03x05 - Deep South

[bunniefuu]

[upbeat music playing]

[josh] it's hotter
than a snake's a*s

Out here, isn't it?

Bit of a breeze,
but holy smokes.

I can't leave them down here,
man. This is crazy.

Look at all
these boats out here.

This is a boat
building mecca down here

And the seafood industry
is alive and strong.

Oysters, crab,

Then here's all
the old school shrimpers.

Oh, right on.

We might find some fish.

You might be
asking yourself right now,

"what are a couple of crab
fishermen from the bering sea

Doing in the heart of dixie?"

We're wondering
the same thing.

First, we got
to find out if the old man

Ever actually
fished down here.

There's got
to be some clues, leads,

Or something, man,
about coming down here.

It's kind of why
the story started, isn't it?

That's correct.

I've learned a lot
about the old man's dreams

Over the past couple years.

You know, the one place
I never thought to look

Might just be
where those dreams began.

[tense music playing]

How we doin' today there?

- All right. All right.
- Josh harris.

- [jimmy] all right, josh.
- [josh] mr. Wild bill.

So how you doin'?
Nice to meet you.

- [wild bill] good to see you.
- Shane.

[shane] nice to meet you.

[jimmy] what can I help
you guys with?

Well... You're
the man that built

The cornelia marie, are you?

Oh, yes, sir.
One of them, yes sir.

Yeah!

Boom!

I am captain josh harris.

I keep looking at that picture

And he keeps
looking back at me.

Phil harris was my father

And a legend
on the bering sea.

I am a sweetheart.

You can't get
any better than me.

I'm just
a smiling *bleep* jack.

With the help of my partners

Jeff and casey,

I made the old man's dream

Of a warm water fishing
business in hawaii a reality

We've put so much
into this here

And now you wanna leave?

But after losing
our biggest buyer...

Our partnership splintered.

[man] oh, he's coming.

[josh] oh, wow. *bleep*.

Now, with my brother shane..

- Nice job, pal.
- Yeah.

[josh]
...A nd captain wild bill,

We're following
my dad's trail

To a fishing mecca

That also happens
to be the birthplace

Of the cornelia marie.

[man] *bleep*.

[josh] probably down here
in venice, louisiana.

[man] *bleep* we doing?
Put it on.

- Come on.
- [jeff] I understand.

[woman] it's all right.

[josh] the old man
always taught me,

The only risk you regret...

[man] crank, crank, crank.

[josh] is the one
you don't take.

[dramatic music playing]

[jimmy speaking]

[josh] yeah,
that'd be great, man.

[jimmy speaking]

That is absolutely insane.
That was really cool.

Jimmy simmons was the forema
over at horton boats

When the cornelia marie
was built in 1989.

If there's anybody
that could tell us

What the old man
was up to back then,

It's him.

And this here is the original

Scratching or crude
drawing of the boat...

- No way.
- And it should, you know,

He would describe in

- What he wanted and...
- [josh] what he wanted.

I'm surprised this
isn't on a c*ck napkin...

- [jimmy] yeah. [laughs]
- back in that day.

What was the overall length
to begin with?

A hundred and four.

And how long is the boat now?

About 128 feet now.

So you were 104,

So you put 24 feet
of boat in the middle?

Yes, sir.

I thought it was...

Look, I'm gonna keep
my framers low.

We're gonna build this boat.

I'll lengthen it
as I need to when I need to

And that's something
that we just didn't do.

I mean, it was
kind of unheard of.

- Yeah.
- [jimmy] I always thought

That was pretty smart of you.

Yeah. I do remember phil

Talking about, you know,

Making the boat
bigger for more fish.

He's always a wheeler
and dealer, you know.

[jimmy] now,
these are just snapshots.

[josh] oh, no way.

[jimmy] this
was the key element.

The quarters on each side.

Mmm-hmm.

[jimmy] you know,
the tanks for containing

More to the center of the boat

For center of gravity.

[josh] yeah, you know,
it was... It really helps out

We're one of the only boats
in the fleet

That has
those side tunnel ways.

We can really be
in some heavy weather.

We're just like
a bobber out there.

Exactly.

Something again
we've never done.

This is really cool for me

Because I've never
even seen this stuff.

It's been such
a part of my life.

And I mean, did you
ever get to meet my dad?

Did you ever see him
come down here?

I kind of believe that he did
some fishing down here.

Phil was here an awful lot
during construction.

If he was fishing
this area at that time,

It's probably orange beach,

I would...I would...
I would assume, you know.

Yeah. I got a lot of buddies
from over in that area.

I ran a boat out
of costa rica for a while

And made friends

And there's some good rednecks

- Over there, nice people.
- [laughs] yeah.

[josh] orange beach?

