Canada Earth's Wildest Waters: The Big Fish

The Earth's wildest oceans...

lakes... and rivers

are home to some fascinating fish.

Eight anglers embark on a global adventure...

You've taken the Welshman out of his comfort zone out here,

haven't you? This place is nuts.

..in which they'll compete in every kind of environment.

-I've never really fly fished in conditions like this, ever.

-Orcas!

It will test everything they know about fishing...and themselves.

Everyone's tried absolutely everything.

All you've got to do is keep persevering.

They'll be watched by international expert Matt Hayes,

and some of the best fisherman

from around the world, who'll judge who stays on the next location...

in some of the most epic places to fish on earth.

That has made my day.

Last time, the anglers explored the wildlife

on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

Dolphins, dolphins, dolphins! Look, look, look!

James, Dan, and Ripon struggled.

So annoying!

But Dan's last-minute catch kept his place secure.

My best fishing moment by far.

And it was Ripon's time to leave the expedition.

This time, everything is super-sized...

Hit it! Hit it! Hit it! Lift up!

As the four semifinalists...

-Come on!

-That is an absolutely magnificent creature.

..put their heart and soul into fishing...

-I'm exhausted!

-..in Canada.

I've seen big fish before, but nothing like this.

British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada.

Everything is on an enormous scale.

And the whole ecosystem is driven by fish.

Salmon feeding at sea return to the rivers they were born in

to spawn.

This circle of life has literally fed the forest over millions of years

and given birth to one of the richest habitats on earth.

It's an incredible place.

If you don't want to fish here,

you're not a true fisherman.

There's huge pressure on all of the anglers.

They're now getting to the final stages of the competition.

It is very high stakes this week.

For the semifinal, Matt will be joined by fishing expert Yves Bisson.

He's fished all around British Columbia's coast

and inland waterways.

Fishing in BC is amazing. It's the best in the world, in my opinion.

The mountains are bigger, the water is bigger,

the rivers are bigger and the fish are bigger.

So many different varieties of fishing.

Anything could be thrown at us this week.

The anglers have just one more journey of their own

if they are going to make it to the final.

No-one wants to go home. I'm scared to bits, nervous.

I need to take the gifts that this country is going to give us

and hopefully one of those will be a big fish for me.

We'll wait and see.

-Morning.

-Morning.

-Welcome to the semifinal.

Congratulations, all of you, in getting this far.

This is an extraordinary place for fish.

And you're after a fish sometimes known as the King Salmon -

the Chinook.

The biggest of the five Pacific salmon

that we have migrating through these waters.

It's an exciting fish, so good luck.

This is totally unlike any salmon fishing

that any of you have done before.

For a start off, you're fishing for salmon at sea.

But you'll also be using a very specialised technique

called downrigging.

It's totally unlike anything else in the world of fishing

and you've got to get to grips with it in double-quick time.

The winner is the angler to catch

the greatest combined length of salmon.

So the more fish you catch, the greater your chances are of winning.

As always, our judges are going to be watching you for technique, style,

how you handle the fish. Ready for this one?

-Yes.

-Always.

-Go fish, guys.

-And good luck.

-Good luck.

Cheers, guys.

The semifinalists will have just five hours to catch and release

as many salmon as they can.

Very nice to meet you. OK. Thank you so much.

This is my type of...

I'm a salmon fisherman back home.

Nothing like this, mind. It's completely different.

It's all freshwater, so we'll see how we get on.

-All right. Let's do this!

-Lovely, lovely. Let's go fishing.

No-one's wishing anyone good luck.

Stuff them!

British Columbia, on the Pacific Coast of Canada,

has thousands of islands, and the biggest of them all

is Vancouver Island,

around which the anglers will be searching for the chinook.

The key to this challenge will be using the equipment

to find the fish in these deep waters.

I've caught salmon with a coracle before

but if I catch a salmon today,

it's going to be my first salmon with rod and line,

so there's another first to tick off the list.

Chinook salmon migrate in huge shoals,

from the Pacific Ocean far upriver to where they were born.

Once in fresh water, they won't eat at all,

but here in the sea, they're aggressively feeding

before their big journey, making them easier to catch.

IF the anglers can get to grips with the equipment.

You've got he downriggers.

So this is all totally new and alien to me.

It looks like you need a degree to use this thing here.

The downriggers take a heavy cannonball,

clipped to the bait, down to the depth that the fish are feeding.

This causes a massive bend in the rod, if the line is kept tight.

The bait is attached to a colourful piece of plastic

called a flasher, which spins as it's trolled to attract

the fish to the bait or lure behind it.

So this imitates a school of chinook feeding,

the way it acts in the water.

Obviously, that is a hell of a lot bigger than this behind it,

so once the fish have been attracted by this,

-they will come in and take that.

-There it is. Look at it.

It's like a disco light with all these fluorescent colours.

Let's hope the fish are into it.

Using an echo sounder to assess the depth of the sea,

the semifinalists must choose how deep to set their tackle.

Here, it's really important that we get down deep

where the salmon is, which, on a day like today,

with super-clear water and bright blue skies,

is going to be right down near the bottom.

We've got the fishfinder here which tells us what depth we're at

and we've got the depth counters on the downriggers,

so you've got to work the two together.

-I'm running in 215 feet of water.

-I'm going to set this one at 210,

then, Todd.

We're fishing in serious steps. You know, it's a long way down.

Dan should be comfortable out at sea,

volunteering for the RNLI at home in West Wales.

I've been with the RNLI 13 years.

It will give me the advantage

where, being a helmsman,

you've got to make the decisions when you are out on the boat.

