02:39Question is, was leaving early the right call?
02:43There's nothing better than when he says gale force warnings or wind warnings
02:46than when you're already in the area where the warnings fall.
02:51And now it's a little bit sloppier shit now.
02:55The big fish prices are up.
02:57Now's the time to take the risk to go punch into this weather and get this pot soaking.
03:00We're not going to earn money with the pots on deck.
03:03Last season, the per kilo price averaged $45.
03:08Now it's fluctuating between $55 and $80 a kilo.
03:13And that's why Bryce is happy to take on the deadly weather.
03:17We're nearly at the bottom of the green here.
03:20We're just about to come around a little point before the shit's going to hit the fan.
03:24If we're going to go fight this weather and be the first ones out here and take the risk,
03:28we just need to be so careful.
03:30When you're going in the really bad weather, it is very dangerous and we have to make sure
03:34that everything is tied down.
03:37Something on deck comes off, Lockie's legs are gone.
03:41Oh, it's a little down here, baiting up the foot.
03:44It's a bit wet and windy.
03:47It's only going to get worse as we get around the corner.
03:49We just like the head start.
03:50We like to get ahead of everyone else.
03:52Everyone still at home, all this bad weather today.
03:54We'll just wait until tomorrow and the good weather comes.
03:57No, no, no, we're going to be a whole day ahead of the rest of you boys.
04:00We like the money.
04:10Ready to go?
04:11We better go catch all these flat flaps to get some money to buy you all your presents
04:15for your birthday.
04:15Yeah, my pizza.
04:17Yeah.
04:18Margate Wharf.
04:19Five hours earlier.
04:21And Bryce is prepping for a minimum 10-day round trip.
04:26Oh, Jackie!
04:27Another young gun, keen to cash in on the world's most prized seafood delicacy...
04:32Jackie boy!
04:34..is 29-year-old Jack.
04:38He's the captain of the Buran and the youngest skipper in the fleet.
04:44There's no reason there shouldn't be fish here, so I guess we'll soon say.
04:47So Jack and I have been mates for about four years,
04:50basically since I started fishing.
04:51He comes from a fishing family, so a lot of knowledge across the board.
04:57You know, Jack and I are the same age, basically.
04:58There's three, four months between us,
04:59but he's got twice the experience as me on the water.
05:03How are you doing?
05:05You warming her up, ready to go?
05:07Nah.
05:08Ready to get some winter fish?
05:09Nah.
05:09Seen the weather?
05:11That's not looking very good, is it?
05:13Pretty shithouse.
05:14It's only five and a half metres, right?
05:16Yeah.
05:17Growing.
05:17Yeah, it's half the length of your boat.
05:19Yeah.
05:19Just standing upright.
05:21The Buran Jack's boat is a beautiful little boat.
05:24Take a World War I tank that's seen action,
05:26slap some paint on it,
05:28put some floaty bits on the side of it,
05:30stick it in the water and put craypots on it,
05:32bang on, that's the boat.
05:34That's the kind of weather it took the window of the boat out two years ago.
05:3750 knot winds and five metre waves
05:40are more than Jack's 12 metre boat can handle.
05:44I'm thinking I might just leave it a day.
05:47Yeah, at the moment it looks like we're the only ones going.
05:49We're the only ones dumb enough or smart enough.
05:52I haven't worked that out yet.
05:53Yeah.
05:53But what Jack's not telling anyone
05:55is that he has a secret ace up his sleeve.
06:05At Victoria Dock in Hobart,
06:07the crew of the Pira is itching for a juicy payday of their own.
06:12We're going to be a huge sea on there today
06:13and then tomorrow it just dies out
06:15so we'll just get up early tomorrow and go for a day shot.
06:17We'll just have to make sure we've got everything tied down, I reckon.
06:19It's got all the pots, everything tied down.
06:2230-year-old Miles is the owner of the Pira,
06:26a 65-foot-long lobster boat
06:29built to tackle gale-force winds and a monster swell.
06:34Timmy is Miles' deckhand.
06:36The reason I've got this big boat
06:37is I don't have to be so weather-dictated.
06:39I can keep on fishing.
06:41So, yeah, we'll go down there
06:43and hopefully get the pick of the spot
06:44before everyone else gets there
06:46and, yeah, and try and keep everyone away from the good fishing, you know?
06:50Timmy.
06:53Dad's going fishing, is he?
06:54Yeah.
