♪♪ >> [ Laughs ] So, this is a little American alligator.

It's not a crocodile.

Okay.

Here we go.

Here's a couple more.

In fact, one of them just flew.

♪♪ ♪♪ Now, I know what you're probably thinking from the title.

This looks suspiciously like a chance for Rob and Tony to do a lot of fishing.

[ Whoosh!

Ploink! ]

But actually we're gonna try and catch and identify an incredible diversity of species that live in saltwater right here in the Lowcountry.

♪♪ ♪♪ So, here we are out in the Broad River, and we're with Captain Christopher Mattson.

Chris, thanks for letting us come out with you today.

>> Thank you so much for coming along, Tony.

>> So, how are we gonna do this?

>> Well, first thing we've got to do is catch some bait.

We've got a bunch of menhaden in here flipping around that are in shallow water, so we're gonna try to catch some of those up, and then we're gonna try to see if we can't catch whatever biggest fish is on the bottom.

>> That's right.

I mean, you probably have a pretty good idea of what we're gonna catch.

But one of the great things about fishing here is you have no idea what you're gonna see.

>> That's right.

And fish do what they want.

>> All right, well, let's see what we can do.

>> Let's do it.

>> Oh, you can see them flashing in the net already.

Oh, that was awesome.

>> We're so shallow, they had nowhere to go.

>> Wow!

So, looks like all menhaden, huh?

>> All menhaden.

>> That's kind of the way you like to do it, right?

>> One and done.

[ Laughs ] >> So, this is an Atlantic menhaden, and you can see that characteristic spot right there.

And this is a filter feeder, so these guys swim through the water column and they glean all kinds of small plankton and stuff out of the environment, all kinds of detritus and stuff.

But, of course, a really important fish in terms of the Atlantic food chain.

A lot of things eat menhaden.

And this is a favorite for a lot of the species that we're hoping to catch today.

Now, one of the cool things about fish is they have -- they have counter-shading.

So they're dark on the top, and they're light on the bottom.

And when you think about it, that makes perfect sense.

If you're an osprey or other predacious bird flying over, you look down, this blends in with the bottom.

And if you're a predator fish swimming underneath, this blends in with the sky.

So it makes perfect sense.

It's great -- great cryptic coloration for these guys.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ We've got a couple lines out.

I'm starting to -- We've got some light ones with some little tiny shrimp on them, and then we've got some much bigger rods with menhaden.

And Chris really likes this spot because we've got a lot of current changes in here.

I feel something's really tapping on this.

I think it's small, but -- I got something really, really small, and it is -- Looks like a little pinfish.

So, even when you get out in deeper water out here, you still have these pinfish hanging around.

Pop him off.

[ Reel whirring ] There's something on here.

This feels pretty good.

>> You got a shark on there?

>> I'm not sure.

That feels good.

And it is...bonnethead.

Oh, perfect hook, too.

God, they're wonderful fish.

>> He's been eating.

>> Yeah, there's some shrimp.

You can see the shrimp antenna hanging right out the side of the shark here, right through the gill slits.

So, bonnethead.

Not a -- You know, one of the hammerhead family, but a much smaller species.

This is actually a young adult.

But beautiful sharks.

Relatively inoffensive.

I mean, they're one of -- I'm gonna get him in depth so we can make sure I keep him good and healthy.

And this is a really common inshore shark species.

Just love these black spots.

And you can see where they get the name -- that sort of bonnet.

Instead of the -- You know, a lot of the hammerheads have a head that looks more like a hammer.

This is that bonnet shape.

Oh, you can see this is a male here.

The claspers.

And males have these.

Females do not.

A neat shark.

So, we'll put this guy back in.

I'm gonna let him swim right on off.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> So, Tony, we're just heading out to go to our next spot, and I think I saw tripletail right over here, so we're gonna make our way over here, hopefully get them to eat a piece of bait.

>> I'd love to see one of those.

>> Actually, there he is right there.

>> Oh, cool.

Yeah, I see it.

Swimming on its side, isn't it?

