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  • 2 days ago
River.Monsters.S03E07
Transcript
00:00My name is Jeremy Wade, and I hunt monsters. River monsters. I'm always on the alert for
00:22new information, new leads, and new investigations. I've received a tantalizing report. It's
00:30a story about a fish apparently attacking a diver, but there are frustratingly few details.
00:38And that's no wonder, because this story comes from a remote country in South America,
00:42a country called Suriname. But from what I've heard, this is not the work of South America's
00:47most notorious river monster, the piranha. So what is it? Can there really be a fish that pound for
00:54pound can challenge the piranha for the title of the most ferocious river monster of South America?
01:02There's only one way to find out.
01:17In pursuit of river monsters, I've traveled to the four corners of the globe. Suriname is one place
01:31I've never had cause to visit until now. I've come to investigate the possibility that although
01:39everyone knows the notorious piranha, there may be a fish out here that has an even more fearsome
01:46reputation. Suriname is South America's best kept secret. It is the smallest country on the continent
01:56with a population of only half a million people, but it can boast the largest continuous area of
02:01unspoiled rainforest in the world. Once a Dutch colony, it is a true melting pot of nationalities and
02:09cultures. The majority of the sparse population live along the coast. So the deeper into the country you go,
02:18the further you are from the civilized world. I have been to remote places before, but this is of a new order.
02:25If things go wrong out here, there is little hope of being rescued.
02:39But first, I have to meet the victim in the story, the man who was attacked by this mystery fish.
02:47I've arranged to meet him where the attack happened, at the dam two hours out of the capital, Paramaribo.
02:56The dam was built on the Suriname River and completed in 1964, creating one of the largest
03:02man-made lakes in the world, called Broca Pondo, on the banks of which I meet Maurice Gantz,
03:09a local man of Dutch descent. What was your job on the dam at the time?
03:13We're asked to dive to see the erosion in the downstream for big holes underneath. We pour in cement
03:21in big, large bags. So we go underneath there, start up the engine on top.
03:29The water becomes like mist. We cannot see anymore. Suddenly, I saw something blinking.
03:35So I grab my knife and then he hits me. So fast, I blew out my hand. I don't know if the knife hits him.
03:44Then I start feeling and seeing the blood flowing. I realized I was bitten and very deep.
03:56This was definitely not a piranha attack. They rush in, snatching quick, savage bites. They don't
04:03cling onto their victims like a dog with a bone. Maurice's mutilated hand needed over a hundred
04:09stitches. And even though it was 20 years ago, he still very much bears the scars.
04:14This is the scar here? Yes, this is the scar from here through here, over this small finger, cut here.
04:24And those are the tooth from the top. It's hard to believe there's a freshwater fish that would launch
04:32a solo attack on a diver. Did you know what fish it was? It's an anumara. Anumara, also known as the wolffish,
04:45so called for its wolf-like teeth. These fish can grow to nearly four and a half feet and weigh 80 pounds.
04:53They are serious predators. But I had until now never heard of one ever attacking a person.
05:02I wonder if Maurice ever had any other kind of close encounter while he was diving.
05:11The only thing that we saw close behind us were piranhas.
05:15Did that make you slightly nervous? Not really, not really.
05:19But every time you do like this or you make a sudden move, they disappear.
05:23They never came and took a nip out of any... No, no, no, no, no, no.
05:27So Maurice often saw piranhas. But they never ever came close. Unlike this lone wolf.
05:36This fish attacked. And if Maurice hadn't had his knife, who knows what could have happened?
05:41Could it be that the wolffish is more dangerous than the more notorious South American horror, the piranha?
05:46To find out, I need to confront one myself. I wonder if Maurice's monster still haunts this river.
05:56From experience, many river monsters have little regard for our modern world.
06:01I've caught them near dams and in cities. Will this monster be any different?
06:05The attack on Maurice was 20 years ago. And as far as I'm aware, nothing like that has happened in this place since.
06:20And also this place seems to be comparatively developed.
