Matt

Matt Watson started fishing as most of us do with his Father and Grandfather as a 3 year old. The Manukau harbour was Matt's first stomping ground where at just seven years old he became the skipper of his own dinghy and started to terrorise the local snapper flounder and mullet on the muddy flats around his home town of Weymouth. As soon as he was old enough (or rather able to haul nets and gut fish) he began to work weekends and school holidays for his uncle as a commercial fisherman. All Matt ever wanted to be was a fisherman, the Mathematics, Accounting, Economics, Geography and other subjects he studied would be virtually useless to him in his chosen career, but Matt stayed on at school regardless.

After graduating high school, Matt had no desire to go to university and planned to work full time as a fisherman for his uncle. But after an altercation with his uncle that door closed and soon after Matt started a successful roofing business. Being self employed afforded Matt the ability to work hard and then get away when the fishing was good. Matt and his red Stabi-craft, Stingray II, could be seen chasing tuna one weekend at Whakatane and chasing marlin at North Cape the next. It was about this time Matt met a keen recreational fisherman by the name of Kerren Packer who is today the production manager for The Fishing Show. Kerren was a regular crew on the Stingray II and the pair shared many memorable moments and several tournament wins over the years.

Aged 25 in 2000 Matt decided to have a go at making a career out of fishing. Having completed enough commercial sea hours Matt sat his skippers exams and sold up his home and business in Auckland and set off on his OE to Europe. Upon returning he began seeking out a crewing job on a game fishing boat in the Bay of Islands and by chance met a man by the name of John Gregory. Like Matt, John was following his dream and he had just finished building the luxury game fishing vessel Primetime.

John was a very experienced commercial fisherman but like Matt he was new to the professional game fishing ranks and in just their first season of 2001 Primetime was top of the charter boat fleet with some incredible marlin and broadbill swordfish captures. Matt began to write about his game fishing experiences for New Zealand Fishing News and soon became a key writer for the magazine. Later that same year (2001) Matt married his longtime girlfriend Kaylene (she must be a very understanding woman to have stayed with Matt while he spent so much time away fishing).

The following year 2002 Primetime was tops again, this time passing the 100 marlin in a season milestone, and Matt landed his best catch to date a 8lb 5oz baby girl, Hannah Paige Watson (with a little help from wife Kaylene of course). In 2003 Primetime was still at the top with over 100 billfish captures for the season and Matt continued to learn from the 200 days a year he spent fishing. If Matt's life wasn't busy enough with his time game fishing, writing, part time fencing, hunting and a new baby, he decided to have a go at making a TV show as well.

For the 2004 game fishing season Matt joined the Ultimate Lady a 90ft luxury sport fisher. Along with the Ultimate Lady team Matt explored new off shore fishing grounds and the TV cameras captured some of the most amazing fishing on the planet.

In June 2004 the Ultimate Lady had amassed an incredible 405 marlin for the season and finished with the highest marlin tally ever recorded by a New Zealand boat. This meant that Matt was fortunate enough to have worked on the most successful boat in New Zealand for four years in a row. Also in June 2004 a well-timed break between fishing trips meant Matt was able to spend his wedding anniversary with his wife for the first time, where Kaylene revealed that they had another child on the way.

At 1:30 am February 6, 2005 Matt had to call on his skills as a game fishing deck hand to deliver his son in the passenger seat of his Jeep on the side of the road amidst a rain storm. At 9lb 9oz baby ‘Shaw' was a keeper and is set to be the next fisherman in the family.

Today Matt has become a popular character in New Zealand for his engaging energetic presence on television, and millions of people abroad have seen his incredible extreme fishing stunts via the internet.

But ironically when filling out a form, under 'Occupation' Matt still prints 'Fisherman'. So I guess he is one of the lucky few that is working in the job that he always wanted.