My dad's never mentioned that,

Like, not to me anyways.

Well, it kind
of makes sense, you know,

It's one of the great
fishing towns on the gulf.

And if you think about it,
knowing your dad,

The whole time
it took to build that boat,

Do you honestly think
he never played hooky?

- There's women there?
- Of course.

Yeah. Then my dad's
definitely had been there.

[dramatic music playing]

- [fishhook reeling]
- [jeff] oh, right there.

We're on.

That's an ahi. That's an ahi.

Oh, looks like jeff
might be hooked up right here.

[jeff] that's the one
we want right there.

- [fishhook reeling]
- oh, *bleep* double.

[jeff speaking]

We're on a double.

Double ahi right now.

Unreal.

*bleep* he might have
two going over there.

He's got one going
off each side right now.

God, that guy is fishing.

When we lost
our lower 48 clients,

It wasn't exactly
back to square one,

But it's not far off.

Jeff and I
are focused right now

On building our business
back up here on the islands.

So far, we got
a poke shop in kauai,

Couple of restaurants
here in kona,

But we need more.

[jeff] we just snapped
a double ahi.

Fighting double by yourself,
it's a whole new world.

We're gonna
let that one go out.

Keep that fish
on the outside.

Get him away from the boat
so we don't tangle 'em.

I'm gonna take this one
on the inside first.

Yeah!

Get it!

[jeff] I gotta
keep this guy close

Because this other line now

You can see
going off my stern.

This other line is going down,

So if this fish
wraps that line,

I'll risk losing both fish.

So I'm racing.
I'm kind of being

A little bit more
aggressive on this guy

Than I wanna be.

I'd rather get at this point,

Get one of them
than losing both of 'em.

It's a nice fish,
beautiful fish.

This guy's coming in.

[casey] oh, yeah,
that's a nice one.

That's at least
a hundred-pounder.

It's a nice fish.

[jeff] okay. Got one.

Got a look back there,
it's about 110.

That would put a dent in it.

This guy bit
when I was clearing the line,

So I don't know
where the hook is at.

He's shaking the head a lot

I can feel the hook slipping

Till this thing
is on the boat,

It doesn't matter unless
you have that on the deck.

That's the only thing
that counts

Is what's in the box.

My dad always taught me that.

Everything else
is just a story.

[casey] two ahi getting
a double like that at once,

That's nuts.

Get him in, brother!

Nice job.

Got 'em both. Look at that.

Two in the box
in under an hour.

I mean, yeah,
we work pretty fast.

I mean, I was ready to help.
I was...

I had the bait in the water.
You just...

- You just got lucky.
- Yeah.

- Nice fish, man.
- [jeff] yeah, stoked.

You know, they're in the area.

So hopefully we could,
kind of,

Just keep chipping
away at what we need.

[phone ringing]

- Hello?
- [man speaking]

[jeff] how's it going?

[man speaking]

Yeah, okay, that sounds great.

I'll set up a time
and we'll come in

- And see what we can do.
- [man speaking]

I'll talk to you soon. Aloha.

Who was that?

[jeff] stoked.
That was kona brew.

- [casey] what did they say?
- He wants to meet with us.

Sounds like he wants to see
what we can do for them.

- [casey] nice.
- [jeff] kona brew was one

Of my first
accounts on the island.

I sold fish
to both the brewery

And the restaurant.

Business was really good
leading up to the pandemic

And shutting
everything down last year.

If they're calling,
that means they're turning

Everything back on.

It could be a game
changing thing for us, man.

Awesome, dude. Well, let's get
that meeting set up.

Let's go out and get some more
fish for today though, huh?

[jeff] yeah, man.
Let's go get some.

[mellow music playing]

[wild bill]
I guess this is it.

Who's here?

Look who's here.

- My man, how's it going, man?
- Hey, how are you, man?

[man] long time, buddy.
Nice to see you.

Thanks for taking my call.
Thanks for hooking us up.

Heavy and I go way back,

From my sport
fishing days in costa rica.

And if you really wanna
scout out orange beach,

He's a hell of a fisherman

And he owes me.

[chuckles]
why does he owe you?

Oh, we're not
gonna go into that.

[laughs]

Sweet. So,
you know, right now,

We're currently looking

To expand our business.

You know, bring it somewhere

And get a hub
down here on lower 48.

So I mean you guys have
all sorts of species

Of fish down here, right?

Yeah, yeah, we have
everything from pelagics,

Bottom fish,
groupers, snappers,

We have tunas.

Most of your fish are gonna be

In that 50 to 80 pound range,

And then you'll get
the bigger ones, a hundred,

Two hundred is really big.

It is kind of the holy grail

In the gulf as catching,
you know, 200s.

So we're talking
the ability to catch fish here

- Year-round is pretty high?
- Yes. Yes.