06:24So I'm not really sure if this is where I should be looking.
06:27I persevere through the night, but with no luck.
06:38In the morning, I head back into town to Paramaribo, Suriname's capital city.
06:47I need to find out where a wolffish can be found.
06:52I head downtown to the fish market to try my luck.
06:56This looks like a small animara. Small wolffish.
07:04Ah, yeah, yeah, I understand. I understand.
07:06This one isn't actually the animara. This is a small relative called here the pataca.
07:10I've caught something very similar to this, maybe actually the same as this in Brazil.
07:16Those teeth are probably almost as vicious as the piranhas.
07:19They're also very slippery. It's like a bar of soap with teeth.
07:21It's the big one. I'll sort of scale that version of this, which is what I'm looking for.
07:28The wolffish I'm hunting are ten times larger than these.
07:33There are no wolffish here, but I don't leave empty-handed.
07:38I've been told of an old retired animara fisherman who lives in town.
07:41OK.
07:44Maybe he can tell me where I can find one of these monsters.
07:51His name is Fritz van der Bosch. He shows me his old wolffish gear.
07:55So this is very strong line. It may be outdated, but it's an impressive rig.
08:08And as we settle down to chat, he tells me of his own strange experience of being attacked by a wolffish.
08:13A tree was falling over the creek and walk on the tree.
08:20An animara jumping to take my foot.
08:25So your leg was out of the water.
08:26No.
08:29The way you talk, I see you don't believe it, but it's dangerous.
08:33I tell you that.
08:35If the animara hungry, it's dangerous.
08:40This story really puts the wolffish into a different league.
08:44I have never heard of a fish trying to attack someone on land before.
08:49And there's another, more chilling story.
08:52I'm going to tell you something.
08:54An Indian woman was going to wash the creek.
08:58I had a little dog.
09:01I mean, you want to jump.
09:04We need to take the dog.
09:05Turn back in the water and go with the dog.
09:12Reptilian monsters like anacondas and gators are known to snatch dogs from the water's edge.
09:19But a fish, now I'm even more determined to find a wolffish.
09:23It sounds like what you need to do now is go a long way away.
09:35Before it was easy to go in there.
09:38So you're now, you can't just do a short, a short fishing trip.
09:42You have to make an expedition.
09:43It seems that people have driven out this aquatic wolf.
09:52It now exists only beyond civilization.
09:55To take it on, I'm now preparing to travel deep into Suriname's wild interior.
10:00Maybe there I'll find other stories of wolffish attacks that have just never made it out of the jungle alive.
10:05To find a monster more terrible than even the dreaded piranha, I'm about to go deeper than I have ever ventured before.
10:25I'm in Suriname in South America, a country that is almost entirely jungle.
10:30I have heard stories of a fish so fearless that it has attacked people and animals, even out of water.
10:37A lone wolf that is pound for pound more fearsome than the infamous piranha.
10:43But to catch one, I must travel deep into the unknown.
10:47To a place where few people have ever been.
10:51Usually there are signs of human habitation dotted around, but out here there is nothing.
11:00I once survived a plane crash in Brazil and was lucky enough to walk to a nearby town.
11:06But out here, I wouldn't stand a chance.
11:13The landing strip is the only cleared patch of forest I have seen for nearly two hours.
11:19I wonder just what I've got myself into.
11:30Peter Sonneveld has a European name, but is 100% Surinamese.
11:41He will help me talk with the local people so I can collate any wolffish stories from this area.
11:46On the ground, the rainforest is as impressive as it is from the air.
11:53But our isolation is even more apparent.
11:57Not only are the heat and humidity oppressive, but our little group are possibly the only human beings
12:02in thousands of acres of tangled rainforest.
12:05At night, this place takes on an even more sinister character.
12:18Well, it looks like we're just about here, but I'm not totally sure where here is.
12:21But it does sound like there's some serious water over here somewhere.
12:25But I'm going to have to wait until the morning to see exactly what I'm up against.
