The ITM Fishing Show - October 2011

A young Matt living the adventure of crewing on Primetime..

Ten years on and Matt can be seen living his adventures on primetime!

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Fishing

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Looking back to go forward

I’m the sort of guy that doesn’t dwell too much on the past, rather I look forward to what’s ahead of me. I was recently asked, “what was your greatest fishing adventure?” My answer was quick, “the next one”. I could be looking forward to taking the kids out to catch a kahawai, and that will occupy my thoughts more than reliving epic catches from days gone by.

But when I was recently trolling through some old VHS tapes, looking for some footage of broadbill from back when I was working the deck on Primetime, I couldn’t help but think about those first thrilling encounters I had with broadbill, and further back to my first ever encounters with a marlin out of my tinny.

It was this process of looking back, reliving what it was like to experience these things for the first time, that I got some ideas on how to put some new shows together. I can’t go back and film those first-time thrills, so I recruited some kiwi anglers with an average amount of experience to see if I could help them catch an epic fish. A lake angler from Taupo, and a snapper fisher from Coromandel with a biggest snapper of around 14lb, neither had done any big game fishing, and I had met neither of them before.

Both these guys go fishing maybe once or twice a month due to work and family commitments getting in the way of their passion. I figured that these guys were representative of a lot of the keen fishers in New Zealand, so if we could get them hooked into a giant bluefin tuna and record the action, we could see through their eyes what the experience is like.

For me, I got to make a couple of new mates and share their ‘first time buzz’ that can only come from the thrill of the unknown, the adrenaline that surges when they feel the power and weight of a huge fish, and the sheer wonderment when they lay eyes for the first time on the awe inspiring form of a giant tuna.

As we set out on our adventure from Greymouth I couldn’t help but notice the pair of newbies, gazing at the Tiagra 130’s. It’s hard to believe that there are fish big enough to require such huge tackle, and I could almost see their minds trying to comprehend what it would be like to be hooked up. Just being on the well equipped sportfisher Cerveza II was a buzz for these guys. Anticipation was high and the stage was set: we were in for a classic adventure full of highs and lows for us all, and that will unfold in an upcoming episode of

The ITM Fishing Show.

Till then – keep ‘em tight.
Matt
www.thefishingshow.co.nz

The ITM Fishing Show
October 2011 billings 7.00pm on TV3

Saturday, October 1
Hosting the Old Foe (PT 2)
In his native South Africa, former Springbok captain Bobby Skinstad is a keen angler. On a recent visit to New Zealand Matt introduces the rugby great to some great Bay of Islands land-based snapper action.

Saturday, October 8
Tahiti Expedition (PT 1)
This week Matt and the team join the Ultimate Lady crew on a 10-day fishing excursion exploring the virtually untouched outer islands of Tahiti. Matt goes ashore to an inhabited atoll and wades the flats in search of the elusive and highly revered bonefish, and along the way gets up close and personal with sharks, stingrays and other unknown tropical fishes, all in knee-deep water. The team then casts top-water lures into the unchartered coral bombies and reefs, where a raft of tropical lure-crunching speedsters are hooked. And when going from island to island, they’re hooking into blue marlin... Sounds too good to be true!

Saturday October 15
Tahiti Expedition (PT 2)
On this week’s instalment of The ITM Fishing Show, Matt and the team continue on their Tahitian adventure, mixing it up by fishing for wahoo and coral trout in the shallows, before going deep to hunt giant blue marlin. Tahiti is famous for its big blue marlin, and the team is set on high alert when several marauding marlin turn up and smash the lures and baits, causing mayhem on deck.

Classic Episode Replays
START 5.30 SUNDAY on TV3!

Sunday, October 16
The Ranfurly Banks
Fishing aboard the impressive charter boat Oracle, Matt and the team enjoy catching a plethora of tough fighting and good eating fish. Amongst the action there are loads of tips for improving success on your own saltwater fishing ventures.

Sunday, October 23
Barrier Revisited
Back in the day before The ITM Fishing Show was born, a couple of mates, Matt and Kerren, used to go fishing over great Barrier Island and bunk out on Matt’s Stabicraft overnight. Seven years on from their last Barrier trip together, Matt and Kezza go and check out the old spot in the Hauraki Gulf and Great Barrier Island. While times had changed, the old spots fired, with plenty of snapper and kingies caught in some full-on sessions.

Sunday, October 30
The ITM Fishing Show
Special Feature
To celebrate our 100th episode, we’ve put together a special episode of some of the fishing action from Matt’s days off, a look at some previously unseen underwater footage, and a rare insight into how the team at Tightlines Television makes your favourite fishing show.
 

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