Sometimes,
you gotta ride pretty far.

You might have two,
three hours.

Most efficient on oilrig,
some open water fish but...

So if you take us out,
what type of deal

Are we looking at,

If you're taking us out
fishing here?

Man, look, I, you know,
to start off, you know,

We'll try things out

And see how that trip goes
and we'll go from there.

I really owe bill.

Shane, what do you think
about all this?

I mean, two, three hours away?

Hope it's good.
I mean, sometimes

You gotta risk it
for the biscuit, baby.

- [laughs]
- [christopher] I mean,

Nothing comes easy, you know.

Two things you've never seen,

An old captain
and a rich one, you know.

You gotta tighten it up.

I can't wait to get out
on the water with you, man.

[christopher] me too.

We're leaving in the morning?

I mean, that's the plan, cap.

Sounds great.

What type of boat you got?

A fast one.

Oh, good, sign me up.

[upbeat music playing]

[christopher]
y'all ready to ride out?

[man] the way where
we're gonna go today

Will almost be
due south of alabama.

Yeah. We'll be
right there on the line

About where bayou la batre is.

[josh] you know, a quad
engine yellowfin,

They can cruise
like 45 miles per hour.

But even so, the first spot
he's taking us to

Is three hours out.

[upbeat music playing]

[josh] that's a long ride
and that's a lot of gas.

I hope it's worth it.

All right, boys. We're here.

[suspenseful music playing]

[josh] oh, *bleep*

[man] that's a big boy there.

This is massive.

[christopher]
all right, boys. We're here.

[josh] oh, *bleep*

This is massive.

All sorts of things
out in the ocean.

And we're at a spar
called the neptune.

This is a little bit
older rig right here.

Basically, it's floating
and then it's held

- By the anchor chain.
- [man] woah.

You see right here
the numbers on the side, 655?

Right now, the can
is 650 foot in the water.

Now, that's how
they stabilize it.

They have balance
things in there.

They can either sink it,
rise it,

For hurricanes,
lift it for stability.

Is this one
of the biggest ones out here?

No, this is actually
a small one.

If my old man was fishing
the gulf of mexico

Back in 1989,

This is where
he would've started.

These giant rigs
are like magnets for life.

The structure grows
algae for bait fish,

Which in theory
should bring the tuna.

Oh, there's something
big right there.

I think it's a shark?
What is that?

The closer you get to the rig,

The more barracudas, sharks,
and other stuff.

Usually, the tunas
would be out

On the suburbs a little bit.

Barracuda, huh?

Yeah. Barracudas,
sharks beneath us.

So if you...

[josh] all the *bleep*
that cuts you off.

Yeah. This is like
the downtown right here.

[chuckles]

[christopher]
the tunas are always gonna be

On the upcurrent side.

So we'll pull out
a little ways,

A little bit further out.

- Marking a few right here.
- [man] all right.

We're marking a yellowfin
there at 200 foot.

All right, boys. Here we go.

[speaking]

Just throw those over

And we'll get you... We'll get
you going here in a sec.

You gotta feed your pets.

No trolling, massive oilrigs

And they throw these giant
buckets of bait overboard.

Definitely not
in kona anymore.

In hawaii, man,
you don't throw
your live bait out there,

- It's so hard to get.
- [wild bill] yeah.

[christopher] well, you have
to throw them out.

If you don't throw freebies,
you ain't getting bit here.

-[shane] yeah.
-[christopher]
it's the way it is.

[shane] so, why
do you use that thing?

Oh, the throw part.

[laughs] well, that works.

Looks like you played
baseball before.

Yeah.

What that will do is they'll
blow up on the freebies.

- You see them eating them?
- [josh] oh, yeah.

You see them eating them?

- [shane] yeah.
- Wow.

And you're hoping they come
over here and eat yours.

Mr. Bill, if you want it,
you can sling away.

Oh, something big over here.

[christopher]
fishy, fishy, fishy.

- [laughs]
- [christopher] fishy.

It's pretty crazy,
I've never seen anything

Quite like this. It's all new.

Totally different style
of fishing.

[dramatic music playing]

[billy] nice to see you.
Thanks for having me.

- [jeff] appreciate it.
- [billy] oh,
thanks for coming, man.

[jeff]
the place looks beautiful.

[billy] thank you, man.
Long time coming.

- [jeff] yeah. I believe it.
- [billy] it's cool.

We got a lot of big things
going on right now

- I'd like to show you.
- I can't wait.

Let's do it.

[jeff] kona brew
began as a small local pub.

They started
opening up locations

Across the island chain.

They're exactly
the type of client

That we need
to grow our business.

Wow.

This is crazy.

[billy] the original brewery

Did 14,000 barrels a year.