06:55The biggest downfall of being a cray fisherman
06:58is you're away from home a lot.
07:01I never get to see my dog, Jasmine.
07:03Take it, boy.
07:05My father, he's a winemaker.
07:07He used to be a cray fisherman,
07:08but he retired from fishing before I was born.
07:10He used to look after Jasmine when I'm not at home.
07:16I love you.
07:17Love you.
07:18See you in how many days?
07:19Ten days?
07:20Yeah, ten days.
07:21Love you.
07:22You got me.
07:23You've got to let go.
07:24I've got to go fishing.
07:25I've got to go fishing.
07:26No.
07:26Yeah.
07:27No.
07:27Level bye.
07:29All right.
07:30Bye-bye.
07:31Have fun with Popo.
07:32Love you.
07:34Love you.
07:37Bryce took command of the Chieftain
07:39when his dad, Kent, decided to semi-retire.
07:43The boat's still owned by his dad.
07:46Where are you going in this lovely weather?
07:48Where are we going?
07:48Wherever you tell me to in this weather.
07:52Hey, Jock, passing this power cord.
07:55There's going to be a lot going on.
07:57I've got injured Lockie, new crew.
08:00Look at Jock working hard.
08:02Good work, Jock.
08:03Thanks, mate.
08:04So, it's just a risk that I'm willing to take.
08:21We're away.
08:24It's a bit hard seeing everyone else go to work
08:26and you're still sitting at the wharf waiting.
08:29You know, that's just the price you pay with a small boat.
08:34Every time we leave the wharf, it's a gamble.
08:37The big risk we take is, if things don't go right,
08:40we won't be coming home safely.
08:41We'll be coming home in a box.
08:49All right, yeah, just take all the slack off that.
08:51Let me pull this out.
08:55Is that right?
08:56Is that right?
08:56Yeah, you can let that go.
08:57Yep.
08:58The pierer is heading right into the eye of the storm.
09:03So, we just pull this mizzen sail up.
09:06This is actually helping to stabilise the boat,
09:08especially when he gets side onto the wind and the waves.
09:12He holds the boat on one side.
09:13Miles runs the largest boat in the Young Guns fleet.
09:17The pierer can hold twice as many lobsters as the Chieftain
09:21and four times more than the Buran.
09:25It's also the fastest vessel in the fleet.
09:28I pulled this boat in October last year,
09:32so, like, I got a fair bit of debt.
09:36The pierer's worth close to a million dollars.
09:39When you've got a lot of debt,
09:40it definitely weighs over your shoulders.
09:43But I'll tell you what,
09:44it gets you out of bed early in the morning, though.
09:46Like, it gets you working,
09:48pushes you to catch more fish, really.
09:50Started fishing when I was 21.
09:52Started crying.
09:53I abalone died for a few years previous to that.
09:56No-one taught me how to fish.
09:58I didn't have any marks.
09:59I didn't know where to go.
10:01So, I sort of learnt the hard way.
10:04I really did.
10:10Yeah, welcome to the pierer.
10:13A bit different than other cray boats, this one.
10:16Sort of a bit of a pleasure boat as well.
10:18There isn't another cray boat around that I've ever seen.
10:21We're running sails.
10:24I think the boat's 69 foot.
10:28This would have to be one of the nicest boats I've ever worked on.
10:32Very credit to young Miles there.
10:33It's done well.
10:34It's a very nice boat.
10:37This one's got the works.
10:40Luckeries everywhere.
10:42Aha!
10:44Miles of the end room.
10:46This is all right.
10:48I'm not allowed down here.
10:48This is Miles of the house.
10:50Yeah, she's pretty nice down here.
10:53You've got the flat screen over there.
10:55Heater.
10:55Set up very well.
10:57So, this would be one of the cruise rooms.
10:59Got a window out of here.
11:00Can't really see where we're going, but we'll see where we've been.
11:05All right there.
11:06Pretty comfy in here.
11:07Reading light there for you.
11:09Probably not like many of us fishermen can actually read or anything,
11:12but it's there just in case.
11:17Another cruise room there.
11:18Pretty comfy.
11:21Boss's room.
11:22But cosy.
11:25Up here we've got Miles' wheelhouse.
11:27He's a cowboy hat.
11:32Got the big yacht steering wheel in it.
11:35Don't think many crowboats have one of these in them.
11:37Not this big anyway.
11:38Pretty comfy.
11:40I don't know how I'd go with this.
11:42I think I like it a bit better out there.