12:28In all my years of fishing, this could be the most unspoilt and remote river that I've ever fished.
12:52The mighty Corentin River is 450 miles long and Suriname's largest.
12:59For most of its length, it is completely uninhabited and rarely explored.
13:06The river is punctuated by frequent crushing rapids and deep turbulent pools.
13:12There are vast granite boulders everywhere, some just under the water, others creating waterfalls.
13:21There are so many different fishing holes that I take every opportunity to get a bait or lure in the river,
13:26to cover as much water as I can.
13:30Different types of fish prefer different parts of the river.
13:35Having never hunted for wolf fish here, I need to explore every likely fishing spot to see if I can
13:40discover the monster's lair.
13:47I'm using my short bait caster rod for accuracy to get my eye in.
13:52Although it looks lightweight, this beauty with its strong braided line is capable of landing fish over a hundred pounds.
13:58But there are more than just wolf fish here. The Corentin is also home to the red-eyed piranha,
14:06one of the largest of its kind. This river really is the best place to compare
14:10these two toothy South American monsters.
14:16That's a fish on! Fish on! Hey! Fish off!
14:25Suddenly, I'm getting action every cast.
14:27When you get these things in, they are just so well hooked, and yet, sometimes you hook one,
14:37and somehow, it just manages to get rid of the hooks. That's quite dramatic though, short but very,
14:44very dramatic.
14:50That's one on, that's one on. Let's see if I can keep this one on.
14:55But is this a wolf fish?
14:57I haven't seen the fish yet.
15:00That is a piranha in the back. Foul hooked always feels bigger.
15:11Monster piranha. That is black in color.
15:15Just by looking at one, you can understand the piranha's reputation.
15:19But I've done experiments using myself as a guinea pig, and I've concluded that they're only
15:23dangerous to people in extreme circumstances. For piranhas, the mob rules. It's death by a
15:29thousand cuts, and for that, they have no equal. But I'm comparing wolf fish with piranhas one
15:36against one, and having now seen the piranhas they have to compete with, I'm even more wary about
15:41meeting a wolf fish. I wonder if, like wolves, the fish I'm after are nocturnal hunters.
15:50So I continue fishing into the night, but it's too risky to move around. There are too many hazards
15:55and dangers that could send me into the dark water. So I change tactics and stick to the shore.
16:02I'm fishing with a big bait cast into the stream.
16:13Fish on.
16:18But it's just another monster piranha.
16:20I'm supposed to be asleep now, but there's always one. There's always one.
16:28It's November, and the rainy season is fast approaching. Carbon fiber rods make excellent
16:34lightning conductors. I don't know how long I can stay out here.
16:40Luckily, something picks up the bait. It feels big, much bigger than anything I've hooked so far.
16:45On the boat, on the boat. Motor, motor, motor.
16:48I'm hoping to finally come face to jaw with a wolf fish.
16:56Which fish has more teeth? Is it the wolf fish or the piranha?
17:04With over a hundred teeth, a wolf fish has approximately four times as many teeth as a piranha.
17:10I'm deep in the jungles of Surinam, hunting for the wolf fish. A creature that, according to the people
17:23I've spoken to, is more fearsome than even piranhas. The question is, do I have one on the end of my line?
17:30Right, that's a new species for here. That's a red-tailed catfish. That's about the size of what I want,
17:41but it's the wrong species. The local name for these fish is the motro t'jali,
17:46which translates as motor car, on account of all the noises they make when out of the water.
17:50Oh, oops. Red-tailed catfish. It's another species that's active at night. Not what I was after,
17:59but it's quite interesting just to see a bit of the variety here. It's a familiar
18:03species to me, but in a different part of South America. A bit of excitement.
18:08It's a long time of excitement.
18:27After several more days of trying with no success, my guide Peter suggests we visit the only village in
18:32the area and talk with the locals to see if they can give us the information that we need.
