No. 10: High-Flying Mako
If this doesn’t get you juiced about fishing, nothing will. If you’ve never caught a mako shark, you might want to give it a try. They jump like no other fish in the sea. Warren Stuckey and friends found out when they hooked up at the 2:00 mark in this video while fishing off Victoria, Australia. Their hollers are genuine and ring true to the spirit of angling, watching in awe as the shark launches into the air time after time in OZ area known as East Gippsland.
No. 9: Mako Madness
Here’s a mako video, which hit YouTube during the Flying Mako Tournament in California. This shark may have been hooked on a fly rod – but it’s behavior is awfully similar to conventional-caught fish. And, yes, the angler’s reactions are priceless.
No. 8: Goliath Rod Breakage
Unlike the makos, the goliath grouper does not go up. Instead, it goes down. Way down. With purpose. These fish are absolute brutes, as Capt. Ben Chancey (and his fishing rod) find out at 1:25. Ben’s hamming it up a bit for the camera, of course, but no doubt this battle was taxing. And what’s funniest, perhaps, are the YouTube comments regarding Ben’s comments!
No. 7: Michael J. Fox Likes Shimano!
Alex P. Keaton, is that you!? Betcha don’t remember this one! It seems that the beloved ’80s wonder boy, Michael J. Fox, did some endorsements for Shimano back in the day. Not sure if this exactly qualifies as an exhilarating fish fight, but we got a few good chuckles out of it and figured you would too.
No. 6: Hammerhead vs. Tarpon in Boca Grande
You’ve probably seen this one before – and, no, it’s not Michael J. Fox! Posted back in 2006, this video has generated well over 8 million hits on YouTube and offers a glimpse of just how aggressive the big hammerhead sharks of Florida’s Boca Grande Pass can be. These fishermen did their best to keep this shark away from a 100-pound tarpon, but in the end, their efforts were futile. Sometimes fishing can give us a front-row seat to the simple, harsh realities of nature.
No. 5: Barracuda Launches into Boat
Speaking of nature, here’s a video that shows that fishing can, in fact, be a full-contact sport! These guys just missed the business end of a high-flying barracuda, one of the toothiest critters in the sea. Others have not been so lucky, however, with more than a few anglers having been hurt by a wild, flying cuda. In any case, the slow-mo portion of this video showing the fish erupting from the water is particularly cool – that cuda had no idea the boat was there!
No. 4: Marlin Jumps in Boat
Neither did this fish – but in this case, young angler, Steven Schultz, wasn’t able to get out of the way. Fishing at the famed Tropic Star Lodge, this 600-pound black marlin Stephen was hooked up to decided it wanted to leave the water and come in the boat. Unfortunately, the big fish sent poor Stephen to the hospital with fairly serious injuries to his head. He’s fine now, thank goodness, but this short clip should remind us all to be careful with big fish near the boat – and always expect the unexpected.
No. 3: Jumping Grander Marlin
Here’s another marlin video from our friends at Nomad Sport Fishing. Behold the amazing sight of a grander marlin in a very calm Coral Sea off Australia. I particularly like the reaction at 0:20 when the fish first is visible next to the boat, then again at 2:20, when the big girl porpoises away. Fishing at it’s best – exhilarating!
No. 2: Shark Eats Redfish!
This clip is also exhilarating! It starts unassuming enough, as a gal named Sarah Brame was pulling in a redfish from a dock on a rainy day in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. But then an unexpected visitor shows up. The reactions from all involved are simply too funny for words.
No. 1: Shark Eats Shark!
And on a final parting note, perhaps one of the funniest fish-fighting videos of all. Yes, the kids are acting silly; yes, they’re being a little immature. Yes, there’s some unnecessary profanity. Yes, it is basically sophomoric. But, admit it, you’re laughing. And that’s something we all need to do a little more — both on the water and off.
