Original subtitles

Hiding beneath the plant

strewn surface of this vast wetland lurks

a swamp monster that is capable of striking

with incredible speed.

I can sense that you think this is

another episode about the notorious snapping turtle,

but it's not.

This ancient being is armed with a mouth

full of needle-like teeth.

And trust me when I say that this creature is

unlike anything we have featured before.

Welcome to West Virginia's Green Bottom Swamp.

This location is shrouded in war.

And my good friend, wildlife expert Tim Brust, for years

has been telling me about the monsters living

amongst the watery shadows.

Tim is a man of his word, and I believe the tales he tells.

But catching one of these supposed monsters

is going to require a tactic we have

never featured on the Brave Wilderness Channel.

A fishing pole.

OK, we've got a short walk down to the edge of a marsh.

We're going after a true swamp monster in the fish kingdom.

Something known as a bowfin.

This is a very ancient looking fish species.

In fact, its lineage dates back 150 million years.

If we can actually land one of these creatures,

it's going to boggle your mind.

Right now, Tim is getting all of the rods and reels set up.

He's going to technically be our fisherman today.

I'm going to be the net man.

This is really a two person job when

it comes to landing a bowfin.

To actually reel one of these fish in is very difficult.

The hook doesn't fully set in the fish's mouth.

They're really clamped on to that bait.

So it can really let go at any point.

You want to reel it in as slow as you possibly can.

And when it gets close, there I will be, waiting to ambush.

Almost like this fish does to catch its prey.

And with the net, I will hopefully

be able to scoop it up and we'll get it under control.

We just have a basic spinner rod here with about

12 to 15 pound test on it.

Because we're not really fighting the fish,

we're just going to try to lure them in so we

can get them with the net.

And we've got a circle hook attached to the bait.

And we have a bobber.

And that's about all you need.

Just have to find the right habitat.

And if the fish are there, you'll catch them.

With two lines in the water,

it's now a matter of being patient,

as Tim is confident it won't be long

before the smell of our fresh bait

permeates the underwater labyrinth of swamp plants.

OK.

Now we wait.

That is the skull of a bowfin.

And it's essentially like a helmet.

It is completely constructed of bone.

But what you definitely notice are those incredibly long,

sharp teeth.

And when I say I don't want to be bitten by bowfin,

that is exactly why.

Their mouths can gape open significantly to swallow down

their prey whole.

But if you get your fingers stuck

in that mouth and this fish spins,

it's going to be a very painful and very bloody

end to this episode.

And these plates here that look like shields

are called the operculum.

That actually covers up and protects the fish's gills.

So if a predator comes in and tries to make a meal out

of one of these creatures, they're

going to have a very tough time getting through that skull.

Such a primitive fish.

Considered a taxonomic relic,

the bowfin is the sole surviving species

of the order Amiiformes, which dates

back to the Jurassic period.

And while they've certainly evolved since swimming

in the presence of dinosaurs, they're still

considered primitive fish.

Bobber just went down, I think we got something.

Bobber is definitely down.

Yeah, we might have something here.

I got to go grab the net.

It's right here.

OK.

So stand up here at this point.

OK.

Yeah we definitely have something.

This is crazy.

OK, we might have a bowfin.

You got this, Tim.

Let's hope it's a bowfin fish and not a snapping turtle.

I guess that's another one of the threats.

We could catch snapping turtles.

It definitely could be a snapping turtle.

Is it off?

Yeah, I think it's off.

It's off.

And we still got the bait.

No, it must have been a bowfin.

If it was a snapping turtle, we definitely

would not have the bait.

Oh, that was our first bowfin.

That's a bummer.

Definitely our first bowfin on.

Well, cast back out.

We know they're biting.

That's a good sign.

Awesome.

COYOTE PETERSON Remember.

Setting a hook in the mouth of a bowfin is unlikely.

Which means that if we have a fish on the line

and it gets tangled in the weeds, all it has to do

is spit out the bait and we will lose

our chance to safely net it.

All right.

Tim's got a fish.

Still on?

This way.

Come on.

Come out here.

I want you to stand up here.

It's like a decent fish.

I see.

Don't move.

Just don't move.

Grab it, grab it, grab it, grab it.

Got it.

Got it, got it, got it, got it. It just let go.

Yes.

Yes, we got one.

This is fantastic.

We've got a bowfin.

Wow, good size, too.