18:42The Trio tribes' village at Amatopo has no more than 20 huts. It is their only settlement on the
18:48Corentin River. They live with the wool fish, so they know it better than anyone. I'm hoping they
18:54will share some of its secrets with me.
18:56How dangerous exactly is the Anumara?
19:07The Trio was hunting and he came to a creek near here called Mosquito Creek.
19:14And there was a troop of monkeys crossing the creek.
19:20They were going to the furthest branch on one side, jumping across onto the furthest
19:24branch, the other side, and the whole group of monkeys had jumped, apart from the last one.
19:29One last one been there.
19:30One missed the branch, landed in the water.
19:38As soon as it hit the water, it was attacked by a wolf fish and killed.
19:44Suddenly, the stories come thick and fast.
19:47So somebody was actually bitten on the arm. That speaks of a real sort of aggression.
19:56Trio's uncle was hunting one day with his dog.
20:02Hunting dogs, when they're hunting, they're barking, barking, barking.
20:06Trio's uncle found his dog dead in the creek with its stomach ripped open.
20:13And there's now another incident of somebody getting bitten, in this case on the thumb.
20:22So there's another two animals to add to the list. Snakes swimming on the surface and just being
20:28taken from below. There's a type of bird called an animal. This is a bird, comes to the water to drink,
20:35and likewise, that's just grabbed by one of these fish just lurking there in ambush.
20:42Is that thing you're sort of, you know, wary about getting in the water sometimes?
20:55He's not jumping, because where people don't fish, the ayamara just very raw aggression.
21:03People outside South America, they know all about piranhas. Now,
21:07locally, a wolf fish, this is a fish with a very big reputation. It's known to be very aggressive,
21:11and there are certain circumstances where they will literally rip anything apart that goes near them.
21:17Reptiles, birds, primates, even people.
21:24After listening to the Trio tribe, it's clear that having the weaponry is one thing,
21:28having the attitude is quite another. The wolf fish is well equipped with both.
21:34But one thing still eludes me. Where do you find them?
21:43Salamone agrees to take me fishing, but it's like no fishing I've done before.
21:47Straight away, we do something I wasn't expecting. Salamone leads me to a narrow creek,
21:56one that no one has been through for some time.
21:58We then take to the land and creep through the jungle. Looks like we're following the course of
22:12a sort of a dried-up sub-creek. So the chances are there's going to be a bit of a junction here,
22:17and that does look like the kind of place where you might find fish.
22:23He fishes with a bow and arrow, the way his ancestors have for centuries.
22:27There's a string in the bow. Let's get the tension in the bow.
22:37This is mimicking the sound of a water bird. So there's a little bit of disturbance on the surface,
22:42a little bit of whistling. The idea is this calls the wolf fish in. I don't know if it's coincidence
22:50or what, but I've just seen movement on the surface, which looked very much like a wolf fish.
23:01Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes.
23:08Oh, it's on. He missed it, but it has given me the last
23:12piece of this puzzle.
23:17One thing very, very striking. That fish, when it came in, that was in very shallow water.
23:22Not just that, very, very tangly water.
23:28So this isn't a monster of the deep, this is a monster sometimes of the shallows.
23:35The fishing with the line is going to be very close quarters, and also these snags are going to
23:39present a real problem, not just in terms of getting a bait to a place where the fish can take it,
23:43but also if I get a heavy fish on, extracting it from all this stuff, you know, it's going to be very
23:48challenging. And who knows, that might even be at night. So this is going to be quite some fishing.
23:55I decide to have a go myself using the gear I'm accustomed to.
24:06I'm now using my larger fixed spool reel and a big chunk of bait with a wire trace to stop any sharp teeth from biting through.
24:13I'm also trying to make some disturbance on the surface, like Salamone did, to see if it will
24:24attract any hungry wolf fish.
24:30No takes on the bait, no reaction to the popper.
24:36Looks a good spot, but there doesn't seem to be anything at home.
24:39We've reached the end of the navigable stretch of this creek now. It's just this impenetrable
24:47tangle of branches now. So if we were to hack our way through that, we'd just disturb everything.