11:44Yeah, no.
11:45Feel a bit uncomfortable up here actually.
11:47I feel out of place.
11:50Ah, so, here we are in the galley.
11:54Pretty spacious.
11:56Got a flat screen TV up here and the surround sound.
12:00So you still watch your home and away while you're out at sea.
12:04Turn around here, we've got the stove, oven, dishwasher down here.
12:10Yeah, no, I haven't been on too many boats that I've got a dishwasher, eh?
12:14Um, we don't really use it.
12:17But, what a swank boat, really.
12:20Boss good here.
12:28Cut some decent, mate.
12:30You ready, mate?
12:32Oh, lady.
12:32I'm not trying to scare you, but we are heading out into the roughest oceans in the world
12:36to catch the most frost seafood in the world.
12:39That does scare me.
12:41Nah, should fill you with butterflies and excitement, mate.
12:44OK.
12:45Lobster fishing is a dangerous game.
12:49Extreme winter weather means it's a baptism by fire for Bryce's new deckhand, Jock.
12:55So for this trip, I had to get a spare crew.
12:57Lockett is a little bit injured at the moment.
12:59He's got a bit of a groin injury in them.
13:00It was just very fortunate that Jock made a phone call at the right time, and, uh, here he is.
13:09Fish, will you guys be able to cost 800 grams?
13:12The six states work well for us.
13:14We make our chefs happy with those.
13:17Jock is the youngest son of the owners of Tasmania's biggest seafood dynasty, Muir's.
13:24Jock's used to buying and serving lobsters, just not catching them.
13:30Oh, come on, Jock, mate, let's pay the two to your wife.
13:33Come on, mate. Come on. Fizz it up.
13:35Jock has no experience on a lobster boat.
13:37He's my buyer.
13:39Bloody rookie!
13:40So Jock's family, the Muir's, are very well-known Australia-wide, and they have a very successful
13:45restaurant on the Hobart waterfront, but they also wholesale fish.
13:49One of the most complex parts of the boat crew.
13:53You end up living with the person, spending more time with your crew than you do your own
13:57family.
13:58We've had people come on board who, they didn't even last a day, and they had to go home.
14:10At Margate Wharf, the Buran is still grounded, waiting for the strong winds and swell to ease.
14:17I worked some similar weather a few years ago.
14:20We actually took a window off the side of the boat and smashed the door in half, and
14:24all this framing got ripped off, and that kind of stuff, and ideally, I'd try to avoid
14:29that.
14:30Jock's under huge pressure to bring home a tasty paycheck.
14:36Going out?
14:38Tomorrow.
14:40He proposed to his girlfriend, Denny, just two weeks ago.
14:46So now there's a wedding to pay for.
14:51Beyonce.
14:52I'm going to go catch you to pull over so you can pay for it.
14:55Wedding.
14:55Going to have to.
14:56Yeah.
14:57Don't have a choice.
14:59You're going to buy me an upper ring now.
15:01I would have bought you one ring, that's enough.
15:03You've got to get a wedding day now.
15:05Denny and I have been together for two and a half years.
15:08Yeah, just a couple of weeks ago on our holiday, I popped the question, so we're planning
15:12a wedding at the moment.
15:13It's not going to come cheap.
15:15I really need this weather to come good.
15:17We really need to catch some fish.
15:18How long do you reckon this weather's going to keep up like this for?
15:22Oh, only until tomorrow morning.
15:23It's good tomorrow morning, you know.
15:25It'll be a good day for travelling and it'll be a good day for where we want to go, for
15:29where we're going to shoot the gear too.
15:30Some little readies.
15:31Yeah.
15:32Big ones, hopefully.
15:33Yeah, yeah.
15:34While Jack and Decky Johnny are stuck on the dock, Bryce and Miles are zeroing in on their
15:41favourite fishing holes.
15:44Miles.
15:46Hey, Miles, how you going?
15:48Yeah, not too bad.
15:48What are you up to?
15:50We're nearly down to the bottom of Bruni now, so we're just going to shoot them in Cape Bruni.
15:56And then, you need to get up early, pull them and...
16:00Yeah, who gets you?
16:01Ah, just coming up in behind Partridge.
16:05We're just going to anchor up tonight.
16:08Hello.
16:10So Miles has said that he's staying on anchor tonight.
16:12So we're taking the risk to have this first night shot.
16:15Miles might steam past in the morning while we're still pulling our gear, getting nothing.
