Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks

On this episode of Wicked Tuna Outer Banks...

If you stay tied to the poles every day, you're not gonna make it in this fishery.

As the season hits the halfway point...

You can't afford to take a day off.

You just got to go as hard as you can.

The three-time champion has fallen behind...

It's unacceptable and it's got to change.

And the only thing standing between the rest of the fleet...

We're worn out, tired.

And the top spot...

But, hopefully, this is gonna change our fortune.

Is total exhaustion.

Early mornings, the rough ocean; this ain't for the faint of heart.

Which boats will grind hard?

-Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

-Just what I'm looking for, baby, I'm hoping we can hold on to him.

And which will grind...

-We're on, we're on! -Tight, baby, tight, whoo!

To a halt?

Oh no, pulled the hook!

This is...

-Let it go, just let it go! -Hurry, Steve! -I'm trying.

Oh, yeah!

Wicked Tuna Outer Banks.

Northern vessel, Pinwheel, leads the fleet for the first time this season.

But southern boats Reels Of Fortune, Fishin' Frenzy,

Foolish Pleasures and Little Shell are only one good payday away.

Meanwhile, midseason burnout has Doghouse and Hot Tuna lagging behind the pack.

When I was a kid everybody told me,

"If you want to fish for a living you better learn how to live with

a little bit of sleep."

Turns out they were right.

It's the middle of the season and we're struggling to be in the top three.

I was the top boat the last three years running.

But if we don't turn things around this trip, we're done for.

-We're all tired but we're hanging in there.

Living the dream.

I'd pay $10 for a cup of coffee right now.

-I ain't never had a cup in my life and I might even get a large one.

Bluefin Tuna season is a game of attrition.

Sometimes the last man standing is the winner.

Because from the midpoint of the season until the last day of the season is ultimately

where you win or lose.

You ain't never had a cup of coffee?

-I ain't never liked it. -It's about like drinking liquor.

I don't drink it for the taste, I drink it for the effect.

-This season is definitely one of the hardest seasons being down here.

-We got a solid lead right now but I have Reels of Fortune and Fishin' Frenzy

breathing down my neck.

I'm exhausted, the season's been brutal, but that's when I'm at my best.

When the sun cracks the horizon tomorrow, we put out the spread.

And I'm gonna love my job and love everything I do because we're out here on the ocean,

getting to do exactly what we wanna do and making money at it.

Aye, aye, aye!

Steve and I have only had probably an hour of sleep in the last couple days

you know, we've been going really hard and you know it's gonna be another

all-nighter tonight, so.

I'm probably worried more about Frenzy than I am in the Pinwheel,

but I would really be embarrassed if that northern boat beat me.

That's something we're gonna bust our butts to prevent it from happening.

Quitters never win.

Winners never quit.

However that saying goes.

We're in it 'til the bitter end.

-Just a day of fishing aboard the Little Shell.

We're at the halfway point of the season.

We're on the downhill swing now so we've got to work and fish harder.

When you're fishing around the clock, it can become a lot on you.

You can kind of lose focus.

Your reaction time can kind of change and that's when you've really just got to push

through it because things can go wrong very fast.

You ain't gonna catch it at the dock, so we got to be out here.

There's no two ways about it.

Time to get up, we're marking out here.

We're on, we're on!

-Got it, Cliffy? -Yep.

-Something big is on there too.

It dumped a lot of line.

Hoping it's a good one.

Gonna take our time.

Got all night to catch this fish.

Still got him?

-Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

-Still on there? -Yeah, he's still there.

-There's not very many days left in the season, we've fished all day,

been fishing all night.

We got one bite.

We're gonna hope for the best.

I don't know what to tell these other boats around here.

Tell them to freaking move!

Got me a tuna on.

Little Shell hooked up here.

-Coming up, take her out of gear.

-Dammit! -He's gone.

He stopped the boat.

He ain't there.

Sucks that we lost our fish but you can't dwell on that.

We need to catch as many fish as we can, as quick as we can.

Time is running out.

That's just bad luck.