24:52You could hardly get a bait into the water. Anyway, very, very interesting fishing.
25:09On our way back to the village on the main river, conditions are changing.
25:21It may be nothing to worry about, this black cloud here, because the weather in the tropics,
25:24it can be very localized. You can see a storm over in one direction. Maybe it comes your way,
25:29you get wet. Maybe it goes somewhere else. But it seems to have passed us by. Or so I think.
25:38With nothing for the pot, Salamone takes me on a detour to catch some fish for dinner.
25:47I think this could be our spot here. So off the rocks, there's going to be a nice slack
25:53with eddies happening on the other side. But out on this exposed island, in the middle of the river,
26:01we are about to discover just how changeable and dangerous conditions are in the rainforest.
26:06This is a classic example of pure fishing, in a way. It's starting with absolutely nothing,
26:17just coming down with a couple of rods, no bait, and just poking around in these cracks
26:22to find crabs. And then a crab is pulled into pieces, and that's where we start from. Hopefully,
26:27return that.
26:40I'm deep in the jungles of Suriname, hunting for the fearsome wolf fish. I have been shown how the
26:45local people hunt them, and it's some of the strangest fishing I've ever seen.
26:48Now, Salamone, my guide, has taken me on a detour to try and secure our supper. But we're in for a shock.
27:05F*** me! Should I take this off?
27:07I would, I would.
27:08Yeah?
27:09That lightning strike's right on top of the Salamone was standing in the water,
27:11he actually felt the shock. He had got a shock through the water.
27:15Abandoning!
27:15Abandoning!
27:22I thought we'd all escaped that lightning strike. The sound man on my crew didn't too.
27:28Our sound recorder says being hit was actually struck on the head by that bolt of lightning.
27:32Chris, are you okay? Are you responding?
27:33Yeah, I'm fine.
27:34Good, good, good, good. Right, we might need some first aid here.
27:36Let's go, let's go, let's go.
27:38Quick, quick, quick.
27:40How are you feeling?
27:41Good, I just hit the top of my head.
27:43Right. We're, we're, we're moving away from the storm now, is that good?
27:48It's a very big headache.
27:49Right.
27:50And a pain on it.
27:52Right.
27:53But I think my boots took a lot of them.
27:56Rubber soles, rubber soles, rubber soles, good.
27:59I've got a bit of a headache. James, who's behind the camera at the moment, has got a headache. I think it
28:03might have actually hit all three of us. Chris definitely got the brunt of it. I mean, very,
28:07very lucky for him. He was actually wearing thick rubber sole boots. So he's conscious, which is a huge relief.
28:17Right, we're arriving at the, um, back at the camp.
28:20I suspect that the lightning bolt actually struck very close to where we were all standing.
28:25We all felt the effects of the strike, but Chris was obviously the closest.
28:35The remoteness of our location is now even more apparent.
28:38But thankfully, Chris's condition continues to improve. And within 12 hours, he is once more back
28:46on his feet and eager to get me fishing again.
28:55So if you just tell me again, so how far from here we're going?
28:58That night, Peter lays out his plans for us to head even deeper into the jungle,
29:02to try and reach some creeks that he believes will be the best places for us to catch a wolf fish.
29:08But it will mean camping and being self-sufficient for several days in a place even more remote.
29:14With all that has happened, it is a brave plan, and we decide to sleep on it.
29:24But I discuss it with the crew, and there is really only one decision.
29:29I'm actually going even more remote, if such a thing is possible.
29:32I figure that if I'm going to find a big wolf fish, I'm going to need to go somewhere where
29:38even the trio don't normally go.
29:40The sheer size of the Corentin River is humbling.
29:50In places, it is over two miles wide, a confusion of tangled islands, channels, rocky outcrops,
29:56and narrow rapids.
29:59We are using a local boatman called Bonner, who knows the river well.
30:02Without him, I would quickly become lost in this watery maze.