16:20You've just got to weigh it up, you know.
16:22Is it worth it?
16:23The only way to find out is fish.
16:25Yeah.
16:26Nah, we're just anchor up tonight.
16:28I don't know.
16:28We'll just probably get up early in the morning and sort of get to where I want to go.
16:32I'm not putting my pots in the water today.
16:34When you've got a really big sea, it's very hard to read the sounder.
16:38It's in the dark.
16:40And it can be quite dangerous.
16:42Roger then.
16:42Have a good night.
16:43Hey, mate.
16:44Hey, mate.
16:46Yeah, a bit surprised he's putting the pots in at night.
16:48But I used to fish around his father a lot, Kent Way.
16:51He's got a lot of information.
16:53I reckon he's just trying to catch as many crows as he possibly can, to be honest.
16:59Bryce is fiercely competitive.
17:01But if he has any chance of topping the Young Guns Lobster Tally Board, he needs every shot to count.
17:09Good reason to call his dad.
17:11This is what it looks like off of Partridge on the southern end of Partridge.
17:15Kent knows Kate Bruni like the back of his hand.
17:24Thank you very much.
17:33which we will hook you shortly.
17:40All right, Jock, you ready, mate?
17:43All right, the only thing I will tell you,
17:46one beep, what goes in?
17:48Two beeps, look at me.
17:50Three beeps means something really bad's about to happen.
17:52Just hold the **** going, really.
17:53Big wave.
17:54Big, big ****ing wave.
17:56Shit's about to roll.
18:00Hooray!
18:03Hooray!
18:05Hooray!
18:07Hooray!
18:08Hooray!
18:08What about you?
18:10Oh, what a view from up here!
18:12Ooh, look at this one!
18:14Now we're in.
18:16That's proper swell, it's thick, it's solid.
18:19That's four metres easy.
18:26Watch him back there, mate.
18:29Good work, Jock, proud of you.
18:30You're a weapon of last lobster destruction.
18:34So far, so good.
18:35Jock's doing really well.
18:37He's picking up bloody quick.
18:40Maybe he's always meant to be a dickhead.
18:42He needs to get out of his office job
18:43and do six months a year on deck.
18:46That'll be handy.
18:51Oh, what's he doing?
18:53What's he doing?
18:54What's he doing?
18:54What's he doing?
18:56Oh.
18:57Does that count as a **** up?
18:59No, no, no.
19:00It's an opportunity to work under pressure.
19:03Opportunity.
19:03No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
19:07Woohoo!
19:08Come on!
19:22so we might have the jump start on everyone but at the end of the day it's a risk that
19:25may not reap any rewards it may end up in a negative for us if the files gets up at
19:31three
19:31or four in the morning by the time he gets to the day bottom he's ready to shoot his gear
19:35if i get
19:36up at three or four in the morning i've got to pull on my gear that means that i've missed
19:39out on all
19:40that opportunity to be in front of them two decades and i'm out of here you know look at this
19:52there you go jock you can have that the boat needs to go forward bryce and the boys are pulling
20:02their
20:02first shot for the season first pot of the morning bryce is hoping his gamble of heading out early
20:11will pay off
20:14this shot's either going to get us ahead of everyone or behind everyone
20:29that bryce is the first the first lobster the first lobster for the winter season we've got one
20:36we've got one if we get 100 i'll be pretty happy 100's the number 100's a good happy medium
20:44good start
20:46come on bryce let's go oh jock's awake now you gotta get the guts up crazy feeling it we're feeling
20:54it
20:55let's go we're in the right depth that's good i don't know what that means but it sounds good
21:00what's in it jock lobbies is it yep take in oh we won't be taking this one female this is
21:11a massive
21:11female that is a big female look at all the eggs so from the start of june all the way
21:16to the start
21:17of the new craze season we're not allowed to keep females due to the fact they're breeding so on a
21:23female lobster all these little flaps they're called pleopods they're a lot larger on a female lobster
21:29because they hold all the eggs not very often we see a female this big so it's quite an old
21:34lobster we'll let her go she'll bring us many more during winter time your pots tend to come up with
21:41big females with eggs it's a bit disheartening seeing all these females and then not being able
21:46to keep them but that's the best thing for the industry oh no we got a blank
21:54empty pot nothing but crabs finally there was like a hermit crab fishery
21:59i know we'd be rich an hermit crab was like 15 bucks each in a bloody pet store
22:04yeah that's true but we can do live live pets yeah
22:11that pot was in a good hole too but this one's in an exceptional hole exceptional hole
22:16yep exceptional what exceptionally nothing in it except for a cup of fever oh dear oh dear oh dear
22:32two hours to the south and miles is dropping his first shot it's a case of the tortoise versus the
22:40hare
22:41bryce dropped fast and early miles has opted for a slow and steady approach
22:48I got up at 3 o'clock in the morning
22:50where I set a few pots at Courts Island
22:53when we were stemming out to the fryers.
