As a cameraman on The ITM Fishing Show, I’ve lost count of the times that people jealously inform me that I’ve got the best job in the world. Experiencing the great outdoors, bringing Matt’s monster fish battles to the screen, spending time in exotic locations aboard luxurious boats, it’s pretty hard to disagree.
However over the past 18 months that I’ve been involved in the show, there have been times that the numerous perks of the job lose their lustre. Last weekend was one such occasion; as we found ourselves battling 4 metre swells in 40 knots of wind whilst steaming back from Cape Karikari.
Between bouts of vomiting and extreme nausea, I had a flashback to my first day on the job with Matt. We were out in the Stabi in the Bay of Islands, the sun was shining and the fish were biting. Despite the relatively mild conditions on that memorable first day on the job, I managed to last a paltry three hours before the deadly combination of a tepid mince pie, a subtle swell, and the concentration required to operate a complicated piece of technology combined to worst effect. Let me just say that there was little need for Matt to deploy any additional burley that morning.
As I hugged the rail and peered down into the murky depths, I honestly believed my chances of landing a permanent role on the show were floating away amongst the half digested pie fragments; but luckily for me, Matt overlooked my lack of intestinal fortitude and the rest has been pretty much plain sailing since.
Over time my sea legs developed, but I’ve since discovered that nausea is not the biggest obstacle an ITM Fishing Show camera operator has to overcome. As everyone knows, Matt’s a Madman. He’s borderline insane. I therefore, have to often follow directly in the footsteps of said Madman in order to get ‘the’ shot. Those footsteps often lead to very precarious places, such as the time I found myself waist deep in the Kaipara Estuary with the tide quickly rising, or the time I had an Oklahoma water snake swim up inside my boardies in an effort to make an acquaintance with what he must have mistakenly believed was a viable mate. Then there was the time I was forced to pursue Matt hooked up to an angry trout down a set of grade 3 rapids, slipping and sliding over wet rocks in order to keep up with him. In hindsight, finding myself in these crazy situations is one of the highlights of the job, but in the heat of the moment you can’t help but wonder what the shelf life of an ITM camera operator is.
Besides the danger element, a successful Camera Op on our show also needs a great deal of humility. As well as being green in heavy seas, I’m also relatively green in terms of fishing knowledge. Ever the gentleman, Matt relishes the opportunity to reinforce this fact. A pastime of his is to email me photographs of his young children struggling under the weight of fish that I’ve only ever dreamed of catching, further adding to my verdant hue by making me green with envy. Already this season, I’ve been made to look an absolute Muppet whilst fishing aboard the Oracle out at the Ranfurly Banks, where despite my bulky physique, the kingfish I struggled twenty minutes to haul in was barely legal. Over time, I’ve found that I’m able to justify our relationship by telling myself that every hero needs a bumbling sidekick, & I’m more than happy being the Milhouse to Matt’s Bart Simpson, the Robin to his Batman, the Stimpy to his Ren.
So the next time you’re sitting back enjoying the show on a Saturday evening, spare a thought for us poor camera operators - even the best job in the world has its moments.
Tightlines
Dave Shaw
Cameraman - editor - sidekick - fall guy.
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