>> Yep.

>> So you just kind of cast in front of it.

>> I'm hoping that was him going for it.

We'll find out.

>> Oh, he's on!

I have -- Chris, I have never seen one of these fish in my life.

>> What's really funny is we weren't looking.

We were just leaving the spot.

>> Wow.

>> And it was like -- "That looks like a tripletail."

>> Chris, you got -- He's on light tackle, too.

Not on one of those big rods.

>> He is.

They're very hard-fighting fish.

And, you know, we were talking about tails earlier.

You'll see this one, and it's -- He's got an impressive amount of surface area.

[ Reel whirs ] >> Wow.

I love -- I love to hear that drag zip out like that.

Oh, here it is!

It's up on the surface!

Oh.

So cool.

Yeah, this is a first for me.

>> He's really fired up.

[ Laughs ] I thought he would have given up already.

He's digging deep.

>> That trolling motor's just kind of holding us in one place.

>> That's right.

Oh here he is.

Here he is.

>> All right.

[Chuckling] All right!

Oh, this is fantastic!

It's a neat fish.

You can see where they get that name "tripletail."

The three-lobed tail.

It almost looks like it has three tails on it.

I love the way the scales go all the way up on to the -- the rays of the fins here, too.

That's kind of a neat thing, as well.

Wow.

>> Oh, he's bigger than I thought.

>> Wow.

>> He's thick.

>> Oh, that's a nice fish.

It's beautiful.

>> [ Muttering ] >> So, these guys have a tendency to just float on the surface, right?

>> That's correct.

>> And that's what he was doing when you first saw him.

>> He was just sitting there waiting to ambush that bait that was floating on by.

>> And then when the little piece of menhaden came by, he struck it and grabbed it.

>> He chomped it.

>> Oh, that is so neat.

And a lot of times, they're associated with cover, right?

Around a rack or things like that?

>> Buoys and, also, you know, I've seen them just up in the grass lines, too.

>> And, so, this is -- You know, we're not keeping this fish, but this is one that's very good eating and one that you could keep and it's big enough.

>> Very tasty.

He's a 6 1/2 pounds.

>> One of the other cool things to notice about these is as they age -- So, the juveniles don't look like this, but as they age, they get that sort of scooped-out forehead, and it gets more scooped out as the fish get bigger.

So this is obviously a more mature fish.

When they're younger, you don't get that neat scoop.

Wow!

Cool.

All right.

Let's get this guy back in.

>> Let's do it.

>> All right.

There he goes.

All right, so, we're in a little deeper water here.

It looks like it's about 30 feet or so, and there's some really nice structure down here, isn't there?

>> That's correct.

They've dumped just about everything here at the Parris Island Reef, Tony.

And what we're doing is we're using that as a -- as a current break to hold the fish, and hopefully -- >> Of course, if you get a structure, you get smaller fish species, and then you get the big stuff that comes in to feed on it.

>> That's right.

You also have to deal with and contend with the structure, but that's why the fish are here.

>> Yeah.

♪♪ >> There we go.

♪♪ >> Yep.

Definitely something on here.

>> Yeah, he's up off the structure.

>> Whoa.

That was a nice pull.

[ Chuckles ] It's a -- It's a red.

Beautiful.

Nice fish.

Wow.

Gonna get this out of the way.

Wow.

That is really pretty.

Boy, a beautiful fish.

So, how big -- So this is out of the slot, right?

>> That's correct, and this one's also a survivor, Tony.

Check out the -- the damage right here.

>> Yeah, it looks like it's a pretty good bite right there.

So 15 to 23 is the slot.

So this one's -- this one's bigger than 23, for sure.

Boy, look at the pink lines in the side of that.

So, this is what a lot of people come to catch here in the Lowcountry, isn't it?

>> That's right.

Let's go ahead and get it back in the water and get a little bit -- a little bit of breathing in.

>> All right.

Let's give it a breath.

So, I noticed you're being real careful to revive this fish.

>> That's correct.

>> Make sure it's good and healthy before we release it.