22:55It'd be interesting to see if you caught much.
22:57It doesn't really worry me. We're running only race.
23:04A little bit jiggly out here this morning.
23:08We're just taking it slow.
23:09Just, you know, paying it's safe.
23:15The pier is quite a large boat.
23:17It's very deep in the water.
23:19It does roll a fair bit.
23:21And you need really good sea legs.
23:30First shot of the trip,
23:31so normally you get a bit queasy in the belly
23:33the first day or so.
23:35Normally I run my boat with two crew.
23:37But this trip, Tim asked me
23:39if he could come out just by himself.
23:42I just got a little, uh,
23:44about 5, 10 minutes time.
23:46Yeah, Roger.
23:48I thought, why not?
23:49We'll give it a shot.
23:53Weather's backed out a bit,
23:54so it should be all right.
23:56In Margate,
23:57the low-pressure system has lifted.
24:00We're away, Johnny.
24:01We're away, brother.
24:03Skipper Jack and Decky Johnny are heading to Port Davie.
24:07That's about 75 nautical miles west of the Chieftain,
24:11on the opposite side of Tasmania.
24:13We're heading in the Davie area,
24:14so we're probably looking at 12, 13 hours from here.
24:17So we'll get there, uh, get there tonight,
24:20chuck them in in the dark
24:21and get in on our own morning.
24:24Hopefully, uh,
24:25hopefully there's a couple of fish to be here.
24:31All righty.
24:32What have we got?
24:36Sharky shark.
24:37Morning shark, Lockie.
24:38Morning shark.
24:40A little shark,
24:41female,
24:41and a hermit crab.
24:43A shark,
24:44a female lobster
24:45and a hermit crab
24:46walked into a pot
24:46and we're the joke
24:48because we don't get any of them.
24:52It's a hit-and-miss start for Bryce.
24:57Got it?
24:58No!
24:59Oh!
25:01He's only gone and missed it!
25:03He even gets a circle of shame.
25:05Oh, no!
25:07Do we have the sad violin playing now?
25:09Yeah.
25:10That's all right.
25:10Oh, it happens.
25:12Don't worry, Jock.
25:13I'm going to work something out.
25:15Every time you miss,
25:16there needs to be repercussions, you know?
25:18So every miss is one extra dollar.
25:20Mills will pay.
25:21Oh, no!
25:22Look out.
25:22I'm not throwing another grapple.
25:24Can I sense $100 as a kilo?
25:26Sounds good.
25:27Sounds good.
25:28Oh!
25:29If Jock doesn't pull his finger out soon
25:31and start grappling properly,
25:33the price of lobsters for him
25:34has just gone up.
25:36Go, Jock!
25:38Go, Jock!
25:39Quick!
25:39Oh!
25:40He's bloody missed!
25:41Are you sure you're going to make this bet, mate?
25:43I think it'll be all right.
25:44Hang on, I've got this.
25:45It's got to be real close now.
25:47I literally cannot miss this.
25:48Is that close enough?
25:49Bro, you got this?
25:53I got it.
25:54We got it.
25:54We got it.
25:55You got it.
25:55I was way over-thinking that for sure.
25:59What do we got?
25:59What do we got?
26:01Pow, pow!
26:04Now, this morning's very slow.
26:07It's probably more leaning towards that 50% of being not worth the shot.
26:13So we've pulled 42 pots for 30,
26:19which won't cover the bills.
26:21It won't pay anything,
26:21but it's a warm-up.
26:25It's definitely not a head start to anyone else.
26:35Hey, man, what's happening?
26:36Hey, not much yourself?
26:38Oh, not much.
26:40You're out east of the Fries, are you?
26:42Yeah, yeah.
26:44Yeah, Nathan, got it in pots under here?
26:46Oh, like three more, I think.
26:49Oh, it ended up with 60.
26:51Yeah, righto.
26:52Nothing too exciting.
26:54I definitely wasn't surprised that Bryce only got 48 fish.
