Wicked Tuna

Get out of here, jerkoff!

It's like fishing in a parking lot.

On this episode of Wicked Tuna...

What are you doing?

Inexperienced fishermen...

Total googan!

Plague the commercial fleet.

Don't (bleep) anchor there.

Come on!

We're not gonna get this fish.

I guess we really suck at life.

But one boat will emerge from the crowd...

He's right here.

See him?

To score the biggest payday so far this season.

Yay.

Back on, baby, whoo!

We got 'em on!

Resistance is futile.

Yeah.

.

-You got one? -Got one.

This is Wicked Tuna.

This fish is fighting for his life and we're trying to get a paycheck.

At the start of week four of fishing, Hot Tuna has regained the lead,

but the young duo on Pinwheel is nipping at their heels.

Meanwhile, family operation Hard Merchandise trails behind the pack,

with only one fish.

Nightshift turns into dayshift.

Just getting started this morning.

Jarrett jigged up a bunch of beautiful bait.

Conditions are great.

Maybe today's the day.

So, we're just gonna give it hell.

The last few years in Gloucester we finished in the middle of the pack,

and then earlier this year in the Outer Banks we really struggled,

and it's a season we really wanna put behind us.

Our reputation has suffered and I'm determined to rebuild it fish by fish.

Can you believe this (bleep)?

We've got this idiot who anchored an eighth of a mile away from us.

Googan is the nickname the commercial Bluefin fleet has given to the inexperienced

fishermen who can make our lives and our livelihood really difficult.

As people have come to realize that Bluefin tuna are the ultimate glory fish,

more and more of these guys have invaded the water looking to check something

off their bucket list.

They don't know the rules and they don't really care.

We're the only boat here and, and this edge runs three miles and you anchor an

eighth of a mile away from us?

It's fishing etiquette not to anchor any closer than a quarter mile

away from someone.

When we have a fish on, our fishing line can extend up to

200 yards away from the boat,

and when that fish realizes its hooked up it can swim up to 45 miles per hour.

So, when you've got another boat 200 yards away with a guy

that doesn't know what he's doing and your fish decides to run that way,

our chances of landing that fish decrease significantly.

When you get jack bags like that anchor an eighth of a mile away from you,

it's just disheartening.

It's everything that's wrong with this fishery, is that right there.

Just marked one at 150.

Oh come on, baby, come on, baby.

We're on! We're on!

Get on the rod, we're on!

Back on, baby, whoo!

Let's move this rod away from the boat.

Bubby, get him off the anchor.

Get off your anchor, please!

FISHERMAN (over radio): No, man, I'm pretty sure we're far enough away from you.

Unbelievable.

-He's not getting off his anchor?

What a schmuck!

Feel like a keeper?

It's a big fish.

-Give it some slack. Give it some slack.

Come on, baby.

-This fish is going right towards his gear.

If our fish gets tangled in the other boat's anchor line,

it's very likely the line will rub and chaff until it burns off

and we'll lose the fish.

-Yep. He's going right over.

Oh come on, come on.

Oh, you prick.

Feels funny, TJ.

-He's tangled. It's definitely wrapped up.

Take it easy, Jarrett, the line's gonna break.

Right now I'm pissed off.

To lose what was definitely a big fish because of a googan is unacceptable.

Googans have no clue about the game.

-We just lost potentially a $10,000 payday because of this guy and I

think he needs to know.

-Oh, he is gonna go over there.

I can't let this kid get away with that.

This guy's about to get a piece of my mind.

An eighth of a mile, bro?

Three miles of edge and you give me an eighth of a (bleep) mile?

Why would you anchor next to someone an eighth of a mile when there's

three miles of edge?

Sorry, man.

-You're an eighth of a mile away from me, bro.

-I thought you had enough room.

-An eighth of mile, who does that (bleep)?

-I'll get farther away next time.

-Dude, what the, it's, it's a, it, it's a three-mile bank.