The new one can do
a hundred thousand barrels.

- [jeff] this is unbelievable.
- [billy] thank you.

- [jeff] unbelievable.
- I'm proud of the team, man.

- Yeah.
- Proud of the team.

[jeff] so what's really
going on, man?

[billy] as you see,
we're growing.

Since we moved
from the old brewery

Into the new brewery,

That old brewery space
next to the pub,

We're expanding
the restaurant.

And because of that,
I'm gonna need more fish.

About four times
as much on the weekly.

Wow.

[billy] you got
the boats to do that?

I mean,

At the moment, no.

Yeah?

What about your guys,

That josh and casey crew?

This whole thing,

They're trying
to figure it out

But, you know,
growing a business,

Growing a partnership,
it's not easy.

[billy] whoever we go with,
they need to handle the scale.

So you got other guys you guys

Are considering
for the position?

I got you. I've been talking
with some local guys.

I gotta cover my bases.

[jeff] I understand.

But, I think
I could figure it out,

And I won't
take it on if I can't,

- I'll give you my word.
- [billy] I appreciate that.

- Yeah.
- I love your integrity,

I'd love you to stay on.

Just let me
go home and just...

Just let me try
to figure this out.

But I really
appreciate it, bill.

- [billy] awesome. Thank you.
- Thank you.

[billy] we'll talk soon.

[jeff]
this opportunity is amazing

But he's talking
about more fish per week

Than we were
delivering to barry.

And right now,
it's just me and casey.

[christopher]
ding, ding, ding, ding.

[josh] oh, yeah.

Now we're marking.

[christopher] we're gonna...
We're gonna win this w*r.

[shane] yeah, there we go.

- That's what we wanna hear.
- [man] yeah.

[wild bill] so what are
you putting on for bait?

You're putting
on that blue runner?

[shane] the big one?
Yeah, yeah.

[wild bill]
big bait, big fish.

Yeah, you double down,
double down.

Split them, double down,
pray for the best.

The bigger it is, just...
[makes sound]

- Really?
- [christopher] yeah.

They don't lick it.
They're not gonna, like...

[makes sound]
they're gonna... [chomps]

[josh] you know,
it took us three hours
to get out here.

For the past hour,
we've been throwing bait off

The side of the boat
like it's candy.

[christopher]
all righty, buddy.

Throw the bucket.

Let's see if
we can get them on.

So far, zero fish
and one massive fuel bill.

[christopher]
come on, give me one.

Come on.

- [christopher] whoa.
- [josh] there it goes.

- [wild bill] there it is.
- [josh] wow.

[christopher] all righty.

*bleep* this thing
has got some power to it.

[christopher]
feel the burn, feel the burn.

- [wild bill laughs]
- [christopher] yeah.

He's gonna eventually
give it up here in a minute.

Or josh is gonna give it up,
somebody's gonna give it up.

[josh] you wanna
try this, shane?

[wild bill]
keep that rod bent.

Bent, bent, bent.

[josh] you got him
on the run now, pal.

Look at you go.

Oh, yeah.

[wild bill]
here, we got color.

[josh] oh, wow. Wow.

- [shane] nice gaff.
- [josh] okay.

*bleep* that's
a cool looking fish.

- What is that?
- [wild bill] amberjack?

[josh] it's a big
*bleep* fish.

- Nice job, pal.
- Yeah. You too, buddy.

Good teamwork here.

Some people like
this kind of fish?

[christopher]
some people love it.

Obviously, people want more
tuna, grouper, and snapper,

But amberjack
better than no jack.

[bill] no jack.
Let's get them down

And get another bait out.

[christopher]
all righty, boys.

[josh] show us how it's done.

Get 'em, cap bill.

That's what
I'm talking about, big boy.

Another piece
of meat in the box.

[josh] oh, here we go.

[josh speaking]

[shane speaking]

[josh] come on, big dog.
Bring it. Whoo!

[shane speaking]

It's a good way
to wrap up the day,

I think we did great.

We got some nice fish
in the box so far.

But zero tuna.

And unfortunately,
it was six hours

Of round-trip travel,

Fishing time
will always suffer.

That wasn't exactly
what I expected.

I've never even seen
a jack fish before this.

And I know jeff
and casey are working

Their a*s off in hawaii,
so hopefully,

I can find some more tuna.

That's what's it's gonna take

To make this be
a successful trip.

[dramatic music playing]

[josh] all right.

[phone ringing]

[josh] what's
going on there, case?

[casey] hey josh,
how's it going, buddy?

[josh speaking]

Oh *bleep*

[jeff speaking]

He said that my dad
were to go fishing down here,

Probably be around
orange beach.

[josh speaking]

[casey speaking]

Yeah.