The sea is always unpredictable

and you've got to work under pressure

and enjoy working under pressure.

60 feet.

Make sure you get her right.

This is like when you're putting petrol in your car

and you're waiting to get it to an exact round number.

Now, what movement am I looking for at the end? It's bending over.

I mean, it looks to me like there might be a fish now.

LAUGHTER

-Are you sure there isn't?

-I love it.

-No.

-It's a small detail but if we were to get a bite right now

with this much slack,

we wouldn't see too much action on the end of the rod.

What you want to do is just reel up a bit of the slack.

Now it's getting tighter and tighter

so it will actually be easier to see a bite

but when you're fishing in deep depths,

these little details make actually the difference

between catching fish and not catching fish.

But the anglers have to keep an eye on two rods.

It's quite a challenge watching both rods. You end up playing tennis.

You know, like this. Going from one rod to the other.

It drives you bonkers.

You've got to keep your eyes on the prize.

Is that bouncing on the bottom?

I just saw it flip a bit so I just picked the rod up.

It seems to be coming up very easily...

considering there should be a fish on it.

No, it's not there.

I saw bang, bang, bang and by that time, you were just too slow.

Getting the slack out of the...

Right, OK. I can't really tell.

Is it a fish? I think it might be a fish.

Something's thumping away down there.

Do you know what I really like?

They're actually making all the mistakes we thought they'd make.

LAUGHTER

-I think I lost a fish there, yes.

-That was a big king.

Fish one, Sam nil there.

Sam's attitude to fishing has always been to live and learn.

I think if I make some mistakes and things don't go quite my way,

then sometimes,

there's no point getting worked up or frustrated about it.

You perhaps just stop for a couple of minutes,

readdress the situation and then carry on.

There's no point getting yourself into a blind panic.

It's not just about catching the fish, it's about the art form.

It's about all the different techniques and skills

you've got to learn and master.

Lost that fish through pure inexperience.

I've never seen what a bite is like on a downrigger before

and it totally bamboozled me.

But if the rod tip's thumping, the line has come out of the clip

and the only reason it's going to thump

is if there is a fish on the end so, you know, now I know,

I can hopefully not make the same mistake again.

Dan and Sam both lost fish due to inexperience.

The key will be if they learned their lesson.

Yeah. Fish on.

We missed one just now. This one at the moment is still there.

It's going to surface. There it is.

There we go.

There's some real weight on the end of it.

Bringing him a little closer. Bring him a little closer.

Oh! It's a huge chinook.

That's the first one I've ever caught on a rod and line

so it's just outstanding. Look at that.

He's getting straight back on with the fishing!

There's a semifinal mentality if ever there was one.

I'm glad we've got another bite at the cherry there.

Yes! First ever salmon.

Absolutely fantastic, beautiful fish.

-Look at the chompers on it.

-Amazing.

-Let's get it back in the water.

-Yeah. Away he goes.

I learned the hard way, but at least I got it right second time round.

Really happy with that, and a beautiful fish.

Halfway through, and Dan and Sam are in the lead with one salmon each.

There's always pressure when other people are catching.

I'll have to go and catch another one.

James and Jo are still empty-handed.

The ocean's a big place, but there's plenty of fish down there.

Jo waits in the area where Sam and Dan have had success.

Just wait.

Wait, wait.

But James, the most experienced salmon fisherman,

doesn't wait for the fish to come to him.

We're going slightly further out, so you're just covering more water.

We're trying a different area which may help us catch something.

From what I do back home, this does not help me one bit.

It's like getting a professional footballer to play rugby.

You're still using a ball, but it's a completely different technique.

My favourite fishing is salmon fishing.

I've been doing it since I was 13 years old.

When I caught my first salmon, it's really hard to describe...

When you're younger, everything is just magnified,

especially when the fish is nearly the same size as you!

Fly-fishing back home in Northumberland,

James is used to actively seeking out the fish.

My type of fishing is totally mobile.

You could cover a mile of fishing in an afternoon,

you're constantly moving throughout the river, searching for the fish.

I'm not one of these that likes to be still for the day.

So, what we're doing is long drifts, back and forth,

maybe a little bit further out, change the lures the odd time,

just chop and change, and try and find the fish.

Try to initiate a take of a fish.

What I really like about James is that, even though

he's in a competition, he enjoys himself,

and he's absolutely determined to make the most of every minute.

I can't stop smiling!

She's paying attention to the rods, watching them quite eagerly.

I haven't seen much communication between her and the guide,

which the other boats have been doing a lot of.

They're constantly talking back and forth.

But she can be quite determined sometimes.

She goes into a zone and focuses herself.

She'll be willing, I guarantee,

more than anybody else, she'll be willing those rods to go over.

It's really strong!

Come on, buddy.

Here he comes.

Oh, look at him!

Yes! That amazing.

Look how beautiful he is. Look at the spots on his back.

-A beautiful fish.

-The greens and the bronzes and the spots on his tail.

Off he goes.

Wow!

Let's do it again.

Two hours left to catch as many salmon as they can.

We have just got to keep everything down at the right depth.

Sam and Dan...

We're off again!

No mistaking that one.

Hello, there.

A little smaller than the first one.

..have chosen the right depth, tackle and location.

Yeah!

Because size really does matter today.

Look at that!

That is an absolutely magnificent creature.

Wow, Chinook King Salmon.

That's great.

That is great. What a magnificent fish.

Just giving him some time to catch his breath.

-That was amazing. There he goes.

-Very good.

-Sam, you're hired.

-I'm hired?

-Yeah!