You should have got off of your anchor as soon as we told you we were hooked up.

You've got no idea about fishing etiquette, man.

We lost our fish because it got tangled in your gear.

Jerkoff. Eighth of a mile.

A quarter mile is pushing it, an eighth of a mile?

-Don't be anchoring on top of the HT, especially first thing in the morning.

-Let's get away from this damn googan and find another spot.

Here we go!

Going to get 'em!

Rick and I only have two fish this season and we're at the back of the pack.

But I know from years of experience, we're about to hit our stride.

I was born into this fishery.

I don't know anything else.

So, I was screwed from day one.

This is what I was born to do.

And the Bluefin industry has changed since I've started.

There's twice as many boats as there used to be when I was a kid.

As far as you can see there are boats, everywhere you go.

And a lot of these guys are not experienced fishermen.

They're just weekend warriors.

They're just out here chasing the biggest glory fish in the ocean.

This is just something they can brag to their friends about on the golf course.

Anybody with a boat can get a federal fisheries permit, anybody.

There's no test, no nothing.

Fifty bucks?

You're a tuna fisherman.

It's insane.

Am I okay to go?

Wow, look at them all coming.

Every summer, there's a Bluefin fishing tournament in Gloucester.

It's running for the next few days.

Anybody with a boat and $1,300 for an entry fee trying to win a trophy and

get their photo in the local newspaper.

They're weekend warriors out for a good time,

and they're all standing between me and my paycheck.

Look it, they don't even know.

Googan day.

When you're getting 100 yards from the bridge, you call the bridge.

You have to get clearance by the bridge operator or you'll have a collision in

the middle of the bridge and the current's running, you know, ten knots.

But every Tom, Dick and Harry is out today and they see the bridge go up and

they fly right through.

I can't even get out of the harbor because obviously it's Take Your Googan to Work Day.

They're all going against the traffic right now.

They're not supposed to be coming right now.

It's like getting on the freeway going the wrong way, all these guys.

Tell them they're supposed to turn their radio on.

You got to have the radio on.

Does anyone have a radio?

-Not today, apparently, unbelievable.

They don't even know what they're doing.

Are you kidding me?

Total googan.

Thank you very much.

Look out, guys, the circus is in town today.

Look at this guy, he's dropping his anchor right by us.

He just doesn't have a clue.

Don't be rude, Dave. Everybody has the right to fish in the ocean.

That idiot turned around, looks like he's gonna anchor right off Dot Com.

TJ (over radio): Is that guy gonna anchor right next to you?

Sure looking that way, isn't it?

You can anchor anywhere in here.

-What the (bleep), like, what is this guy doing?

"Oh, there's Hot Tuna and there's Dot Com.

Let's anchor right there."

These tournament fishermen like to park right next to the

best commercial boats in the fleet because they know we know where the fish are.

So they figure fishing by us will give them the best chance to catch a giant

Bluefin tuna and landing the tournament trophy.

It's annoying and disrespectful.

I don't get it, man.

This guy is gonna, is gonna be right on my anchor, dude.

Please don't drop it there.

Please do not drop your anchor there.

He's dropping it right there.

Oh, god.

-If he gets a bite, I'm gonna get sawed right off.

-I can't believe this guy just anchored there.

Get out of here, jerkoff!

You (bleep) morons!

-Oh my God, dude, dude, yo, T, T!

Get the binoculars.

Get that piece of (bleep) out of here!

Don't (bleep) anchor there!

TJ's blowing the horn at 'em.

You (bleep) morons!

That was savage, dude!

Get out of here!

The googan deterrent is not working this morning.

-This is what you call moron fest.

Just morons.

I spy with my little eye, something that begins with the letter G.

The good news is we're on a hot spot with plenty of bait and marks galore.

That's a herring ball right there.

We're jigging up these herring and all of the sudden we saw this tuna come up.

-The bad news is it's polluted with googans trying to win a fishing tournament trophy.

I get frustrated when guys don't respect a little distance out