26:58So I'm sort of banking on better numbers,
27:02but here's what it is.
27:05Oh, well, that's something.
27:06I don't know what the conditions it was, mate.
27:08It's not so bad, really.
27:12You haven't seen any other boats around here near Europe, or...?
27:15Nah, nothing.
27:17I haven't seen anyone.
27:18Yeah, righto.
27:19I sacrificed a shot, but I got the pick of the spot.
27:23By the time Bryce goes and pulls his night shot,
27:26he's got to work around me.
27:31Getting ready.
27:32We're preparing a three-course, five-staff meal here
27:35for our beautiful crayfish.
27:38Skipper Jack and Decky Johnny are racing towards Port Davie
27:42on the west coast of Tasmania.
27:46This is only my third trip.
27:49Loving it.
27:50Love being away, and look at this.
27:54Look what we have.
27:55This is my backyard.
27:56This is my office.
27:57Can't beat it.
28:02The Buran, she was built in 84.
28:06The Buran is the oldest and smallest boat in the Yungun fleet.
28:10A few people said she's the biggest little boat on the coast.
28:14It's only 43 foot, but I think she'll always bring you home.
28:17On the plus side, the Buran's the only boat capable of hunting big reds close to shore.
28:24Navigating the deadly rocks and breaking waves requires manoeuvrability.
28:30In this case, small is good.
28:34So the big reds are the ones that we target, you know, in and around the rocks, around the
28:37shore, the shallow areas.
28:39They're red because of the sun exposure on them.
28:41They fetch a better price than what the brindles do, but they are a lot harder, and there's
28:45a lot more risk involved with catching them.
28:47So, yeah, she's got plenty of power, too.
28:50She'll jump around when you need her to, if you need her to get out of somewhere airy.
28:54But, yeah, she's a good little rock-upper.
29:02Hello, hello.
29:03Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I'm going to take you on a little tour of our bus, our
29:08work boat.
29:09Let's start again.
29:11Hello, hello.
29:12I'm going to take you on a little tour of our boat, show you where we work from.
29:19As you can see, that was our little quarters where Johnny Boy sleeps, gets his little kip,
29:25and this, this is our workstation.
29:30Come down, come down.
29:31Come, come.
29:33Basically what we do is we grab a pot, we chuck it on the side here, tie our ropes in,
29:39tie our
29:39buoys on, throw the pots out, throw the buoys out, and then we catch some craze.
29:46Come, come further.
29:51This is my lovely boss here, Jack.
29:53No, I've only got off and gone now.
29:57He's got all his equipment here that he needs so we don't run into rocks.
30:00I don't know what any of it does, but that's why I have him.
30:04So basically this is our, this is where we spend most of the time when we're not fishing.
30:08So in here, we can kick back, relax.
30:14It's pretty basic, but it's beautiful.
30:16We love it.
30:17It's perfect for the tour bus.
30:18Come, come.
30:19I'll show you the bathroom.
30:20The master en suite.
30:21Get ready.
30:22It's pretty big.
30:27Could clean that first.
30:30This is where we do our business.
30:32We also have got a shower up here.
30:34Keep all our rods, a few other accessories.
30:37Sometimes this bugger of a toilet doesn't flush very well.
30:42So what we're going to do, we've got a little bucky here.
30:45We fill him up with water.
30:49We're going to do a little, little trickster flip.
30:54Fill him up like this.
30:56And then we go like this.
31:00Clean.
31:01No more poo-poo.
31:05Let the sink wet, because Jack loves that.
31:28Ah, there's some fish out here.
31:32Couple.
31:36Hey, look at that.
31:41Miles and Decky Timmy are halfway through pulling their first shot for the season.
31:46How'd you go there last one?
31:48Five.
31:49There's a lot of fish in these pots.
31:52So we started seeing some pretty healthy signs, actually.
31:56We had a couple of fours, fives.
31:58So, um, yeah, that's a good sign.
32:00If you can do, you know, four or five a pot, you're doing really well.
32:04Five.
32:05Things are looking healthy.
32:07If you're getting five fish a pot, that's around $300 a pot.
32:13That's good.
32:14It's really good.
32:15We've been doing all right, so the only pressure at the moment is beating these other guys that's out here.
32:23Around the time we left the hammock crumb sitting in the pot.
32:26I was just re-releasing him.
32:29Translocating an application.
32:30Yeah, it's okay.
32:31Yeah, it must be translocating a few.