Boy, it's beautiful.

I love the way -- I love how iridescent there are, the way the sun just kind of sheens off the scales.

Okay, he looks like he's ready to go.

And there he goes.

♪♪ Okay, so, we've moved to a new location, and the tide has shifted.

And, man, it is rippin' through here, but I'd be interested to see what's swimming down below us.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Okay.

>> Oh, that feels good.

Yeah.

He's up on the top.

>> Bring him over here, Tony.

>> All right.

Oh, my gosh!

It's a cobia.

That's all I got.

>> It's all good.

>> Down a little bit?

>> Yes, please.

>> Okay.

Oh, man!

>> [ Laughs ] >> Whew!

>> Not what I was expecting.

>> Yeah, this is an odd time of year for cobia, isn't it?

>> It's not a bad-sized one, either.

>> All right.

>> One, two, three.

>> There we go.

Well, I'll be real -- We'll be real careful with this.

Wow!

Now, cobia are just fabulous fish.

All right.

I'm gonna go ahead and put this one back in the water 'cause I don't want to do anything to -- We want to keep it in the water as much as we can.

Now, cobia have some spines on them that are very, very impressive, and they're really strong, strong fish.

And, again, I want to make sure I don't do anything to hurt him at all.

This one's ready to come off.

Well, it's good to see these 'cause this was a species that -- We're worried about our fishery, right?

We want to do everything we can to get them to come back.

>> We're doing everything we can to let them go.

That's right.

>> So, this is obviously a very, very muscular and athletic fish.

Very streamlined, very fast.

Very powerful predator.

Big mouth, for sure.

I'll tell you -- main thing I want to do is get this fish back in.

It's in good shape.

And so here we go.

Oh.

Wonderful.

♪♪ ♪♪ Boy, the current is just so powerful.

Think I'm fighting a lot of current, as well as the fish.

See what this is.

There we go.

No.

It's a -- It's a cobia.

Wow.

This -- Wow!

This is a bigger fish.

Wow!

This is a strong fish.

Aw, neat.

Boy, this is a little bigger, for sure.

In the net.

How -- How -- What do you think this fish weighs, Chris?

Whoa.

Sorry.

>> [ Laughs ] >> Do you have any idea?

>> 12.

12, 14 pounds.

>> Man, I am soaked.

Wow.

>> That's a -- >> Boy, they are -- They are something else.

They're a high-performance fish.

>> They're just so strong, and this current is really ripping through here.

>> Look at the spines right here.

>> I really -- I really don't want to get those in my shin.

>> Cobia have spectacular spines.

You can see these pop right up.

I'm gonna keep my hands away from them.

You got it, Chris?

>> Got it.

Coming out.

>> Pop it.

Excellent.

Gah.

This -- Man, what a fish!

And let's get this one -- Just carefully get this one back in the water.

And we'll go ahead and let this one go just as quick as I can.

Wow!

Kind of tired.

[ Laughs ] What an amazing fish.

Okay.

All right.

Off he goes.

Looks like it's in great shape.

Well, Chris, it looks like we got some weather coming in, huh?

>> That's right, but we had a good day.

>> Yeah, we saw a lot of different species.

And I'll tell you what.

It's hard to quit, but I guess we've got to get these lines in and call it a day.

♪♪ ♪♪ So, we're back on the Port Royal Sound to give it another try.

Now, we had some pretty good luck last time, but some sort of bad weather ran us off.

Let's see what we can catch today.

♪♪ >> We got something really cool.

>> That looks like a cutlassfish.

Wow!

That is a neat, neat fish.

Oh, man, these have wicked teeth on them.

They are so neat-looking.

Very, very slender.

Aw, man.

Look at that fish.

Huge teeth.

Long, skinny body.

And look at the very reduced caudal fin, the tail.

It comes to a point.

And you can see this dorsal fin runs all the way down the back.

Of course, looks almost scale-less.

Very, very shiny.

Wow!

What a neat animal.

Ought to show you something really neat.

Chris, do you have a bucket nearby?

