“So what are you going to do next?” has been the question posed to Matt Watson, by journalists, talk show hosts and radio DJ’s.

Matt’s answer, “I’d like to catch a marlin off a surf board”.

We’ll that’s exactly what Matt has gone and done in his own back yard; the Bay of Islands, just two weeks after returning from New York where Matt had a star turn on The Late show with David Letterman. “I enjoyed all the attention from the media, but since getting back [from New York] all I’ve done is talk about fishing”, says Matt.

So at the first opportunity, Matt and his team ventured out twenty kilometres off the east coast of Northland, and at 11am Matt hooked into a big striped marlin that proceeded to tow him out to sea. At times the surfboard was traveling fast enough for Matt to stand up. To add to the drama, the marlin was towing Matt directly into the path of a container ship. The fight lasted 90 minutes in which Matt was towed six nautical miles (11 kilometres).
Only a few hundred meters away from the container ship Matt got the fish alongside and released it to fight another day.

All the action was caught from many angles from above and below the water and a preview of this epic action will feature soon on the ITM Fishing Show’s website www.thefishingshow.co.nz.

So the question remains “What are you going to do next Matt?”

ENDS