30:09The jungle echoes with eerie calls and cries, but it is too impenetrable to reveal the creatures making the noise.
30:20Three hours later, and with nothing but endless rainforest on either bank, we arrive at our new base camp.
30:26It's a collection of small tents on a sandbar on an island in the middle of nowhere.
30:34From here, I will carry out my campaign to catch a wolf fish.
30:42I waste no time getting ready.
30:44And before the sun sets, we head out to the nearest creek to get our bearings.
31:00Wolf fish, it seems, head up creeks during the wet season, dispersing into the flooded forest.
31:05But as the water recedes, they are forced back down towards the main river.
31:09It is then that they are at their easiest to find.
31:14I am here in what should be the lowest water levels of the year.
31:19But straight away, it is apparent the conditions are not ideal.
31:26Very much mixed feelings on arriving at the camp.
31:29The thing that struck me immediately was that the water level is probably about two foot up on
31:35what we'd hoped for, what we'd expected, and what is ideal for catching the wolf fish.
31:41Basically, what that means is that the creeks are going to be that much fuller.
31:46So the fish aren't going to be concentrated.
31:47They're going to be spread up the creek.
31:51They won't be as hungry. They won't be as aggressive.
31:53So catching them is likely to be harder than I expected.
32:06I have now heard incredible stories of how fearless wolf fish are.
32:10I have caught the huge piranha that they compete with in these rivers.
32:16I have travelled so far, and risked so much, but to fall at the last hurdle would be a disaster.
32:22This creek is a really eerie place, a pool enclosed by rainforest in the heart of nowhere.
32:38I have never felt so tiny and remote.
32:40The fragility of my safety has never been so clear, and to make matters worse, I'm not alone.
32:57A caiman, South America's alligator.
33:00Large ones have been known to attack people.
33:03Although normally quite wary, this one is completely unafraid of me,
33:06testament to how far from people I've travelled.
33:10I don't want him to come too close, but it's no wonder he has made this creek his home.
33:16It's alive with piranhas.
33:18It's actually very frustrating.
33:19Every bait I'm throwing out is getting attacked, but unfortunately it's by piranhas.
33:26Ah, piranha again.
33:28I'm hoping that as the light fades, you know, they will become less active.
33:33But at the moment, I've got a dwindling supply of bait,
33:35because the piranhas are just attacking it every time.
33:39My best chance is to wait until night.
33:46Salamone told me that once the sun sets, the piranhas run and hide,
33:51because that's when the wolf fish come out to hunt.
33:54It seems the piranhas know who the real river monster is.
34:05I've finally got a wolf fish on my line, but I'm not the only one with an eye on my catch.
34:19There's a caveman right in front of me.
34:26Wait, man!
34:27I'm in Suriname in South America.
34:38Oh, yeah.
34:39And I have finally hooked the wolf fish, a fish I believe is more piercing than the piranha.
34:45But there is a problem.
34:47All the commotion has attracted a really unwanted visitor.
34:50Is it after the fish or me?
34:53I did the only thing I can think of.
34:56I'm going to try and just pull this up on the side.
34:57With the worst possible result.
35:04I was trying to pull the fish up on the side because the caiman was after it,
35:08and I've lost it. I've lost it. Damn!
35:14Should have had that fish. If that caiman hadn't been there,
35:17I'd have probably had that fish.
35:18What I was trying to do was just slide it up on the side here.
35:21Hook came out.
35:23Hey!
35:23I can't risk going back, even though I know wolf fish are there.
35:33Caiman are territorial, and it was certainly not afraid of me.
35:39It will be there again tomorrow without doubt, and next time it might not just go for the fish.
35:44A seven-foot caiman could easily attack, and a severe injury out here would have serious ramifications.
35:53But morning gives us another problem. Rain.
36:02The storm makes me, and the whole crew, nervous.
36:06We are nearing the end of the dry season.
36:09When the rainy season starts, two things will happen.
36:13First, the creeks will flood, and the fish, already hard to find,
36:17will disappear into flooded forest, making them impossible to catch.