[ Chuckles ] Just put him in here, make sure he can...

So, you notice how that -- that long sort of dorsal fin, it just kind of runs water down the side and you get that nice sort of flickering on the fin.

Boy, a beautiful, beautiful animal.

Okay, so, Chris caught some bait, some menhaden, but there were a couple other things in there, starting with -- and I put them in a bucket.

Here's a ladyfish.

And this is not a full-grown one.

This is -- This is about half-grown.

They get, you know, close to 3 feet long.

But Elopidae -- kind of a neat family.

Look at the mouth on a ladyfish.

Big mouth.

Of course, they're predacious and feed on other fish.

Big eye.

Beautiful silvery scales.

And this is very much like a small tarpon.

It's a different family, but very tarpon-like in a lot of ways.

And then the other thing we found -- This one's gonna be a little harder to hang onto.

Looks like a little leather jack, which is a beautiful fish.

And look at the cool tail on this.

This has got a high-speed tail.

Very rapid beats.

And this is a very fast fish.

There's some really impressive spines here to, of course, protect it from other predacious fish.

And, again, big mouth -- big terminal mouth, which helps it to catch smaller fish and eat them and shrimp and things like that.

So, we're sitting here waiting on a bite, and I noticed some cannonball jellyfish swimming by.

I've never seen anything like this before.

Of course, I've seen cannonball jellyfish, but not at this size.

These are little guys.

And certainly not in these numbers.

And these are little, tiny guys.

I mean, they get quite a bit bigger than this, but one of the things you often see is one of these spider crabs attached to them.

A lot of times, they're tucked underneath the bell of a jellyfish.

But, gah, these -- Just a fabulous animal.

Of course, they get quite big, the size of a cannonball, and that's where the name comes from.

But a really, really neat animal.

And, of course, this little crab is kind of catching a ride.

It's got a symbiotic relationship with the jellyfish, and it's got some structure and has the ability to catch food and things like that.

So we'll put this little guy back in.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Think it's all right?

>> I do believe so.

Big one.

♪♪ ♪♪ Ahh!

>> Boy, that is a big stingray.

All right, let's get a -- Get a good look at this one.

Boy, that is a big stingray.

>> That's a giant stingray.

>> That's as big as I've seen Southern stingrays get.

This one's missing much of the tail, too.

Wow!

Wow.

So, we got the hook out, and this guy -- Now, interestingly enough, this one's missing a big part of the tail, which is one of the reasons we can handle it the way we do.

Because stingrays often have really nasty spines.

And if they puncture you, it can be really, really dangerous.

But this is a big one, and it looks kind of like a Southern stingray, but I'm not 100% sure.

I'll have to look it up once we can review this video and get a better look at it.

Okay.

You ready to go?

Let's let him -- There he goes.

Looks like he's doing really, really well.

Perfect.

Boy, what an incredible animal.

So, you know, we're in 30 feet of water here.

I mean, the marsh is pretty close by, but it's really deep here, so obviously some big fish come through here.

♪♪ [ Laughs ] Toadfish!

♪♪ Whoa!

Bonnethead.

[ Chuckles ] You know, we've got -- we've got one -- So, we're getting one fish out, and it looks like we have another one on the other line.

>> [ Laughing ] >> Little rat red here.

[ Laughs ] Little guy.

>> Maybe a stingray.

And it is.

No, it looks like a finetooth shark.

No obvious black markings on the fins.

A lot of people will look at this and think it's a blacktip.

But also it has big gill slits, too.

That's another indicator of what it is.

Okay, Chris just caught -- Looks like a blacktip shark.

And I'm gonna handle this one a little bit more carefully.

And these are gorgeous sharks, but they're really feisty.

Beautiful black tips.

And looks a lot like the finetooth shark.

But, again, the fin coloration really helps with that.

I think I know what this is.

It's a ladyfish.

An adult.

Boy, these are neat fish.

Very acrobatic and good jumpers.

Let's see if I can get this guy up.

Boy, look at that beautiful fish.

