FISH AND FISHING. TWO WORDS HAVING A MYRIAD OF MEANINGS TO A MYRIAD OF PEOPLES. TO FISH FOR FOOD, FOR LIFE, FOR SURVIVAL; OR TO FISH FOR FUN, FOR SPORT, FOR MONEY.
When, almost 5,000 years ago in China, man first attached a hook and line to a bamboo rod to catch carp a little further from the river’s edge, little did he know that this creation would evolve into an industry which at the early part of this, the twenty-first century, is worth over $108 billion annually to the US economy in terms of sport fishing alone!
The variety of fish species is infinite. From cold water inhabitants such as members of the Salmonidae family, to warm water, tropical dwellers like the Cichlids. From the gigantic Tarpon of the Florida Keys to the gentler Arctic Charr spectacularly attired in their vivid courtship colors in the frigid rivers and streams of the arctic tundra. Take the celebrated Coelacanth, over three hundred million years old and still found today in the warm seas of the Indian Ocean around Madagascar, or the seemingly ubiquitous Golden Orfe, or the goldfish, which completes endless circuits in so many glass bowls in family homes in every corner of the world.
In this series, we will seek out great predatory fish. Fish that are much revered, fish that strike terror at the very mention of their name and fish that are the staple diet of many peoples subsisting along the shorelines and riverbanks of the great waters we will visit during our odyssey. Positioned at the very top of the food chain, these apex predators reign supreme in their own domain, be it mighty river, great lake or ocean.
Our quest will take us across cultures and continents to exotic locations of immense beauty and wealth as well as lands poleaxed by poverty. We will explore not just these wild and wonderful places, but the significance of our target species to the different groupings of peoples in terms of social, economic and cultural values.
Our travels in search of extraordinary predators will take us from the cold, unforgiving waters of the West of Ireland to the steaming jungle swamps of India. From the frozen, pristine wilderness of the Canadian subarctic to the sun-baked backwaters of Northern Australia. This will be a series of contrasts and comparisons where we will meet people who live to fish and people who fish to live.
Clothes Maketh the AnglerClothes maketh the man…clothes maketh the angler! In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the character Polonius likes to give his son advice on how he should live his life. “So, what’s new?” I can hear you all groan! Polonius dispenses this fatherly wisdom by way of smug, holier-than-thou maxims. One of his more enduring is “Clothes maketh [...]
Searching for Peacock Bass on the Amazon RiverDuring the filming of Wild Fish Wild Places, we’ve travelled extensively to remote parts of the world chasing great stories and big fish. In the last two years the crew has seen 55 flights and 7 different countries in pursuit of legendary fishing. It has been a lifelong goal for Alan and I to chase the [...]
Alaskan Adventure Fishing: In Search of Arctic Char and Rainbow TroutComing as I do from the rain-soaked, perpetually green Emerald Isle, an invitation to visit the remote Alaska Peninsula to film two episodes for Season 2 of our series Wild Fish Wild Places was the fulfillment of a personal ambition – held since I was a young lad of about twelve! The afternoon when Denis and I [...]
A Lahontan Cutthroat Trout EncounterThe hefty Lahontan cutthroat trout hit the Sierra Spoon moments after Denis killed our motor to retrieve the fish that had just struck his rod. The strike on my side of the boat immediately popped the trolling line out of the down-rigger clip, and when I picked up the rod, I could feel the shaking [...]