It's not exactly
what we were hoping for,

What I was
hoping for, anyways,

But I'm not giving up.

[casey speaking]

The guy's a very busy man,
but, uh...

[casey speaking]

- No way.
- [casey] yeah.

[josh speaking]

New clients
in hawaii are great,

But it's still putting
all our eggs in one basket.

And that's the lesson
my dad learned the hard way

When king crab
crashed back in the '80s.

I'll get back to you guys.
See you soon.

[casey speaking]

All right. Later, guys.

Come on, harris.
Let's get out here. It's hot.

If I wanna convince them

That expanding down here
is the right move,

I gotta not just
find some fish,

But a buyer to move it.

And I gotta do this before
my partners box me out.

[dramatic music playing]

[josh] all right.
What are we gonna do here?

I mean, I don't...
I don't know where else to go.

Orange beach didn't work.

Fishing was good,
but that's a lot of traveling.

I have no clue
where else you'd fish out of.

To get to the deep water,
you gotta go on the edge.

That's where the structure is
and the upcurrents,

And that's where the bait is,

And that's where the fish are.

Maybe we came down
to, like, venice.

Look at the distance.

That's one, two, three...
A quarter of the travel.

And if you're doing
this commercially,

You gotta cut down
on the fuel, the time.

That was a thousand bucks,
just to fill those tanks.

And then here, we won't
even use close to that.

Look at the time
you're saving,

Look at the money
you're saving.

How far away is that
from where we're at now,

- Driving-wise?
- Probably five hours,

I'm guessing? I don't know.
Depends how you drive.

You can drive
all the way up here, huh?

Yeah, you can...
We can drive right to it.

And that's the point,
when the...

You come in to deliver,
you have a short boat ride,

And then you just truck
this stuff out

And there's a ton of airports
where they can take it.

Sounds like a good move to me.

So, what you're telling me is,

We probably have
to go through new orleans.

[laughs] well,
there's a bypass

That you guys can take,

I'll probably
swing through for lunch.

Let's go check out venice.

[wild bill] all right.
I'm ready to go.

[jeff] how's it going?

Okay.

No, I understand.
I understand.

Okay. Well, if anything
changes, let me know.

We'd love to be a part of it.

Okay. All right. Aloha.

[jeff speaking]

[line ringing]

[casey]
what's going on, buddy?

Hey, what's happening, man?

[casey] it's going.

It's going, running around,
looking for fish.

All right. Well,
I just got off the phone

With one of the big whips
down at the brew company

And long story short,

It sounds like they're not
gonna go with us right now.

[casey speaking]

They're exploring all options,

And some of the options
that they're exploring

Are obviously
a little bit bigger

Than where we are
at right now.

But, it doesn't mean
that they won't come around

[casey] all right.
Well, I mean,

I think a maybe is better

Than a solid no.

[jeff] just back
to the drawing board.

[casey] and we'll be ready
for it when they do call.

[jeff] yeah. All right, man.
Well, good luck out there

And I'll let you know
if something happens.

Hope you get
that fish, buddy.

- I hope you get one.
- All right.

- It is what it is.
- It's all right, babe.

It's all right.

We'll get 'em.

[dramatic music playing]

[wild bill] it's new orleans

Pretty cool town.

We're about, I don't know,
an hour and 45 out of venice.

This is a great place
to catch a meal.

I've never been here before.

[wild bill]
we were down here once.

I walked into the bar

And the band stopped
the song they were playing,

The guy threw me a mic,

And they started
playing dead or alive.

I can't carry
a tune in a bucket,

But I sure gave it hell.

I haven't been
downtown new orleans

And hung out
since we had the old man's

Second procession here.

[shane] this is
where the parade was, huh?

Yeah. It's been a long time

Since I've seen this street.

[wild bill] was it up
and down frenchman?

It was. Over this way.

This is it, dude. This is...

We marched up and down here
in the procession,

Brass band and all.

[wild bill] it's similar
to mardi gras.

I mean, it was
the epitome of new orleans.

[cheers and applause]

[josh] my old man's reach
was far and long.

When he passed away in 2010
we all came down here.

And the people of the city

Held him
a second line funeral,

A procession
to March him home.

[band music playing]

[wild bill] I mean,
there was music

And colorful costumes,

And they were,
you know, singing gospel,

And they were
pouring out of the bars,

And, you know, they saw
it was a tribute to him,

And it's such
a festive thing down here.

They actually
almost celebrate death.

Yeah. They do things
a little different down here.

Really, I didn't have
a lot of fight left in me.

I was numb,

Didn't wanna accept
the fact that he was gone.

You know, I was there
when he passed away.

From that point on, it was
a blur for a couple years.

It's, like, man, I don't know
what I'm gonna do.