-You know how long I waited all night for that thing. -Oh, that sucks.

Just pulled the hook.

Oh boy, what are you gonna do?

Gonna have some dinner.

Sausage time.

Get some sleep, get up in the morning and hopefully these things are frothing

at the mouth.

We've been fishing pretty hard and I think the guys are looking forward to getting

some rest, I know I am, so.

You know, guys that go out and fish, 24 hours, 36 hours in a row, make mistakes.

They lose fish.

They waste money and we're not gonna do that.

I'm gonna go take a little nap.

-You wanna watch a movie? -Yeah, let's do it. -We're gonna rest.

We're gonna refuel.

We're gonna recharge and we're gonna hit it hard when the fishing is good.

As TJ would say "Pa-pow."

Who's ready to do some 1:00 am fishing boys?

Hopefully we can get out there and get on these damn things, make some money.

Got to do something, man.

We got here early.

If the fish decide they're eating tonight, we're fishing tonight.

Yeah, man.

The early bird gets the worm.

We're halfway through this season.

It's definitely do or die time for us.

Let me get her fired up and get the hell out of here.

Fact is, it's do or die for everybody.

You know the season's only gonna last so long.

We have got to put as many fish on this boat as we can.

We're kind of in the middle of the pack, which is not where I wanted to be,

but we haven't given up, and one fish would put us right on top.

-You are free in the stern, Skipper.

-All right, man, we're pulling out.

-Here we are leaving at 1:00 in the morning.

Old Big Money over there watching that movie on his TV.

TJ on the Hot Tuna has earned a reputation in the past few seasons of spending

a lot less time on the water than the rest of the fleet.

I guess if you have a big screen TV on your boat, you don't have to worry about

whether you catch a fish or not.

It must be nice.

-Now I'm jealous. -No shame in his game.

Got the needle?

-At this point in the ballgame, if we can catch a fish, it'd be a great thing.

Catching up to the front-runners is gonna be difficult.

I'm not even worried about that, now.

We've been busting our butts around the clock this season and so far we've

only got two tuna.

Some of the other boats have three times as many, but we're not giving up.

God's gonna make sure we get what we need.

It's just trying to catch enough fish to pay for a crew, and an incredible boat yard

bill along with all the rest of the bills.

Anyway, maybe we'll have a decent day and put him on the deck.

Look at that mark.

Incredible mark right there.

-Trying to turn a little fish into a big fish. -Look at it.

Incredible mark still coming.

Need a bite.

Whoo man, I need a bite.

Please let me get a bite.

-We're on! -Got 'em on! -Do you wanna get this one up?

Put her back over here.

Behind us, behind us.

Got 'em on right here at daybreak.

Look at that rod bent.

This fish here is gonna be another whopper.

Come on, son!

Keep him tight.

-Gonna be a stud, brother. -Come on, baby, we need you.

Just need one big fat tuna in our life.

Come on, baby, come on up here.

We need you.

-Wow, gonna be another big ass fish, boys.

Beautiful morning, friends, beautiful morning.

Whoo!

This rod has been bent to the water lines, going on two and a half hours now.

Get it, dog, Get it!

Stay focused and get him, Caine.

Come on, baby, come to us.

-Dammit, he's going the other way again. -It's a sow, dude.

It's bigger than me and TJ sandwiched together.

-Three and half-hours into this bite, it's not that I'm impatient but

I need some fish.

The longer you fight a fish the opportunity for something to go wrong

goes up exponentially.

My guide freezing up, my swivel breaking, my hook pulling.

It wears on your body but it mentally wears on your mind too.

Man versus beast here.

One on one.

But that's why I have, Caine.

He'll push through anything.

-Getting tired, baby. -You or her? -Probably a little bit of both.

But I'll tell you what, I'm getting a second wind, Cap.

-There you go, there you go, there you go! -I'm gaining, dudes.

All right, there's the leader.

Right now is where the fight starts.

We ain't even begun.

-Getting a little bit every time there, buddy. -Come on up, baby girl.

Please, please, please!

-There you go, there you go! -Oh, there he is!