But far from all the action is the most experienced salmon fisherman.

It sounds like someone's hooked up close in.

The tactic so far has been different depths, different lures,

mainly moving about, trying to find the fish.

I know we're fishing right, it's just finding the fish.

And, with no bites at all, he decides to follow the herd.

We're going to go back where these other boats are catching fish.

So, at least they're feeding, that's the main thing.

Just need to get over there and catch something.

One hour to go.

We're off again.

If he starts to come towards me, I have to reel in as fast as I can.

I've hooked another one.

I don't want to jinx it,

but it feels a little bit better than the other. In the net.

Fish number three.

On top of the world, mate, top of the world.

Dan and Sam are fighting for the lead with three salmon each.

Now is the time to just keep on going.

Who knows what the other guys have caught.

Can't be complacent now.

Jo is changing her flasher, hoping to change her fortune.

The bites have been quite deep, so I'm going to put this one

a bit deeper to see if we can catch one down there.

Two different depths, different lures, different baits.

You deserve the fish. I mean, you're doing all the right things.

We're now actually on the best time, because we are

on the high tide, so the tide is now fairly slack, it's not moving much.

The fish go into a bit of a feeding frenzy for that period of time,

and this is a critical time to catch your fish.

We're in the final minutes, so just see now

whether one of these rods decides to go.

I'm thinking tactically I'm not going to change anything.

If it's not broke, don't fix it.

Just one fish, come on. One fish. Come on, man!

There we go. Really nice to get a fourth one.

This one feels a bit smaller.

-Jo!

-How are you doing?

Ahh!

Maybe a bit smaller,

but nonetheless welcome on a day like today.

This is really exciting. There's fish being caught.

Got to stay confident.

-It's not over till the fat lady sings.

-Yes!

-Excellent!

Absolutely stunning.

Good fun.

-Rods in?

-Yes.

-Is that it?

I hope I've done all right, I really do.

It'd be nice to get off to a good start here in BC,

particularly as I think some of the other stuff could be even

further out of my comfort zone this week.

Two salmon on the boat. At least it's not nothing.

The judges were looking for total length of salmon caught,

and they discuss the anglers' performance in detail

with their guides.

-Welcome ashore, well done, guys. Did you enjoy it?

-Brilliant.

-Amazing day.

Well, Dan, you were the first to hook this amazing Pacific salmon.

There they are releasing it, and I look at you,

and here you are with a fishing rod in your hand,

getting ready to set it up already.

Right away I knew, this guy means business.

Initially, you made the classic mistake of not getting that

rod bent enough, but you learned quickly,

and that is how you become a master angler.

Jo, I thought you did a really good job.

However, I noticed one side of the boat worked really well

for you today.

Late in the day, I saw you make a change, and sure enough,

another take, so maybe a little slow on changing the side of the boat.

Onto our resident salmon fisherman.

-James.

-Can we just skip to Sam?

No fish.

That's always hard to take.

It seems like you were making good choices on what to use.

-However, your boat was separated from the other boats.

-Yes.

It seems to me like when you figured out where you should be,

-you were a little late to the party.

-Cheers, mate.

Last but by no means least, Sam.

Your guide said that you ended up fishing like a guide,

so that tells me that you made mistakes only once.

You obviously took the information you were given and adapted it.

I'd say that's pretty good.

The statistics speak for themselves with 325cm of Chinook Pacific salmon.

You are today's winner.

Well done.

Dan came second, almost a metre behind Sam, and Jo was third.

-Well done, everyone.

-Well done all.

Although the anglers released the salmon they'd caught,

the locals kept one of their catch for the anglers to try.

-This is ready, yes.

-Look at that.

A full side of salmon, it's amazing.

-Wow.

-There's only four of us left.

The chances of going home get greater every time we move on,

so to have one win under my belt is a good feeling.

You know, a third. I'd have preferred a second or a first,

but it's better than last.

Back home, I do not eat salmon!

I didn't get any negative feedback about the stuff I was using,

which was nice, but it doesn't make up for the lack of fish.

But it's just not your day.

That is fantastic, mate.

-You're just saying that because he's here!

-It won't change my judging!

Mate, that is absolutely amazing.

For their second day in Canada,

the anglers head to the mainland of British Columbia.

Between majestic mountain ranges, water flows from snowy glaciers

into streams, lakes and rivers, and then onto the Pacific Ocean.

Millions of migrating fish swim up these rivers every year,

and the anglers have made the same journey to the Upper Pitt River

to fish for a type of char known as bull trout.

Welcome, anglers.

Today, you'll be heading out into this stretch

of the freezing cold river to fly fish.

This is a glacial fed water.

These fish are in the river at this time of the year,

eating aggressively, so take advantage.

This is going to be a big challenge,

but it should be, we're at the sharp end of the competition.

It's all down to you, and how good your pure fishing skills are.

Sam, you won yesterday's part of the expedition.

-If you'd like to join me here.

-My choice for today is James.

He's been a lifelong fly angler.

James, I'd like you to be on the team with me today, please.

OK, we have our two teams.

Go fish!

The teams have just three hours across two different

sections of the river to catch as many bull trout as they can.

In these windy conditions, the judges will be looking at how the anglers

work as a team, read the water, and choose their tackle to find the fish.

Come on, mate. Let's do it.

Do you want to start here?

-I'll start here.

-OK, I'll go bit further.

I know hardly anything about what's going on today.

We haven't rarely got a major strategy,

we're just going to have to cast and hope for the best, really.

Whereabouts in the river are they going to find these fish?

These fish tend to sit in the current seams

and closer to shore than you'd think.

