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I ventured into the dense rainforest of Guyana with a simple goal. To catch the legendary man-eating fish called Lau. The giant who has eluded me for 20 years. I have a local guide, the perfect pristine habitat, and specialized equipment from all over the world. But the water conditions have been far from perfect. Soft. And my relentless fishing campaign is exhausting me. I cast at a promising spot near the camp. Oh, there's something. Okay, there's a deceptive amount of thread out. That's a good sign. First launch.
The fish has woken up. Okay, the leader is in sight. It's a red-tailed catfish. Well, I hope it's not just a one-time thing. It's almost as if they flipped a switch. Incredible to get a bite on the first cast. The fish is expelling air through its gills. And that snap, that squeak, is the pectoral fin. It's a small redtail catfish, but it's active. This, you know, finally some activity here. It's not a huge fish. It could be a very good sign. If the perfectly sized prey have become active, perhaps the Lau is not far off. The weather is also clearing up and tide marks are beginning to appear on the rocks. As the water
recedes, the fish should become more concentrated. I saw a rainbow today. And that lifted my spirits. Perhaps I'm grasping at straws, but I feel a small glimmer of hope. I wake up to the screams of howler monkeys. And for the first time in over a week, I step out into a bright, clear day. I place the bait in the middle of the pool, and then let out line back to the rock. It is when the fish bites, especially a big one, that it can turn into total chaos in a fraction of a second. If you don't do everything correctly, that's when human error can occur. A lifetime of observing and perfecting my skills has
brought me here. The trap is set. I'm collecting about 150 yards of yarn here. It is a really strange-looking fish known as a devalaya. Everything is so quiet right now. To be honest, I'd rather not be fishing. I wanted the bait to stay there until a Lau appeared. What it does mean is that I have to put the bait back out there, get the boat out. I'm just going to pick up the slack here. I'm not going to let this go until something decisive happens. That's more serious. This time I have no doubts about what I have on my line. It's become permanent. Harness. The harness around my waist. Can you turn the light off my face, please? I need.thank you.
Can you please remove that? Level! It's a laulau. This equipment is designed for the heaviest marine giants, but will it be strong enough? It's around a rock. I use a thick monofilament thread precisely for this reason. But it's being tested to the limit. I can't let that line be crossed. Can I get that weight, please? We need to be careful with this. That 's ok. It's out of the water, whatever that is. The fish is nowhere near tired. Neville! Take care of the rope, please. There it is. Be very careful, Neville. The fish might start to struggle, even so.
Can someone hold me by the waist? It is an incredibly muscular animal, built for speed and power. What I'll try to do is take that hook out first. And there is its signature weapon, that enormous mouth. It has a strong bite. I want to take him to a place where, if he struggles, it 's not a downward slope. I need to work quickly to remove the hook. Okay. and measure this enormous beast. I don't want him to be out of the water any longer than absolutely necessary. In inches.and the circumference in front of the dorsal fin is 50.
I have to use a scale designed to lift concrete blocks. And that's fine. Get up, get up, get up. 258, 256, 257, 254.6. I think you can download it now, guys. So it's a 250-pound fish. I have longed for this moment my entire life. Oh, I'm just now starting to think clearly. This is wonderful. This is absolutely wonderful. I'm going to remember this. The size of this fish and all the drama of catching it. What a beast this is. Get up. Well, I came here with a very simple question that I wanted to answer. Can these fish grow large enough to be potentially dangerous to humans? Can they even engulf us, swallow a human? And.I had heard stories.
President Roosevelt's story inspired me to look for one. He never got to see one, but here it is. This moment is, in reality, very brief for us. I think he needs to go back into the water.