Everyone told me that,
stay in the game,

Keep fishing,
but it was, like,

It's just always tough.

I miss him.

We're still
following that guy.

Yeah. And here...
We're here today.

If you guys weren't here,
I probably would have stopped.

-Well, it was worth
-*bleep* really.

Thanks, man.

- Weird being back.
- Yeah, I know.

He was an amazing character.

I'ma take a cruise
down memory lane,

I'm gonna take a minute.

Two years
after pop's procession,

I lost the cornelia marie.

That moment, that josh
has haunted me forever.

Took a long time

And a lot of help
to get her back.

Few people played a role.

Hillstrand.

[indistinct]

Look where I'm at, buddy.

We're in new orleans
right now,

Just walking the beat,

Where my dad
had his procession.

Music's playing,
the heat's hot,

The *bleep* humidity's
at an all-time high.

We're remembering him.

[johnathan speaking]

You did a burn out.

I remember that.
But you ran into the pole.

- [johnathan speaking]
- yeah.

[johnathan speaking]

Yeah. Oh, I know.

[johnathan speaking]

Yeah. I wish
you were too, pal.

I know you're a busy man,
mr. Hillstrand.

[johnathan speaking]

- [both laughs]
- *bleep*

[johnathan speaking]

- [josh] thanks, brother.
- [johnathan speaking]

- I love you too, brother.
- [johnathan speaking]

I'll be talking to you soon.

All right.

[sniffles]

[somber music playing]

Bill, jon,

Casey, jeff,
everyone's being supportive

Even though I'm on this
crazy adventure right now.

But I'm not
gonna let him down.

I just got this feeling, man

We can do this.

To venice we go.

[somber music playing]

[quirky music playing]

[wild bill] well, boys, her
we are in venice, louisiana

This might come as a surprise,

But they actually call this
place the end of the world.

We left new orleans
two hours ago,

So I'm not surprised.

It feels like the water
is higher

Than these roads out here.
It's crazy.

Look at the water next to us.

[wild bill] yeah, there's
some crazy stuff out there,

Like alligators,
snakes, spiders.

What type of spiders
they got around here?

Oh, my god, they're big ones.

- Oh, come on.
- [wild bill laughing]

[josh] dude.

[wild bill] all right,
you guys, here we are

Venice, louisiana.

[acoustic music playing]

[josh speaking]

[wild bill] it's not a resor

It's not fancy.

There's no umbrellas
in the drinks, but...

There's usually fish
on the end of the rod.

So heavy is gonna meet us
in the morning, right?

[wild bill] yeah, we're
gonna be on a dock early,

And he's gonna have the boat
all ready to go,

And we're gonna go out,

And hopefully we slam.

I'm excited, man.

[suspenseful music playing]

[wild bill] let's go out
and take a look.

Smells like fish, doesn't it?

It smells like money.

[josh] it does smell
like money, bill.

What do you think, shane?

[shane] that smells like fish.

[suspenseful music playing]

[josh] venice might not be
much to look at.

But then again
neither is dutch harbor.

And that town
does $190 million

Of seafood every year.

Don't judge a port
by its cover.

[suspenseful music playing]

[christopher] all righty,
y'all ready?

[josh] all right,
day one venice, here we go.

We're leaving out
of venice marina.

We're gonna head out
east chasing tunas

For the rest of the day.

[wild bill]
basically, we're gonna be
going down to mississippi

To get to the outside.

So what I've heard is,

The reason that fishing
is so good here,

You get all the nutrients
coming up from the river,

And the rivers
carved all these canyons,

And that brings in the bait

Which brings
in the bigger fish,

Which brings in
the bigger fish so...

That makes sense.

[suspenseful music playing]

[josh]
leaving venice means we've
gonna navigate the canals

To the mississippi delta.

There's access
to the east and the west,

Which means access

No matter which way
the wind is blowing.

The good news is the deepwater
rigs are much closer.

[suspenseful music playing]

[josh] there's a couple
right there.

We got under a couple marks
right now.

[shane] another mark
right there.

A couple marks.

Oh, yeah.

[man] oh, fun.

[christopher]
all righty, boys,

Get the bucket ready
and we throw 'em over.

- Okay.
- [christopher] let them go.

We've seen some marks,
it's go time, baby.

- [christopher] let them fly.
- [josh] yeah.

Yes, sir!

[wild bill] freebies deployed.

[tense music playing]

[christopher]
oh, whose is that?
Whose is that?

[tense music playing]

[wild bill]
keep it tight, keep it tight,

Don't let it go slack.

[christopher]
oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Oh, he's on it.

- [josh] oh, he's pissed.
- [christopher] there you go,
buddy.

[josh] out here, we're usin
lighter tackles
than in hawaii,

But still targeting fish
like way up to 200 pounds.