Because the water has a bit of colour, the fish feel more secure.

Often the fish are actually in shallow,

and when you're eager to get out and rush into the water,

you spook the fish you're trying to catch,

so that would be the first mistake.

It's a bit deeper here than when I first set out.

I decided to wade out a little way, because I'm thinking

that the fish are going to be running down the deeper channels.

I'm going to start short in case there's any fish in close.

They sit right at the bottom,

with the boulders and other obstructions.

The current is not as strong,

so they sit right to the bottom then they can get under the current.

That's why we need to get the flies down deep.

The anglers can use a combination of weighted flies

and sinking lines.

Rather than sitting at the surface,

this tackle is designed to sink to the depth where the fish are feeding.

In a fast flowing river, a heavier line and fly are needed

to counter the speed of the current.

In a slower river, lighter tackle will do the job.

You want the fish to see the fly,

but you don't want them to see it so well

that they can tell that it's a deception.

If a fish could speak, it should be able to say,

"What was that?" not, "There it is!"

The fly has got to be going at the right speed,

and most importantly,

it needs to be at the right depth.

The person who figures out to get the fly down

will probably catch the fish.

But I think it's going to be a nightmare with this wind.

With big weighted flies, it's a real danger of hooking yourself.

This wind is giving me trouble. It's coming right upstream.

I've already caught the fly in the head once,

you've got to be careful.

Me and Sam both agreed to fish using a similar technique,

similar flies,

so whichever one works best, we'll swap to straightaway.

It's the marabou that you put in the tail.

It's caught my lip.

Ow!

That's the first time in 15 years that I've caught myself.

I know how the fish feel now!

Ahh!

Come on, Jo, you can do better than this.

A bit of a tangle I've got myself in.

It would be nice if this wind would calm down.

Jo ties her own flies at home in Suffolk,

and loves the satisfaction of catching a fish on one she has made.

I'm always thinking about what I need to tie next,

and what can I do to that pattern to entice the fish a little bit easier.

I'm not the biggest person in the world, but I'm quite strong.

I don't like to give up, especially when it comes to my strength.

I'd probably fight until it broke my arm or something.

I'm not sure what I'm going to choose next.

The water is really strong so I need something quite heavy.

This is a monstrous thing, look at the size of this.

Change into another one.

I'm putting sink tips and all that caper on.

I'm struggling enough with what I've got to deal with now.

Right, we shall try again.

Changing tackle is crucial for getting to know the water.

I'm going to try something with a bit more weight to it.

Hey! Here we have the smallest trout ever, by the looks of it.

It may be tiny, but hey, it's beautiful. There we go.

I changed my fly, and the first cast with a new fly, I got a bite.

It's a bit heavier, this fly, so it got down a bit deeper.

-Again on the fur one, mate.

-Honest?

Yeah, that's what worked.

One hour gone.

Horrendous casting, Jo!

Go home and think about what you've done. So fast.

When fly-fishing on a river,

the many currents can move the fly line

and leader at different speeds, causing the fly to move either faster

or slower than the current, which looks unrealistic to the fish.

To counter this, the anglers should mend the line,

carefully adjusting the fly line without moving the fly.

Mending the line controls the speed of the fly,

and the depth at which it swims.

OK, this is my chance to show everyone everything I've learned.

You are good.

-Where has my fly gone? Is this mine?

-Oh, dear!

Oh, no! Wrong time to turn up!

It's the fishing police.

Right, now that you've reached advanced status,

-do you want me to show you the final kind of trick?

-Yes.

What I'm going to do now is bring it out,

put it across,

and then I'm going to mend...

Do you see how I'm flicking the line upstream?

I'm letting the fly sink deeper.

When it gets to 45 degrees, let it swing with the current.

It's down deep and coming in where those bull trout lie.

We'll just go the far side, upstream end, let the fly come round,

not even moving it. There's too much current.

If you move it, your bring the fly up, you want to keep it down.

Mend the line, follow it round, give that fly time to sink.

It's really important to get it down deep.

Just waiting for a big... You keep expecting it to come,

but it doesn't come.

A couple more steps downstream...

Fish on.

This one feels a bit bigger.

Not massive.

There we are.

Fantastic.

Number two. There you go.

I think the fly with a bit of extra weight to it,

getting down deeper, seems to be the trick.

As soon as I put this on, I could feel him bite,

so I'll stick with that for the time being.

It was actually quite close into the fish tuck,

and it didn't feel like a big fish at first, but it is a hefty fish.

It is fighting well. That's a good fish.

Whoa!

Yes! Oh, what a beautiful fish.

This is probably the biggest trout I have ever caught. Look at that.

Get in!

It hasn't gone well - we haven't caught a fish.

Somebody's had a fish up there, I've seen them.

I love getting the fly line caught in my boots, in my waders.

Halfway through, and time is up on their first stretch of river.

Sam and James have three fish, while Jo and Dan have caught nothing.

-Yes, this one looks a bit nicer, this bit.

-Slower.

It has got some structure in it.

I've just changed to a faster sinking tip.

Just need to get the fly down into the deeper bits.

I've got to try and keep my cool

because I've got 1.5 hours now to try and catch a fish.

-I need to cast better, though.

-How are you getting on?

I've only just kind of started here, but on the other half not so well.

I've changed onto a super fast sinking tip

with a little gold headed thing on the end here.

Good luck.

The judges are looking at the way the anglers assess the water.

Just changing fly up.

We are going to go for something a bit bigger and a bit heavier.

The current is really hoofing through here, it's really powerful.

I want to make sure I'm getting down a bit deeper.