Well done, Tim.

All right, I am literally walking through the sticks

of a beaver dam right now.

All right.

Let me get back over here.

Whoa.

We got one.

Check it out.

There is the bowfin.

Wow.

What a cool, cool looking fish.

How about that?

That is the bowfin.

Now they get the name bowfin from the really

long fin that runs down the dorsal length

of the fish's back.

But you'll notice that the tail very closely resembles

the shape of the head.

That's a sort of defensive mimicry.

So if a predator comes in and bites onto this fish,

they may bite the tail instead of the head,

giving the fish the opportunity to propel

itself forward and escape.

Now you can see there's several chomps

out of the tail of this fish.

That could quite possibly be from a common snapping turtle,

another one of the dominant predators

here in this wetland ecosystem, or it

may even be from a male bowfin.

During breeding season, they will sometimes

battle against each other for the rights

to a breeding territory.

But one other aspect about this fish that's very cool

is that the males are actually the ones

responsible for parental care.

Not only will they guard the nests

and eat anything that comes close,

but they'll actually take care of the young

until they're about four inches in length.

So when it comes to the fish world,

this is definitely what you consider a good papa.

Now there's a difference between the males and the females.

The females are a bit larger.

So I'd likely say that this is a female.

And that is a big, big bowfin.

I'm going to get my measuring tape.

I would say that this fish is all of 23 inches in length.

That is definitely what you would

consider a full grown bowfin.

You can see there, its mouth opening and closing

and its gills flapping.

It's actually taking in gulps of air right now.

That's one of the most neat things about these fish.

Is that they're incapable of breathing not only underwater,

but above the water as well.

In shallow water, these fish can survive

for an extended period of time.

And they will secrete a very slippery mucus from their skin

to keep them hydrated in a completely,

almost dried up situation.

Wow, and you can see all of the slime dripping off of its body.

In fact, they can even slither up

and over short periods of land.

Like if they're in a body of water that begins to dry up

and they need to scoot themselves over land to get

to a bigger body of water, this fish

is capable of staying hydrated and of breathing

through that process.

See that, right there?

That was a gulp of air.

All right, let me let this fish back down into the water.

They have a lateral line that runs down

the length of their body, which helps them to feel

vibrations in the water.

The bowfin is an ambush predator.

It will lie in wait in the weeds,

wait for something like a smaller fish, a tadpole,

a frog to swim by.

Then they will dart out, engulf it in that large mouth,

swallow it down, and then tuck back down into the weeds.

What a cool and alien looking fish.

I'm so excited that we got one.

I'm going to lift it up one more time, very gently here.

I know.

It's about time for you to get back into the swamp.

How cool was that?

Getting up close with one of the most primitive fish

species on our planet.

The bowfin.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

All right.

Let's get this fish back into the swamp.

In the swampy realms

of the Eastern United States, the bowfin

rules as one of our planet's most primordial creatures.

And their ability to survive beyond the time of dinosaurs

has made them one of my favorite all time fish species.

Once considered a nuisance, it's now

been proven by ictheologists that these predators are

a very necessary part of the food chain,

as they help maintain an important balance

within an ecosystem.

So while they may be rather uneasy on the eyes,

and certainly aren't considered a fish fry favorite, if you

happen to find one on the end of your line,

watch out for their teeth and do your best

to safely release these prehistoric relics back

into the wild.

On this adventure, I will be heading

out onto the Tennessee River to test my skills at noodling.

Simply defined as using one's bare hands to catch catfish.

To help me achieve this seemingly crazy feat,

I have teamed up with renowned catfish grappler, Will Goodman.

Will prefers the term grappling over noodling.

He holds several records, and has been practicing

this art form since childhood.

It's a tradition passed down from generation to generation.

And what was once considered an entertaining way

to catch dinner has evolved into his life's

mission, catfish conservation.

He owns and operates Big Tennessee Adventures,

where each summer, he takes countless wannabe catfish

noodlers, myself included, out on tours to see

these primordial creatures.

The coolest part is that these tours fuel the work he is doing

beneath the water's surface.

Which in turn is having an important impact

on the future of these fish.

The box is back in here.

This is a nice little cove.

The water's definitely warm.

Conditions are perfect.

This could be the spot.

To be honest, I've never caught a catfish in my entire life.

Maybe some real small ones when I was a kid on a fishing line.

