As Robson arrives in the fishing wonderland of Florida, he is greeted with the coldest spell the state has suffered for some 85 years. “You travel all this way to the Sunshine State and it’s blowing a gale!” he reflects. Refusing to let the weather dampen his mood, the actor teams up with captain Taco Perez at Fort Lauderdale and is soon on the open ocean on the trail of sailfish. Having never managed to net this beast, nicknamed the ballerina of the seas owing to its grace and power, Robson is determined that his luck will change.
“America is my best chance to bag one,” he says. Despite Taco’s confidence, the sailfish are nowhere to be seen. After hours at sea, the anglers have caught nothing – until a flurry of activity attracts their attention. Taco catches a bull dorado, then leaves it in the water in order to attract females to the area. The ploy works very well, and Robson manages to land half a dozen good-sized fish in just five minutes. However, the sailfish remains elusive.
The next stop for Robson is Miami, an hour’s drive south from Fort Lauderdale. To maximise the chances of fulfilling his sailfish dream, the actor joins up with local legend Bouncer Smith, who claims to have caught some 13,000 game fish in a 30-year career. Once out at sea, Robson quickly gets a bite and manages to bring in a remora, or suckerfish – a bizarre-looking fish that attaches itself to large predators for protection and transportation. He then lands a huge king mackerel. “Now that’s a lovely specimen, but I still feel like a kid who has been given the wrong present,” he says.
After four hours at sea, Robson is about to give up when he suddenly gets a big bite. A flash of silver in the distance confirms his suspicions that this is a sailfish – and a big one. “What a rush!” he shouts. “There’s nothing like this!” The fish fights well, but, with the aid of Bouncer and his mate, the intrepid angler eventually manages to bring it in. “There we have it,” he enthuses. “The fastest ocean-going predator on the planet – the Atlantic sailfish!”
Making the most of his winning streak, Robson heads inland to the lakes and creeks of Gemini Springs. Teaming up with experts Wayne and Josh, he tries his hand at bow fishing from a flatbottomed airboat. “If you can see the fish, you can get the fish,” advises Wayne. However, as an archery champion, Wayne finds the technique a little easier than Robson, who feels way more comfortable with a rod and reel. The men are after tilapia, a species that has reached plague proportions since being introduced from Africa. “The good news is I can eat as many as I like,” says Robson. “The bad news is I have to hit one first!”
Despite his pessimism, the Geordie eventually manages to spear a small fish, which he later grills over an open fire and eats. Before his American adventure ends, Robson joins the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders for a moraleboosting routine, before coming face to face with some big alligators in Lake Worth. However, his greatest fishing challenge to date is yet to come.
On the final day of his trip, he heads to the West Palm Beach Fishing Club on a mission to catch a true giant of the seas – the bull shark. These massive, aggressive predators can grow to over 400lbs and have been known to attack humans. “My next target will make the massive 80lb sailfish I caught seem like a minnow,” says a somewhat apprehensive Robson. Could this leg of the worldwide fishing tour be Robson’s last?
Comments (21)
12 days ago
angie.m
best programme on the telly then theres eastenders.
over 1 year ago
Robert Lama
In the Miami episode you faced the peril of a larger yacht fishing near you while you were landing a sailfish....That yacht was mine. Sorry dude. I did notice that you were backing down on that fish and changed my troll ASAP. Great episode. Sorry I had to be part of the show.
2 years ago
iPhone 2011
When is the actual apple iphone 5 ( or even the successor of the iphone4) most likely to be released? I just lost my iphone a little while ago, and I was thinking about if I must get the iphone4 now or wait for the iPhone 5... In addition, I heard the i phone 4's screen shatters very easily if you fall it w/o an instance. Is that true?
2 years ago
tash
loving this, it is skipping the adverts! thankyou soooooo much, love u channel 5 - on this particular programme!!!
over 2 years ago
ROBSON IS THE BEST
this is gid
over 2 years ago
ROBSON IS THE BEST
THAT WAS FANTASTIC I LOVED IT
over 2 years ago
nay1998
it is an amizin show i luv to fish
over 2 years ago
trev-unconscious fisherman
robson you are the man
over 2 years ago
Health-conscious fisherman
Steph r u on about the blue marlin & the bull shark? Good luck gettin those on board without getting cut in half!
over 2 years ago
Rory
love this program when is the next sieries on ???
over 2 years ago
Steph
I do not count a fish as caught when it has not been touched by the person doing the fishing/fun to watch him trying to catch fish though
over 2 years ago
kevin wingfield
robson wat a man like urself im a trout fisherman and ab love the show by far the best fishing program ever aired on tv thanks for fab show keep up the fantasic job ur doing, on showing the fun side of fishing ur dsoing a super job and a pleaser to again and again THANK YOU
over 2 years ago
mel
armoured cat fish
over 2 years ago
Steve
Robson's failures are heroic. His temper volcanic. BUT the episode to India was mindboggling boring. Glad to see he has not discovered the fishing paradise I know, with marlin, tuna, eldorado etc.
This comment was removed by a moderator
over 2 years ago
Ninja Penguin
This is one of the fw fishing shows I can actually watch and enjoy :D On a side note: does anyone know the name of that weird armoured fish robson caught with the bow? at least i think it was with the bow
over 2 years ago
Jamie D
mate stfu.. about dont comment on this video lol smd. Love this programme, make me want to go out and do some extreme fishing of my own :D
This comment was removed by a moderator
over 2 years ago
Dry but fruity viewer
"Would be nice to wash it down with a nice glass of Sauvignon-Blanc" "Yeah, I guess...whatever that is"
over 2 years ago
Anonymous
what a quick upload/release, thanks chan 5
over 2 years ago
Stuffed-on-thursday's-exam Viewer
I'm meant to be doing revision Robson and you're on television again! I am powerless to resist a bit of extreme fishing.