32:34Yeah, yeah, part of my, I'll grab an exchange program.
32:40Oh, gear.
32:43When it comes to claiming the best fishing spots, it's first in, best dressed.
32:49I've just come across some gear, so I'm just going to have a quick look at whose it is.
32:54Seems the chieftain crew is Johnny-come-lately.
32:57Do you know who it is?
32:58Oh, okay, it's Miles.
33:00He's on the piece of bottom we specifically came to get.
33:04Miles's decision not to drop early has paid off.
33:07He's claimed the best ground.
33:10We took the risk this morning.
33:12Of having a night shot, and it didn't pay off.
33:15And guess what?
33:16There's no room.
33:17Miles has taken the first chunk of bottom.
33:19It's really not looking good.
33:22We're just going to go on top of where he is.
33:28You've got miles of bottom out here, but we all know where the better spots are.
33:33So therefore we have to work together.
33:35Well, not so much together, but just put up with each other, really.
33:40So I'm still one of the youngest fishermen in the fleet, Miles and Jack.
33:44They've got twice the amount of experience as me.
33:46Miles has fished out here much longer than me, so he knows exactly what's happening.
33:51So all I can do is look at where his gear is, work out where I can fit mine in,
33:54and we can just try and get what we can.
33:58You know, when it comes to the rule book of shooting close to people, shooting near people, that sort of
34:02thing, I still throw that out the window.
34:05I play my own game.
34:11Nice job, Mark.
34:13Thanks, mate.
34:13Lock, sir.
34:14Thanks, mate.
34:15Rock, lock, sir.
34:16All good, Uncle Knickers.
34:18It's day two for the chieftain, and Bryce is putting his new crew to the test.
34:23You know, you get two people on deck, there's a lot of talking.
34:28Teamwork.
34:30Thanks, sir.
34:32Ow!
34:34Dreamwork.
34:35Ow!
34:36The line running out when we're shooting pots in is the most dangerous part of the whole boat.
34:41You get caught in this, you're gone.
34:44Yeah, I'm with you.
34:47Mark!
34:50You're a f***er.
34:51That was a fumble if I've ever seen one.
34:53They're more excited to work together than do the work itself, which is good for morale, but it makes accidents
35:00more prone.
35:08You know, when we're shooting gear, where the pots leave from, the rope goes out from, it's pretty much a
35:14kill zone.
35:15You know, you get your foot wrapped up in that, that pot will drag you under.
35:18You're not coming back.
35:22That one's legs are in the rope.
35:23Yeah.
35:24That's good.
35:25I'm training new crew.
35:26It's always fun.
35:29You know, that was a close enough call.
35:31Hopefully, Locky and Jock start focusing on working.
35:34Here we go.
35:41The chieftain's second shot is finally in the water.
35:44I had to go over a rest.
35:46A bit sore.
35:47The more I move around, the more painful it gets.
35:50So I'm just going to start taking it a bit easier.
35:52It's a bit hard.
35:53All I want to do is just work and work fast, but I can't.
35:57And it annoys me.
36:06Got a bad run.
36:10Five.
36:11It looks like some fish out here.
36:14The Pira crew is reeling in good numbers from the very spot Bryce was hoping to fish from.
36:21Seven.
36:22Deckhand Timmy is struggling to keep up.
36:25That's got it, that one.
36:27I love the cow.
36:28Tim wanted to go solo this trip.
36:31Tim's got six kids, you know.
36:33He needs to make good money.
36:35But it definitely is a bit of a concern for me that this is going to bop in the arse.
36:40It's a big deck to work on your own.
36:44That's shit.
36:46Don't move.
36:52What are they tangling up?
36:53Yeah, it's gone.
36:55That's shit.
36:55Oh, really?
36:56Yeah, I got half the ropes throughout the side and shit.
37:01Yeah, right.
37:02Nearly every one I pulled out been tangled.
37:06Tim had to come up with a few ideas just to make it a bit easier for him running the
37:11deck by himself.
37:11It definitely started to see a few little cracks in our system.
37:17We've just changed our set up with our boys because usually I've been running two crews so it hasn't been
37:23an issue.
37:23We've always had one guy running up the front grabbing a set of floats.
37:26But now that Tim's doing it all by himself, we moved all the boys down here to try and make
37:31it a bit quicker for him.
37:42That's two sets of floats on there.
37:44Two sets of floats, eh?
37:45The floats have all become tangled.