If you could choose anywhere as a person to swim,

you wouldn't swim in the rapids,

you'd swim on the outside where it's a bit calmer.

I'm in!

That was a bit of a quick one. Just a small one.

It actually looks like a rainbow.

It's a form of trout, a beautiful looking fish.

It was really close in, these fish are not far out, so...

That has just spurred me on even more. It's that lucky fly!

Yes, I'm in!

-Yes.

-Phew!

OK, buddy. Whoo!

I just lost a fish there, I'm not sure what happened.

I had one on and then I lost it.

Oh, yes.

This is a better fish.

This is a good fish. I'm feeling a bit tense.

I've got to keep that line tight,

but give it time to run because it wants to run.

It's coming towards me. Coming towards me...

Yes!

Oh, look at that. This is a stunner.

Beautiful red spots on the belly, yellow on top.

He's a beauty.

Thanks, buddy.

Off you go.

-How are you coping?

-I haven't caught anything.

I'm the only one not to catch something, now Jo's caught one.

-Right.

-I've very just put the fast sinking tip on.

That was the mistake I made early on, not having the fast sinking tip.

Well, it's in the water now, and I'm curious to see if you will hook up.

It's a team effort, and I need to put something into the team.

Half an hour left for the teams to catch as many bull trout as they can.

I'm going to get a march on down here, try and cover some more water.

I wonder how Sam's getting on.

Just waiting for that tug. Two I had up the other end, trout,

but that's what counts, but they weren't big.

It'd be nice to get something real nice on the line.

-I think your best chance is there, Dan. Give it a go.

-Thank you.

Give Dan a chance to fish here, I'll go further down.

I think this is where Jo had two bites,

but she may have had the fish that were sitting here.

Last 30 seconds.

Oh! I've caught a stone.

-I would love some extra fishing time.

-One more cast! Make it count!

Come on!

Do you think it would be funny if I shouted "Fish on!"?

He'd have kittens, wouldn't he? I better not do it.

Time up now.

It has been quite an experience.

It's judgment time for the semifinalists.

James and Sam have caught four trout.

Jo and Dan caught two.

James, you've still got your fly there. How's the lip?

Unfortunately, I don't count as a fish, so, we'll wait and see.

-But you did catch two fish?

-I caught two.

One was a bull trout, the other was a rainbow.

I thought of everyone here,

you easily were the best at casting the fly.

However, I think it cost you at times,

maybe missing some of the fish in shallow.

Sam, you caught two fish today.

Not the biggest, but two bull trout nonetheless.

Unfortunately, speaking to the guides,

-it was actually only one bull trout.

-Was it only one?

-Oh, that's disappointing.

-The first fish you caught was a rainbow trout.

However, saying that, you were the first to catch a fish, and I noticed

that you quickly communicated that with your partner in this challenge.

Great teamwork.

OK, onto the other team, Jo and Dan.

Jo, you caught a fantastic fish today

and you must be so pleased about that.

You were struggling a bit

when that wind was really hitting your casting arm -

try not to hold that rod so far from your body.

Get it a little bit tighter in

because when your casting breaks down,

it tends to be because you're pushing that rod away.

-Dan, slightly long face there. No fish, no bull.

-No bull.

I noticed to start the day you had a floating line,

pretty critical mistake, not being able to get down.

You did make the change.

You put on a sink tip, which is critical to this fishing.

Look, Dan, if you're going to win this competition,

it's not enough to say I don't do that sort of fishing

because this is a fishing competition

in which your fishing technique and skills are going to be analysed.

In terms of team results, each team caught two bull trout between you.

It's a draw. Well done, guys.

But the individual angler who came away with the most bull trout is Jo.

Well done, Jo. Very good.

I was not expecting that.

What a place to finish today's expedition.

Make sure you get some good rest because tomorrow is a big day.

See you in the morning.

Through the whole thing,

I think I've maybe had one other challenge I haven't caught fish.

You know, it's a bitter pill to swallow.

Being this close to the final

and having it within grasping distance, you know,

you really want to do as well as you can

in every challenge, so I'm just going to give it my all tomorrow.

This is the most open it's been yet.

I'm just going to go into tomorrow positive,

fish as hard as I can, don't make any mistakes, just make sure

everything is right, and just rely on that fish coming along.

There's still one challenge to go, a lot of hard work to go,

but to be honest...

..task number three is my nemesis.

I am still yet to catch a fish in the third round.

So I'll never think that I'm safe yet.

For the last task in the semifinal, the pressure is on

as the anglers head to the longest river in British Columbia.

The Fraser River runs from the Rocky Mountains, all the way

to where the anglers were fishing for salmon at the beginning

of their time in Canada.

-That is amazing, I can't get over this place.

-It's beautiful.

For the final part of their expedition,

our anglers are after the big one.

They'll be fishing for one of the giants of this mighty river,

one of the biggest freshwater fish in the world.

-Morning, everyone.

-Morning, mate.

-Morning, how are you?

-Are you ready for this?

-Oh, yeah.

Today, you are all after a giant of the river -

the white sturgeon.

Get in.

Not only will you be fishing for this incredible species,

but you're going to be helping to conserve it.

Over the last 15 years,

sport fishermen have been working alongside conservationists

to tag them and help with the research -

help understand more about these river dinosaurs.

The angler to catch the largest sturgeon wins.

-Go fish.

-Good, mate.

Let's go and catch us a dinosaur. It might be bigger than me.

Quite possibly.

Good luck, mate. I hope we all get something. I do.

I just hope I get the biggest.