It's a finesse game,

But one hell of a workout,

We got to fight them by han

And keep them away
from the oil rigs.

Man, tell you what,
if I had to bring in

Fifty of these today,

I would have
a serious problem.

[shane] it's increasing
in oil in some of this...

[josh] there, bill,
show me how it's done.

[shane] yeah,
he's, like, under the boat.

[wild bill] come ahead
a little, boss?

[christopher] yes, sir.

[suspenseful music playing]

*bleep* come on.

[shane speaking]

[wild bill]
yeah, I guess, huh?

*bleep* bill,
you're a *bleep* animal.

[wild bill] this is not
uncommon at the end

To put the *bleep* harness.

[christopher speaking]

What the *bleep* are we doing?
Put it on.

- I'm not asking.
- [christopher] uh-huh.

Josh, josh,
just velcro it in the back,

- Pull it tighter.
- [josh] okay.

I got to pull it, buddy,
for a second.

[josh speaking]

[suspenseful music playing]

[josh] here it comes.

Here it goes.

They get up near the boat,
they freak.

Yeah.

Yeah. All right, josh.

[water splashes]

[wild bill] *bleep*
I got him high.

I need another gaff.

- [wild bill] one, two...
- [josh] two, three.

- All right.
- [shane] whoa!

[josh] beautiful fish.

Probably a 60, 65-pound fish.

It's beautiful color.

First trip out of venice,

Short ride to the rigs,

And one big yellowfin
in the box.

So far so good.

We're on.

- We got another one on.
- [christopher] here we go.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We're back in the game.

- Just keep pulling.
- Oh, yeah.

[christopher]
never ever get slack,

Just crank.

[man] oh, there he is.
Yeah, he splashed.

Swordfish.
I saw that nose come up.

Keep cranking that thing.
[josh pants]

[suspenseful music playing]

Swordfish, I've never
even seen one before.

I don't even know what to do.

[christopher speaking]

Holy *bleep*
a little action around, too.

[wild bill] crank!

[ominous music playing]

[wild bill] so the cornelia
was built in 1989, right?

- That's correct.
- So what do you guys remember

About 1989?

Shane had a sweet-a*s mullet.

How long was your mullet

- In 1989?
- [laughs]

Oh, thank you
for bringing that up, josh.

That was down in the middle
of my back, I believe.

[josh] heartbreak kid.

Well, at least I didn't have
a new kids on the block poster

Like you did there, josh.

Oh, you shut up.

What happens
if I were to pull out

A picture of you right now?

- Oh, aah...
- [josh] this...

Dude, that ain't right, man

[chuckles] oh, my god.

Oh, my, that's funny. [laughs]

- Girls loved it
for some reason.
- [wild bill] yeah.

Yeah, they didn't love mine.

Yeah, you know
it could be worse.

I mean, look at sig,
he never let it go.

- No, he did not.
- He still has a mullet.

He never let go
of that mullet, dude.

Nope.

[josh panting]

[shane] oh, there he is.
Yeah, he splashed.

Swordfish.
I saw that nose come up.

Keep cranking that thing.

[christopher]
oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Now he feels it, huh?

It looks like we're hooked up
on a sword.

It's a long haul getting him
up but the reward is great.

At some point, josh,
he may make a big run up,

You know, the main goal
is to crank.

That's where you're gonna feel
the burn,

All that sleeping
you've been doing

It's gonna finally payoff.

[josh speaking]

[shane]
how you doing, brother?

- [josh] do it.
- [shane] all right. All right.

Here we go.

[josh speaking]

[shane laughs]

[christopher] you're good.
Crank, crank, crank.

Called the gladiator
of the sea for a reason.

Good job. Good job.

[josh] you wanna swap,
brother?

- Yeah, that'd be great.
- If you're gonna swap,
now is the time.

- [grunts] all right, josh.
- [josh] okay.

- [shane speaking]
- I bet you are.

Whoo.

I got a lot of line in,
but that took a lot out of me.

[christopher]
this is a battle of the sword,

But you think he's right there
and then...

And then he might go down 400
or 500 foot in the next run.

He's gonna hang on.

[shane] he's getting up ther

- We got to the color.
- [claps]

We're working
a good strategy here.

Okay. [laughs]

All right. Here we go.
We got a strategy.

I *bleep*

[christopher]
smooth and steady.

It's going...It's going
back towards the front.

He's getting around,
let him go.

My man.

Pow, pow, pow,
they're getting close.

Coming back.

[shane speaking]

[christopher]
no. There's no switching now.

There's no switching now.

- [shane speaking]
- [christopher] not... No.

No, well, no, I'm not kidding.

Now is when you lose him.

Crank, crank, crank.