Small scales, big mouth.

Look at the terminal mouth on it.

Mouth comes out right on the end there.

Big eye.

Very athletic-looking, for sure.

Okay, let's get this one right back in and let it swim off.

Looks like it's doing really well.

Make sure it's good and revived.

There we go.

That's what we like.

Guys, Chris just found a nice school of jacks, and he's got one on.

So, Chris handed off the rod to me.

Boy, this is a nice fish.

Wow!

You know, jack are very, very athletic.

You know, jacks are Carangids, or "Caranjids."

And that family has very fast tails, very athletic, and he's kind of giving me a feel for it right now.

This is like -- Wow!

Look at this fish!

Oh, my gosh!

That is a beautiful fish.

You see how big this fish is.

This is enormous.

It's 30, 40 pounds.

I don't know exactly how big it is, but it is a big, big fish.

It's hooked well.

But look at the fins on it.

So, we can tell that this is a crevalle jack because of that spot right there and also the smudge on the fin.

And those are really diagnostic.

And it's kind of elongate, you know, like some of the other jacks.

But wow!

I mean, that is a big, big fish.

And very, as I said before -- Very athletic.

Eats other fish.

Huge mouth.

And they can run down other fish, catch them and eat them.

Great sport fish.

You know, what's so special about Port Royal Sound is we have all this stuff inshore.

You know, this is a species that's more common offshore, but because of the nature of our sound, we get a lot of stuff that comes right inside.

Gives us a chance to catch it.

>> Chris, this is -- this is amazing.

So, we want to do everything we can to make sure this fish is okay, having just had a hard fight.

And so Chris has spent a lot of time reviving it.

Fish looks like he's in really good shape.

And there she goes.

So -- Got it.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> This -- Another big jack.

This -- Boy, they're just amazing.

It's hard to tell how big this one is, but -- There's a whole big group of them on the surface, and they're obviously hitting bait on the surface, so what we did is we threw some plugs.

They kind of floated up near the surface.

And, boy, this last one just smashed it.

[ Reel whirring ] Chris is helping me out a little bit with the boat, too.

So, one of the things you want to do with a fish like this is get it in as quickly as you can without, obviously, losing the fish, but also without hurting it.

So we want to catch the fish and enjoy the fight, but at the same time, we want to labor the fish as little as possible.

So Chris is moving around to put me in position where we can reel him in a little faster.

But even doing that, this is a strong fish.

It's gonna take a little bit of time to get in.

You could -- You could pluck this line like a -- [ Twanging ] Sounds like a guitar string or something.

One of the things I'm doing is keeping the rod tip up and just not letting any slack because these just -- These lures, it has a couple of single hooks on it.

So a lot of times they're not hooked real, real well.

Wow.

Making a little headway I think.

[ Indistinct conversation ] He just about pulled me in the water.

Okay.

Here he comes.

He's coming up.

See if I can get him a little closer to the -- Over here.

I don't think he's quite ready to come up yet.

Yep, a crevalle jack.

Really nice fish.

They are so beautiful.

I mean, they have just very shiny scales and bright-yellow coloration.

He's still got some -- Every time he shakes his head, it feels like it pulls a couple feet of line out.

It looks like the plug is hooked just right on the outside of his mouth, which is about perfect.

And Chris is gonna use one of these grips that will really help to protect the fish.

You want to pull the hook out?

♪♪ All right.

Get this thing out of the way.

♪♪ I think this one's about ready to go.

You know, the Port Royal Sound is an incredible mixture of clean deep water and high tides, and all this is a recipe for just tremendously high biodiversity, things like fish species.

Is he ready to go, Chris?

>> He is absolutely rearing.

>> That's good.

>> Oh, straight down the boat.

Look at him go.

Well, Chris, this was another incredible day out on the water.

>> Always a pleasure having you aboard, Tony.

>> But, you know, we've got to take care of this resource and take care of the sound and learn all we can about it so we can do the best possible job of taking care of it.

Thanks for joining us on "Coastal Kingdom."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ O0 C1