36:22Second, and possibly more important, we could become stranded.
36:27The airstrip is upstream, and it's our only way home.
36:31If the water gets too high and fast, we will not be able to get out.
36:36It's a sobering thought, and it makes me look as much to the sky as I do to the water.
36:41And I certainly don't want to test the theory that lightning never strikes the same place twice.
36:49The new creek that I'm targeting is much narrower,
36:52and even more surrounded with snags and tangles than the previous one.
36:55Oh, it's off.
37:08Nothing seems to be going my way.
37:10All my previous luck seems to have run out.
37:12There's been a bit of bait on here, not getting any response to artificials,
37:23so we're putting a lump of piranha on.
37:31There's been a couple of fish actually moving in here,
37:33one right underneath this tangle of branches.
37:36So it's fishing right in the middle of snags.
37:39In a place like this, if it gets even a few feet,
37:41it's wrapped itself around a branch.
37:42So I give it just enough line to take the bait properly,
37:45and then it's just try and haul it to the boat.
37:58There's been nothing moving here now for quite a while,
38:00so I think what I'll do, I'll go further up the creek
38:02and maybe drop in here later.
38:04Nothing doing here at the moment.
38:11The only option left is to enter this creek at night.
38:18With half-hidden roots and fallen trees,
38:21navigating this waterway is a disaster waiting to happen.
38:24And it seems every creek has its caiman.
38:30To make matters worse, I hear a rumble of thunder.
38:33My window of opportunity is about to slam shut.
38:44This could be my last chance to catch a wolf fish.
38:54I think it could be time to call it a night.
39:07These things are very active at the moment.
39:09I think that could have been a piranha that took it into a snag.
39:13I think it could be time to call it a night.
39:17These things are very active at the moment.
39:27With the storm edging ever closer,
39:29and hungry piranhas seemingly beating any wolf fish to my bait,
39:33I'm considering calling it a night.
39:35But then, I make a discovery.
39:37Oh, wait a minute, I've got a scale here.
39:40I've got a scale.
39:41That looks like a small wolf fish.
39:44The storm is closing in, but so are the wolf fish.
39:48I decide to fish on.
40:05Here we go. Here we go.
40:08Finally, a strong take.
40:10It's a wolf fish, and a big one.
40:14I have been hunting for the wolf fish,
40:27and it seems that everything has been trying to stop me.
40:32But now, in the pitch dark, I have finally made contact with the fish
40:35that I believe is South America's real river monster.
40:37It's a wolf fish.
40:40Very strong, very strong.
40:41The monster I've spent the past three weeks trying to catch.
40:45Here we go.
40:46And it's a big one.
40:48Over she comes.
40:49Here we go.
41:01Here we go.
41:01That's a result.
41:02That's a result.
41:02That's lovely.
41:03So here we are.
41:03This is the wolf fish.
41:05And the stories I've heard about these, absolutely fearless.
41:07Anything comes near them, dogs, people, they'll go for it.
41:10So it looks quite gap-toothed.
41:13But actually, pull those lips back, and you see they're very spiky fangs underneath there.
41:19The other thing about it is the fishing is just unlike anything I've done before.
41:24It's real guerrilla, close quarters, hand-to-hand combat almost.
41:31My quest for the wolf fish has pushed me to my limits.
41:35Damn!
41:38It seems appropriate that I've had to push deeper and deeper into the greatest rainforest in the world
41:42to find the most savage and untamed river monster to date.
41:49The piranha gets all the press.
41:53But this guy delivers the goods.
41:55It's well-armed with a fearsome set of teeth.
41:58But it's also fiery and fearless, attacking animals and people even out of the water.
42:06And I'm convinced this is the fish that possibly, pound for pound,
42:09is the toughest, most monstrous fish of South America.
42:13There it is, the wolf fish.
42:18Want to know how to catch a river monster of your own?
42:20I'll show you how at animalplanet.com forward slash river monsters.