[shane speaking]

[christopher speaking]

Dammit, boy.

Oh, yeah, he's off.

Now it shouldn't have
any slack as long as
you pulled the hook.

- [josh] oh, we were
right there.
- We were right there.

Come on.

Aah!

It's a lot of cranking
to stay focused,

And keep the rod bent,
and keep it tight.

You got to...

All the fighting they do,

It elongates that hole
where the hook is,

And if you let it go slack,

And all they do
is one headshake,

And they're off. They're gone.

Did I do something wrong?

I swear I kept
that thing tucked.

It happens. It happens.

You lose more than you catch.

- [shane] ah!
- There's nothing you can do.

It's crushing
to lose any fish,

But a 200-pound sword,

That is just brutal.

The silver lining
is our first venice trip

Delivered two of the most
profitable species

In a matter of hours.

That battle was epic.

Man versus beast.

I'm ready for a c*ck.

[wild bill] all right, boys.

I think we should
stick around.

I mean, we're just starting
to get good at it.

This place
is a potential goldmine.

But jeff and casey are
adding new clients every day

I gotta make a move
before it's too late.

[suspenseful music playing]

- It's matt o'brien?
- [matt] yes, sir.

- How are we doing, my man?
- I'm good. I'm good.

- What's going on, my friend?
- I'm good, man.

What's going on?
What's going on?

Uh, you know,
we've been fishing down

Your neck of the woods
here for a bit,

Kind of learn
the lay of the land,

Got to look into maybe
possibly starting selling

Some fish around this region.

- Selling some fish?
- Yes, sir.

Matt o'brien
is a friend of heavy's,

And one of the top
wholesalers in southeast.

He deals directly
with restaurants

And high-end private chefs,

Sourcing whatever
product they need.

We've done quite well

In the past couple of years
over in hawaii.

We're looking to expand.

Follow my dad's dream,
he'd kind of had

An idea
to do something like this.

He never could put the pieces
together to make it happen.

You know, after we talked
on the phone the other day,

I made a few calls,

Some people I know
in the business,

You know,
you got a good reputation.

They say you work hard.

And I feel for,

You know, your goals with
your father and all of that,

But let me
tell you something, man,

In this business down here

With these restaurants
we supply

In new orleans and all,

You can't promise something
and not deliver.

- Yeah.
- Because that's the end of it.

When it comes down to it,
it's business is business,

It's a hard business,
hard people.

Well, if we've been doing it
for a couple years

- In hawaii...
- [matt] yeah, no doubt.

- We're still
in business there.
- No doubt.

That's a pretty
cutthroat market,

I think, give us a shot,

We won't let you down.

[matt] all right, uh,
I'll tell you what,

I'll give you a chance.

And if you guys can get on it

And fulfill it,

Then we'll go from there,
you know?

- Yeah.
- [matt] no promises.

[josh]
houston, we have liftoff.

It might seem like
I'm rushing in.

But sometimes, the only way
you can win the race

Is you got to put the cart
in front of the horse.

[quirky music playing]

[jeff] josh, what's happenin

[josh] oh, dude,
I got to tell you, man.

We just had an absolutely
phenomenal day out here.

We got tuna, and...

Just got done talking
with a local fish buyer.

I just secured
our first order, buddy.

It's not a big order

These guys, they're willing
to work with us.

I told you
when I found the sign of life,

I'd reach out.

I found it
and it's right down here

In venice, louisiana.

An order? I mean,
how are you gonna plan

On pulling that off?

[josh] maybe I get some hel
from my boys.

If we pull together
and we kind of get

A little bit better structur
on a couple of things

Which you guys can operate
and check it out,

Get your opinions,

Get some help
with fishing and stuff,

And we can expand
the business.

Once you see it,
you'll be a believer too.

I'm asking,

Just please come on out
and check it out.

Well, I think jeff and I
need to talk

About this a little bit.

I mean, we got some things
to discuss.

We'll be back to you
in a little while.

- [josh] okay, cool.
- All right. Bye.

I mean, I'm glad
that he's finding something,

But for both of us to drop
everything right now
and go up there

For how much
we've been doing here,

I don't think
it's a smart move.

But that's just...That's just
what I think, you know.

It makes sense.

I feel like I'm bailing
on my buddy right now

If I don't go do it after
I told him I'd back him up.

I'll go over there,
take a look at it,

Crunch some numbers,
figure some stuff out,

And if it's worth it,
we'll do it.

You know, we'll...
I'll give you a call. But...

If it's not worth it,
I'll be right back in a week.

I mean, he sounds pretty
excited, so I owe him that.

All right.

I'm excited to hear what
you sound like in louisiana.

I'll fit in great down there.

You've already lost
your hawaiian accent.

[laughs]

[suspenseful music playing]