But never something the size that Will

usually pulls out of here.

35 to 55 pounds would be a good sized catfish.

But Will has caught ones that have weighed over 100 pounds.

Hidden from human sight,

Will has built hundreds of what I have coined Catfish hotels.

These three foot by four foot boxes

provide an ideal location for males to build nests.

They have a simple entryway for fish to come and go.

And are protected from predators.

Going down, here we go.

To check the catfish hotels,

I use a small bamboo pole to gently feel around for a fish.

To help fight the natural buoyancy of my body,

Will holds me beneath the surface

so I can position myself at an angle

and reach far inside the box.

If a river monster is home, it bites the stick.

Then Will quickly blocks the entrance

with a plank of wood, which prevents the fish from escaping

before we can attempt a catch.

Nothing there?

OK.

I got one more.

It's a little bit harder to find.

Will has a very large number of boxes.

They're essentially designed to be just

like an underground burrow or a rock burrow

where these catfish can come in and lay their eggs.

And they're much more protected than being

up underneath tree roots.

Now, what the catfish have to worry about with predators

is not so much predators eating the fish themselves,

but it's the predators eating the eggs

that the catfish are laying.

Bluegills specifically love to eat catfish eggs.

So these boxes help to keep the bluegill

out and the catfish in.

It's really a pretty cool conservation project

that Will has going here.

And right now, we're checking those boxes.

All right, let's catch up.

The early summer

months of May and June are what Will considers

the peak of catfish breeding.

During this time, dominant males seek out these boxes,

build, and guard nests.

Once residency is established, they

release pheromones into the water to attract females.

She accepts the invite, lays eggs, and then the male

will fertilize and guard them until they hatch.

To more accurately define guard, I

mean he will literally eat any living thing

that comes close to those eggs.

Including a human hand or foot.

Oh, this one could be perfect.

This could be the box.

No fish in that one.

Nobody's home.

Nothing.

It seemed so perfect.

COYOTE PETERSON So far, we

have covered over 20 miles of river

and easily checked 50 different catfish hotels,

only to find that each and every one was vacant.

This might be the one.

We got a fish.

It's a big fish.

It is a big fish.

Oh, buddy.

So Will, walk me through exactly what

I'm going to need to do here.

So I want you to take your fist

just let the fish bite you.

OK

And just so you get a grasp on understanding how powerful

this big of a fish could be.

If it's as big as it sounds like, it really sounds big.

It sounds like a really- like a 40 plus pound fish in there.

They can be dangerous at this point.

This is where you graduate from, OK,

they're powerful, to, oh wow.

They actually, they roll on you, they they could really do some

OK.

So

Here we go.

Just being very careful.

I'm a little nervous.

When Will is like, yeah, this is a big fish.

You could do some damage.

It definitely makes you nervous.

Yeah.

All right, guys.

Here we go.

Time to get eaten alive by a catfish.

Yeah gosh.

Holy crap.

Where'd he bite you?

Oh my god.

He almost broke my wrist.

He had my whole hand in his mouth.

The fish almost broke my wrist for sure.

Holy cow, that hurt.

Hold on a second.

You want an arm sleeve?

What?

You want an arm sleeve now?

Oh, no, no, no.

You sure?

Oh, dude.

That fish is definitely strong enough to break your wrist.

He almost broke my wrist.

Like crushing the bone.

Holy cow, I don't know if I should

stick my arm back in there.

Hold on a second, I want to make sure he didn't break anything.

Holy cow.

Hold on a minute.

They're not-- you're going to have gouges in your arm,

I'll tell you that.

They bight you through that glove.

Dude, he got right. Look at that.

Look look how red my arm is. Look at that.

He's drawing blood already.

All the way through.

He's drawing blood already.

That's normal, for a blue catfish.

OK.

That's a male.

So you now you know what it's like, right?

Yeah.

So, you know what it feels like.

- Yeah, it hurts.

OK.

And so now we don't want the fish to bite you

any more than he has to, right?

OK?

Stick your hand in there, just like you have been.

- Flat? - Yep.

Nope.

You do any of this, and he grabs one finger, and he'll break it.

I promise.

I'm afraid he's going to break my hand and my wrist the way

that he is.

You can take your fist and keep it together.

But as soon as he bites you, need to pin his mouth.

I think if I keep a fist and then I put my

You need to pin him and work your fingers

to the outside lower jaw of his mouth.

