I've just got back from the Wanganella banks on Ultimate Lady. You've most likely seen this amazing boat and the unbelievable marlin fishing we've experienced at ‘the Wangies', it really is something special and I always enjoy catching up with Captain Tom and the boys (I used to crew on the boat before starting this 'job'). But this trip I really wanted to show how cool marlin fishing is for those that just aren't interested; sure catching a marlin on a hand line or from a jet ski got plenty of attention, but really it's not likely to start a stunt fishing craze. What I wanted to capture on film on this trip is those breath taking moments when a fired up marlin pounces on bait, and what it feels like to be there.
The trouble is marlin are fast and will often come up on a lure with no warning, the lures are often a long way back from the boat and the filming platform is a wobbly boat. There are guys that have caught dozens of marlin yet have never seen the bite, and aside from our footage how many times have you seen it recorded on film?? It gives you an idea of the challenge we face when filming. Even so, we've filmed heaps of marlin biting lures from above the water and in the vicinity of a hundred marlin on our tow cameras, and sure it's good footage, world first stuff all of it. But I wasn't about to rest on that, what I wanted was the fish fired up and close to the boat; to do this the plan was to tease the fish in close to the boat with top side camera rolling and jump in and get the fish right up close all lit up and trying to eat the lures baits and teasers we were throwing at them.
The plan was in place, we were at the Wanganellas, but the weather was too lumpy to jump in the water, and what's more the marlin were in a funny mood. They were more than happy to bite the lures, but they wouldn't come in on the teasers and eat a live bait...they just get like that sometimes. So we were catching loads of marlin on lures despite the rough seas (we were on a 90 footer after all) but because I was so determined to get this footage I felt a bit flat, "another marlin on a lure - ho-hum". Now I don't want to sound contrite, because I know how much catching just one marlin would mean to some people, but I knew to make the excitement of marlin fishing at the Wanganellas translate on television, I needed to be excited, because I'm not much of an actor.
On day five the seas flattened out, much better for filming, but the light southerly wind had cast its mysterious spell. For some reason, don't ask me why, the fishing slows right down on a southerly. I sat there on deck in my wetsuit, weight belt making my back ache, mask strap squeezing my head and busting for a leak, (knowing full well that if I took off my suit the marlin would come in and I'd miss my chance, and I didn't fancy sitting in my own urine to add to the discomfort). It was not the most pleasurable big game fishing experience.
We trolled teasers from day break until midday and only raised one marlin that paid us a fleeting visit before departing. This was unheard of at the Wanganellas, a place where we usually average about 25-30 bites a day. But then at about 2 pm, up came a hot fish, a big one too, it was over 150kg and it was pouring all over the teaser. Graham Mackereth (a.ka G-Mac) who is usually on underwater camera flung himself overboard, with his spear gun, armed with a satellite tag (there is a whole other story to this I'll get to another time) I followed with the camera. I rolled tape as the monster stripey charged toward G-Mac, Kerren (Kezza) rolled tape on the action from the surface.
G-Mac hovered about two meters below the surface and steadied his gun, I was a few meters back and below, the marlin oblivious to us; fixated on the teaser, and it kept coming until it was broadside and only about two meters from the tip of the outstretched spear gun. "Shoot it" I screamed out in my head. There was no shot and the marlin continued on and I kept rolling, swimming as fast as I could to get in the marlins path. I got in line with the teaser that had the marlin charging in behind, ‘this is going to make awesome footage I thought' - "shit I'm going to have to move" was my next thought as the marlin fizzed past. With the teaser lifted out of the water the marlin buzzed around me angrily as if it was me that had stolen the meal that it had been pursuing.
Its eye was looking me up and down in a fast robotic motion and it's dorsal folded up and down as it made fast and deft turns as it circled me two or three times. It was awesome. I got back to the boat and I had the excitement I'd been longing for. I gave G-Mac a brief knowing glance, as he'd seen what I had just seen. "The gun jammed" he announced. I didn't care, I was just stoked, it was perfect, it couldn't get better than that... but it did. We both dived in several more times that afternoon, sometimes into packs of marlin, one almost ran me over. At times I didn't know where to point the camera, on deck Kezza rolled as the electric blue marlin swirled around me pouncing on the teaser baits, and the crew, who like me have seen thousands of marlin claimed it was the ‘sickest thing they had ever seen' (for those of you born post 1980 ‘sickest' means ‘most awesome').
I too thought it was the sickest thing I'd ever seen! And it's a bold claim but I reckon it's our best footage yet.
And what about the satellite spear tag...well like I said that's another story.
Till next time "keep ‘em tight"
Matt