The semifinalists have six hours

to fish a 30km stretch of the mighty Fraser River.

Each boat will have a fishfinder,

but it'll be up to the anglers to use the technology,

their guide, and their own experience,

to read the river to find these ancient fish.

A survivor from the Jurassic era,

sturgeon live at the bottom of this immense river,

and with poor eyesight,

they must rely on their sense of smell to feed.

They can grow up to 6m long,

and live for over 150 years.

They may be old but they're powerful.

You're looking at 10 or 11 feet of armour-plated fish

that can jump several feet in the air, shaking its body,

and then it's off downriver.

It's using all of this current behind its body mass, and its tail.

These sturgeon are here because we get millions of salmon -

where there's food, there's fish.

We talk about matching the hatch in fly-fishing, which is

basically choosing the fly that the fish are feeding on that day,

but this is matching the hatch.

It's providing the sturgeon with the bait source

that they're feeding on right now.

-Oh, lampreys.

-Yes.

-That's a fantastic bait.

We use these for pike fishing back home.

So much scent in them - they're fantastic.

That's exactly why they work. They're also...

In this coloured water, that's exactly what we need.

But not all their bait is so conventional.

-This here is what we actually utilise.

-Tights!

-For 160 to 190, so we want to catch a fish that big.

-OK.

-This is going to be for wrapping up some of the bait we use.

-OK.

-First time I've ever used tights.

-HE LAUGHS

You can't put a salmon egg on a hook,

so what you've got to do is get a spoonful of eggs,

put them in some tights, not too many,

and all this does is it creates a big ball of salmon eggs,

which is more appealing to the sturgeon.

Just trying to get it on the hook without hooking yourself,

cos I've learnt from yesterday,

I do not want to get another hook in me.

The bait should be cast behind the boat, into the current seams,

to ensure the sense spreads downriver towards these bottom-feeding fish.

In such a powerful current,

a heavy weight is needed to secure the bait to the riverbed.

If the weight's too light, it will bounce along the bottom,

causing the rod tip to move as if there's a fish on the line.

I look at this river and I see my local River Severn.

You know, it's a big river.

This is colossal, but all of the current seams,

the slack pockets,

the coloured water - that's exactly the same.

But using such heavy equipment

can make accurate casting a little difficult.

Whoa.

I should have worked on my muscles before I came out here.

And how far, typically?

-20 yards out the back of the boat here.

-Right.

-Is that far enough?

-Perfect.

When one of the sturgeon takes their bait, what can they expect?

Are they going to be hauled into the water?

Are fishermen are going to be clinging on for dear life?

Surprisingly, Sturgeon don't have a big, powerful bite.

Oftentimes, it's really subtle.

Very surprising for such a large fish.

Sometimes the rod may move just an inch or two,

and that could be a three, four, 500lb fish at the end of the rod.

This is now all about mental strength.

Just the pressure of that opportunity

to land this giant fish -

it's what makes you go fishing in the first place.

It comes down to that.

Who hooks the monster? Have they got the bottle?

Oh, wait.

Fish on.

It's just the concentration. You're just trying to

tell the difference between the current and the fish.

Wahey, straight in!

It was a little baby sturgeon.

Crikey!

As you can see on the tip, it slightly vibrates.

There's a little bit of movement. A lot of small fish on here,

which is what's creating these small bites here.

Oy!

We're off. Here we go.

We've got a sturgeon on the line. Here we are.

For a small fish, that ran like hell.

Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness.

Here he comes. He's coming up. There we go.

-HE GRUNTS

-OK, It's not a monster.

It's not a monster by any means, but it's a fish.

We just need a big car-sized sturgeon to come along

and wolf the bait up.

The first thing I do is check if this fish has a tag inside of it.

-OK.

-This fish is already in the database.

So now we can find out, in the future, whether he's grown.

It's brilliant.

There you have it. One metre, what was it? 43.

There he goes.

It's swimming away, tail kicking. It's a good start.

Right, I think we should get some fresh bait out there,

see if we can catch another one.

Look at that. Really archaic. Beautiful patterns on its head.

Look at the barbells.

Beautiful fish. It's the most amazing thing, actually,

to catch my first sturgeon, and it wasn't a monster.

It can get in excess of 1,000 pounds.

I think, if I hooked into a monstrous thing like that,

then I might be in trouble.

I might have to employ all of the muscle power I have.

Yeah, it is quite daunting.

It's really important that I catch a fish today, just due to the fact

how unlucky I've been.

I did excellent yesterday, just didn't catch the right species.

You should fish how you do best, do you know what I mean?

Don't let...the way other people...

Don't let the way other people affect...

Concentration here, it's crazy. It's just...

One hour gone. Although they've had some success,

nobody has met any of the monsters that this river is famous.

We've found a load on the sounder.

It looked like there were some big ones down there.

It looks really good. We've got this steadier water.

There's some snag down there.

It's got all the right elements for fish to hold out.

-There's one.

-Yeah.

-There, there and there.

-Yeah.

-There's another one right under him.

-Yeah.

-And there's ones to our right.

-So is that a small fish, big fish?

-That looks more like a log.

-Yeah.

We've just been looking at the fish finder and we've seen a pattern -

it's like there's a fish under the boat -

so we're going to cast out and see if we can tempt him onto the hook.

Is that...? Urg!

You're going to need to get a little more distance on it.

I'm going to pull this out and do that again. I just over-spooled.

-Great cast.

-Right, a bit more welly.

We've got another one. Here we go.

Oh!

Wow!

Blimey! All right.

Jeez!

Oh, oh, oh. Hit it, hit it, hit it! Lift up, lift up!