37:48I realise that we're dragging a pot behind the boat.
37:52Our great idea of trying to make it easier for Tim, this has turned into a total mess.
37:59Is that two pots?
38:01Yep.
38:02F***ing me.
38:04Do you reckon they drag much?
38:05Yeah, I reckon.
38:06Have they been dragging that whole way?
38:10You're going to have to move, man.
38:11I've got rope out there everywhere.
38:13It's a big fear of mine getting rope caught around the propeller.
38:16Is there enough rope for it to go around the prop?
38:19You don't really know, man.
38:21Worst case scenario, if you've got a heap of rope wrapped around the propeller, you're not going anywhere.
38:28I mean, it caused a hell of a lot of damage, you know.
38:32Or I'm going to jump in the water and go cut it off.
38:35F*** me.
38:41What a shit day that is.
38:43The Pira has had its first major hiccup.
38:46Doesn't look like it's working very well, does it?
38:49Time for a rethink.
38:51Put the floats up there.
38:53But I'll leave the tide on so I don't have to worry about tide and shit.
38:56Yeah.
38:57We're only a couple of trips in together, me and Miles here, so trying to work out the best way
39:03that things happen on here.
39:04We've only one crew, just trying to make everything a bit easier for myself and make it so I can
39:10keep up.
39:16Hello, how are you?
39:18Good, buddy.
39:19Yourself?
39:19Good.
39:20Good.
39:21Where are you at?
39:22You've left the walk, mate?
39:23Weather's fine enough for you?
39:25Yeah, we finally left.
39:27Getting down a wedge now.
39:28No.
39:29Yeah, right.
39:30Well, red price is fetching well.
39:32What is it?
39:32I haven't heard that it is out of late.
39:35It's 60 for under two kilo reds.
39:39And?
39:4175 for over two kilo reds.
39:44Over two.
39:45That's a big split.
39:46That's a big jump.
39:47Still have to go rock off and try and get some big ones.
39:49With a price like that, it'll be, yeah, you'll have to.
39:52Yeah.
39:54What was it like shooting the gear?
39:55Wildly average.
39:57We ended up with 48.
40:0048.
40:01Oh, that was it.
40:02And get up in partridge.
40:04He left his slippers on overnight and stayed in bed and had a nice anchorage and probably
40:10put his silky pyjamas on and had a good nap.
40:13I had to put up with Lockie and Jock farting, so.
40:16Yeah, f*** that.
40:17These two are like two peas in a pot.
40:19It's like bloody Mario and Luigi.
40:22I've got something to tell you anyway.
40:25Yeah?
40:26I've got a bit of a jumper on you while I stay at home as well.
40:30Why's that?
40:31I've still got 100 fish in from last trip.
40:35That's a bit sneaky.
40:39Sounds like he kept a bit of a secret from me.
40:42He already had 100 fish on.
40:44Sorry, boys.
40:45We might be a day behind, but we're also a shot in front.
40:48100 reds.
40:50You're probably talking 80, 90 kilo.
40:54If you're going to get 60 odd dollars a kilo, he's got a couple of grand of fish already
40:57in his tank.
40:58Fingers crossed the price doesn't drop on him.
41:01Otherwise, that would have been a mistake.
41:03He should have sold them beforehand.
41:04But he knows what he's doing.
41:07It's not a great start for Bryce.
41:09He's been outmaneuvered by Miles and outwitted by Jack.
41:15As for me, I don't know what I'm doing.
41:22Miles leads the pack with 112 lobsters and counting.
41:29Followed by Jack with his cheeky 100.
41:34Bryce's horror first shot of just 48 lobsters means he's coming last.
41:41And there's more bad news to come.
41:45Jack!
41:46Yo!
41:47I'll see someone in the distance.
41:49Who have we got?
41:53Honeys, I'm back!
41:57Buddy, that sounds like that was Mr. Squizzy Tyler.
42:03The bald pretender.
42:05That's his nickname.
42:06He's got no hair and he always fibs.
42:10F***ing sick.
42:11I'm here to make life hard for you, mate.
42:15I'm here to steal your fish.
42:17Oh, now we're going to have to deal with him.
42:19Looks like we've got some real competition.
42:22Bryce is going to be angsty now.
42:25He's going to want to beat Squizzy.
42:29This is going to be a shit show or fishing.
42:36This is going to be a shit show or fishing.
42:56This is going to be a shit show.
42:59.
43:00.
43:00.
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