The ITM Fishing Show - Saturdays, 7.00pm.

Fishing has long been a favorite pastime in New Zealand with almost a million kiwi’s from all walks of life casting a line every year.

The success of the show is hard to pin down to one thing. The underwater footage is stunning, and the energy, excitement, drama and sticky situations are obviously all very real, giving viewers some reality television and adventure that they can get immersed in, with out the suspicion of staged situations and carefully planned scenes. How can you plan a huge shark trying to chew on the underwater cameraman, or getting big snapper and kingfish to attack baits in front of the cameras? Yet Matt, and the team seem to encounter such occurrences with uncanny regularity, perhaps it’s because they are out looking for fun, adventure and dinner in the very best ‘secret locations’ around New Zealand and the world.

This series, viewers will get all the tips and fishing action, but the fishing show team, are now using some pretty hi-tech gear to get their shots. Like a remote controlled helicopter armed with an HD camera that has captured scenes of big sharks coming in amongst swimmers, before being man handled up onto the beach by Matt in an effort to get a research DNA sample. The whole scene played out in almost comedic style in front of a crowd of stunned beach goers, but the danger was very real.

It’s amazing where sharks show up when you are looking for them, and Matt and his mates show several times in this series that they are everywhere around the New Zealand coast. Other features of the series include the capture of a huge broadbill swordfish, arguably the greatest catch filmed on The ITM Fishing Show…no it wasn’t caught from a surfboard, but Matt did get a very big shark on his board while out for a wave, and yes, it’s all on film.

It’s Rugby World Cup year so Matt gets along former Springbok captain and South African pin up boy, Bobby Skinstad. While Matt puts Bobby through his paces on a whirlwind fishing trip, he tries to get the inside running on what’s going on in a South African rugby camp. The pair hit it off and Bobby claims it was “the greatest experience of his life”…not bad coming from a guy who’s won a Rugby World Cup.

A trip on the Ultimate Lady to explore the outer reaches of the Tahitian islands, the fishing is as impressive as the location and again, Matt and his underwater cameraman find themselves amidst a shark feeding frenzy.

Through out all the adventure Matt and his crew haven’t forgotten their roots, and that is making good fishing TV, and sharing the secrets with anyone who wants to get out and give it a go. You can see the latest gear and techniques, but also see some good old kiwi ingenuity as Matt uses homemade lures to catch his own bait, tuna and more…. and it’s all presented in a way that makes you think “man, I could do that!”….well except for the sharks on surfboards.