BOTH: Wow!

You've got to be joking!

I think I've got Jaws on here.

-You just want to lift the rod up high as you can first.

-Yeah.

And reel down towards the fish.

Pull up...and I'm gonna pull down.

So I can imagine, now, the kind of...

adrenaline our anglers are going through.

It's a strong fish. He might be snagged.

Seems to have gone all tight. Yeah, he's out. He's moving.

Because this fish is well over five feet,

we can't actually bring it into the boat.

We want to use our best handling practices,

so we're going to take that fish to shore.

He's up near the surface. Here we go.

He's coming round the boat. It feels enormous.

You need to get him in as close as you can.

-Whoa.

-Slowly lift him up to me.

Wow! Great job.

That will be the biggest fish I've ever caught, by far.

-There you go.

-Fantastic.

Let's turn him round and release him, huh?

Here it comes.

Bye.

HE LAUGHS

-So we want it right there.

-We got it.

-Yeah.

So, let me look at the number.

So, it's a ten-digit number.

That was one of the original tagged fish.

It is probably over two metres for your very first fish.

It is prehistoric, isn't it?

It looks like something from another planet.

Look at the back there. OK, fishy...

Thank you very much for letting me see you.

-Wow!

-There you go.

-And there he goes!

-Wow. Thank you very much. And there he goes.

-Yeah!

Halfway through their supersized fishing,

and the only one who hasn't caught is James.

I haven't heard much action. I think, if he had caught a fish,

we would have heard him shouting by now.

I've moved round a couple of times, keep pushing fresh bait out,

but nothing's happened.

So it's that old thing...

You might go down there, it might be worse and you waste a trip.

You've got to take risks. I think I'm going to move.

Got to move, Tyler.

We left the other joint about 20-25 minutes ago,

so it is a little bit frustrating because all this time we're kind of

using up, just cruising around, and not fishing.

But, you know, it's also a waste of time fishing in a spot where

there's no fish. So, you've got kind of weight up.

Same distance.

Perfect. Casting has been excellent.

Thank you very much, mate.

I feel more positive about this place than down there,

just for the sheer amount of fish, and there's no-one else here.

Everything changes in the blink of an eye.

On this vast stretch of river,

Sam is the only one to stay in the same place,

convinced it's the right place to be.

They're getting bigger.

First one was smaller, next one was bigger.

Let's hope they keep going that way.

It's the big fish challenge.

You know what the old saying is - size matters.

-Oh!

-Oh, my God!

That's the one.

I've never experienced anything like this in my life before.

Hold on tight, we're in for a ride.

What a fish I've got on the end here.

My arms are pumping already.

Watch out.

We're in. Well, that worked, didn't it?

Wow! Wow!

My heart is pounding. My muscles are...

The power this fish has got is unreal.

I've seen big fish before...

But nothing like this. Look at the size of that!

-Oh, my back is giving up.

-HE GROANS

I've never felt anything like this in my life.

I need this fish to stay in the competition.

Here it comes.

INAUDIBLE

-What happened?

-Leader broke.

Leader broke. It was a big, big, big, big, big fish.

-We've lost that. Let's get back out and get another one.

-Yeah.

Get in! Oh!

Oh, what a fish.

What an amazing fish.

I'm going to...switch hands.

-Believe it or not, that fish does not have a tag in him.

-It doesn't?

Get a quick measurement of him.

194 by 86, so we're going to put a tag in that fish.

That has absolutely smashed the biggest fish I've ever caught.

I'm just going to make sure that tag worked on him,

then we can get him on his way.

Perfect. Beautiful fish.

How heavy is that, Tyler?

I would guess 120, 130 pounds.

Most amazing fish I've ever seen in my life.

I feel dead emotional!

HE SIGHS

I'm physically drained. It's the most amazing experience.

Best of all, we get to see the fish go back. It's been tagged.

I'm absolutely speechless, I'm shattered, but that...

Oh, my God. I'm lost for words.

I feel like crying. It's...

-I'm going to have to go.

-HE LAUGHS

There's under an hour left in the last challenge in the semifinal.

I don't know if I've done enough to win it today.

I've no idea what's going on with the other boats.

Just got to keep fishing.

I'm just thinking that, if their eyesight's not that great,

then we're just going to put a few little cuts in here so it can

make a bit of scent trail.

The only way to get over something like that is to come out

and hook another one. We've still got time.

-SHE GROANS

-I've got a big fish here.

Yeah!

Reel, reel, reel, reel!

Oh, my God!

Whoo!

It's going to take the line. Look at it go.

If I get this in, this will be the biggest fish I've ever, ever caught.

I've got the shakes.

Come on, calm down. Calm down.

Are we ready for round two?

So, I'm not close to breaking it, but...definitely getting tired.

SHE SCREAMS

Go on, Joey!

Arms are pumping.

I think I've caught the Loch Ness Monster.

-What's happening?

-He's stuck.

I'm exhausted.

-That's a big fish, that.

-Very big fish, by the look of it.

She's been in to the bank once to try and land it

and now they're going back out into the river.

You'd be surprised what reserves of strength she'll find.

It is a fight of wills, isn't it? I like winning.

She looked like she had a bit of a battle on her hands there.

I hope she does catch a big fish, I just hope it's not as big as mine!

Ten minutes to go.

There we go, fish on!

After playing that one earlier on, this is really hurting.

He might have snagged me.

Yeah, he's come off. Gutted.

Oh, my goodness. There's a time when you think,

"I wish I had never hooked this fish." I'm joking, of course.

-Smaller than the last one but it's a big fish.