OK.

Pull him forward and come back up for air and hold him.

OK.

And if he bites you over your thumb

Yeah.

You need to come out and reset.

You've got to pin him.

And it's hard.

OK, OK.

Really hard to hold these fish.

And they're slimy, they're powerful.

And they're mean and they're really angry.

You know.

It's hard to describe to you guys, the amount of power.

Like I thought that fish was going to break my hand off.

We're not going to lose the fish, I promise.

I will put my hand

I'm worried about losing my hand, not the fish.

Like I'm afraid if I don't have two hands in his mouth,

he's going to break my wrist.

If he rolls, he might, yeah.

You got to let him go.

If he rolls, he might, he said.

If he rolls, you got to let him go.

Holy cow. All right.

I'm going back down.

I'm going to--

I'm going to give this another shot.

I'm I'm really nervous.

This is the most fun you can ever have on two feet.

OK.

OK.

Oh, god.

You hear that deep thump?

I hope that's on me.

OK.

You hear that deep thump?

Oh man, he's deep, deep thump.

He's a good fish.

He's up near the front of the box.

He's going to get me this time.

He probably will.

OK.

Oh man.

I'm so nervous going down there.

That like every time I turn that he's going to get me.

I'm just afraid he's going to break my wrist.

He's that big.

Get it.

If somebody's going to get him, it's you.

Here we go.

I got him.

I've got him.

I've got him.

Oh my god.

- Hold on to him. - I got him, I've got him.

Calm down.

You got to calm down.

Because if you don't calm down, you will not get this fish.

- OK. - Now

I got my fingers locked in this jaw.

I'm afraid he's going to hurt my hand.

No, he ain't going to break it.

He's crushing my hand.

Do you want to put my other hand in his mouth?

Hang on.

Easy now.

Easy now.

He's huge, dude.

Easy, easy.

Not fast, not fast.

He's got his tail up.

Let me grab his tail.

Holy mackerel.

Holy cow.

Look at the size of that fish.

How about that, boy.

Holy cow.

That is a huge fish.

Oh my gosh, I cannot believe it.

Oh, he's crushing my hand.

Wow, look at the scarring on the top of his head.

That's crazy.

That is a big fish.

That is a huge blue catfish.

The largest catfish species here in North America.

You hold tight.

I got him, I got him.

You lose that tail, you're going to lose the fish.

You're losing him. - I got him, I got him.

He'll crunch down on him, just like he did.

You hear me? - Yeah.

Can you take off my mask?

Oh my goodness.

Just when you thought we were not going

to catch an enormous catfish.

This thing is huge.

All right guys, there you have it.

That is a 50 plus pound blue catfish.

This is the largest catfish species in the United States.

Obviously that distinct bluish coloration

is what gives it its name.

But these fish are rather ancient.

A fish of this size probably takes 30 or 40 years to grow

to this massive proportion.

If I turned it sideways like this and slightly lift it up,

you can see just how long its body is.

Just under 4 feet in length.

That is what we would consider a true river monster.

If I turn it towards you like this,

you can see the teeth up on the top jaw.

And what they do is they catch their prey

and they crush it down with a vice like grip.

That's exactly what my hand felt like inside of its mouth.

My hand is on the backside of its gill plate,

also known as the operculum.

It's not hurting the fish in any way whatsoever.

The fish can still breathe.

I'm trying to keep it partially submerged.

I keep dunking it down just to make sure that it's

not getting too much sun.

And this is the only way to hold onto one of these fish

without a rope.

And if you're wondering if my hand hurts right now,

it absolutely does.

And see how the eyes are set right in front of the skull.

They don't have the best eyesight,

but this fish is relying on all of its other senses

to detect its environment.

Now whether that is to find prey or to avoid predators,

the barbels up front are sensory organs that tell them

everything about the water.

They can pick up vibrations, they can pick up smells.

And that is what allows these creatures to be

such perfect ambush predators.

Now this is without question a male.

The males get bigger than the females.

And right now, this fish was nestled down in a box getting

ready to build its nest.

So we're going to let this fish right back down

into the box where we find it.

But I would say that this was hugely successful.

Will taught me everything that he knows about landing

one of these fish.

And we could not have hoped for a more perfect specimen.

Oh man, catching catfish in Tennessee.

So cool.

But this is it.

The largest catfish species in the United States.

The one and only blue.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.