-Yeah, a beauty.

-Quick, dude, quick, dude, quick, dude.

-Yeah.

Come on!

We've got him, don't worry.

Still taking line, yeah.

No, we're not. Oh!

SHE LAUGHS

-Oh, my God.

-Nice fish.

Every fish I caught today has been tagged,

so it just shows that these fish are having a chance to

stay in these rivers, breed and grow to this colossal size.

SHE BREATHES HEAVILY

You can just lead him out and let him go when he starts to kick.

Give me... Give me some man love.

HE LAUGHS

Oh, God!

Look at that hook.

Bent the hook.

The judges get detailed feedback on the semifinalists' performance.

Another extraordinary day in Canada.

I can sense the nerves. Let's get straight on with it.

Sam, can you tell us the largest white sturgeon you caught today?

The largest was as long as I am tall - it was 6"1'.

You saw that there were fish moving in the area,

and you decided to hang back and fish your own turf

and it was a good decision.

-Dan.

-The largest I had measured was 6'11",

but I did have one on the leader that gave way,

and it swam off, and it was between seven and eight foot, that one.

You gave yourself two seconds, and you got back in that boat and said,

"OK, now we need to go find a bigger one."

And, sure enough, we come up the river,

there you are drifting with another big fish.

-James.

-Biggest fish today was 6'4".

You must be excited. That's a big fish!

Still got a bad back, mate.

Handling of the tackle, excellent.

Casting, excellent.

A decent day.

And last but not least, Jo.

Well, actually, the largest one I caught was only 83cm.

I had the chance to catch a monster

and I'm pretty sure it was twice the size of me...

But it broke off. It was epic.

Jo, you did a great job.

We talked to the guide. He said it was not your fault at all,

so I want you to understand that.

Obviously...

We needed you to land that fish.

You didn't see, but one just came up behind you, a huge one.

I think it was your one coming up to say hello.

You had a few problems casting with the equipment,

a couple of backlashes on the reel, that sort of thing.

I mean, it was a cruel twist of fate,

but you carried on and you dug in.

Well, Dan, with a 6'11" white sturgeon,

you are the undisputable winner.

Well done, Dan. Very good.

The judges now have a really tough decision to make

about who is going through.

Actually, this is such a difficult decision...

I think we need to sleep on it. Sorry.

Well done on the one you caught.

When I saw the head come out on the...

Monster fish.

Something else, aren't they?

Having had all night to wonder what the judges will decide,

all the anglers can do is await their fate.

It's killing, just waiting around and hanging about and, you know...

I just want to know.

I'm sure the judges are going through all our performances

with a fine-tooth comb, I would imagine.

They're going to be talking about all the little mistakes

and stuff that we didn't even notice we made.

It's horrible. I'm getting a lump in my throat.

So, did you get much sleep last night?

Or have you been worrying about this?

I mean, it's a tough decision.

Has it always been this tough for you guys?

-I think this is the closest.

-By far.

The stakes are higher cos it's the semifinal,

so you are looking for that person that is looking

more like the complete package.

I think this has been Dan's strongest country.

In the salmon event, really focused and then, I thought,

yesterday he was pretty immense.

To me, it's going to be hard to send him home after that performance.

-Sam.

-He came out charging in the first challenge, won it.

It just seemed to me like he was able to pick up

most of what was thrown at him.

What stands out is consistency.

It's hitting the mark, doing what's required each time.

In James' case, I see a guy with pure technique, a quick learner.

He came last in the first one, but he bounced back.

He came second in the next two.

He could have won that last challenge -

he was only a few inches away.

In Jo's case, she won the middle challenge.

Now, watching Jo fly-fishing that day,

actually I think there were people who cast a better line,

but she caught the fish.

In the last challenge, obviously, came last.

For me, what puts Jo more in the frame isn't the loss of that fish -

it's a couple of other small technical things

the guide brought out about not casting...

That's more of an error than the big fish thing.

The debate comes down to James and Jo.

Given how close this is, the only thing that can separate them

is an appraisal of previous performance.

Where Jo's been particularly strong is in some of the more

local-type challengers,

whereas, on the rod and line, she hasn't been quite as strong.

James, up until the salmon thing, he was quite consistent,

but I can see weaknesses in both games.

Who is the better angler...

..of those two?

Sorry for keeping this lingering.

It's so close.

In fact, it's been so close they've had to go back to the original

spirit of this competition - the search for the complete angler.

And our judges have singled out the two who are in danger of leaving -

James and Jo.

The judges have decided...

..that the angler who's going home...

..is Jo.

I'm so sorry, Jo.

-Now we know it.

-You have the heart of a lion, my darling.

No, I'm good. I'm good.

To get within reaching distance of the final, it's pretty special.

It's a pretty big achievement,

so...I'll take that.

Are you OK?

HE SIGHS

I'm just really, really...

I feel drained, emotionally drained.

HE LAUGHS

Honestly!

'Getting to the final is a big thing. It's a big thing.

'You know, and being the only Welshman.'

Yeah, chuffed to bits.

I think it's going to be a really close call next week.

We're all, kind of, pretty evenly balanced at this stage, I would say,

but we've all got it to play for in the final.

We're going to Zambia? Are you kidding me?

Next time...

Hello, Mr Elephant.

Wow! Look at the size of him!

..it's the final.

I'm a croc magnet.

You've got to hold your nerve, that's what it's about in this game.

The thing to do is not to panic.

But which one of them...

HE GROANS

..will be crowned...

Sounds like playing with fire, that does.

..the complete angler?

Never give up.

HE GROANS