“Fishing” and “exciting” are two words often unseen together, and, in the rare occurrences that they are, the words “is not” are frequently lodged in between them. According to fishing aficionado Cyril Chauquet, however, fishing is a lot of things: it is mysterious, dangerous, and, contrary to the previous sentence, it is indeed quite exciting.
Eager for more insight, being the fishing novices that we are, we sat down for a few questions with the Canadian host of Chasing Monsters, History Asia’s newest fishing show with a catch, literally and figuratively.
The Standard (TS): Hello, Cyril! How was Chasing Monsters conceived? How is it different from your standard fishing show?
Cyril Chauquet (CC): Hi! Before “Chasing Monsters” started, there was another show called “Fishing Adventurer.” I started that show about 10 years ago and it evolved into “Chasing Monsters,” … [which] started from a passion, an obsession [with] catching and chasing the biggest fish in the world, whether they live in the ocean or in fresh water. That’s basically the premise of the show.
TS: Sounds exciting, and dangerous. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – could you explain the intricacies and nuances of fishing to a fishing newbie? What “lured” you to it? What are we missing out on?
CC: Every person that feels the tug on the line for the first time, doesn’t matter if it’s a small fish or big fish, will love it. I can bet you that if I were to take you fishing you will love it. It’s a primal instinct that humans in general like.
When you have that line in your hands, and all of a sudden you see the tug (starts to make tugging noises) and you feel that bite and you see the hook and you’re on to fighting a fish or animal, and you don’t know what it is. It’s mysterious. That’s what drives every single part of me – that tug, that bite.
Fish are mysterious in the sense that people don’t really relate to fish because we don’t live in the same environment. I love them; I want to see them up close. They are beautiful animals and I just want to be in contact with them. But, I bet you that the tug on the line, for the first time in your life, if you experience it, you’d want to repeat it.
TS: Wow, it sounds like something that every person needs to experience. Well, on “Chasing Monsters,” did you have a stand out moment from the show’s production? A dangerous encounter, or an interesting location, perhaps?
CC: Yeah, we had some very interesting “challenges.” One of them is I got stung by a stingray about 3-4 years ago when I was fishing in Central America. I brought a stingray to shore and when I was releasing the fish, I got stung by its barb. It was not a pleasant experience: the pain was so intense, and it lasted for an entire night. I spent the entire night in pain in a remote place with no access to doctors or anything like that. I really thought I was not going to make it.
TS: Luckily, you made it. Well, that’s it for us, it’s been a short interview, but it’s been quite informative. Would you like to add anything else?
CC: I just want to thank you very much for your time and for the interview, it’s been a pleasure of mine and hopefully we can hook up one day and I can get you to experience the tug on the line!
TS: Thanks, Cyril! We’re looking forward to it.
★★★★★
Well, there you have it folks – fishing is indeed quite mysterious, dangerous, exciting, and so much more. For those of you who want to learn more about fishing, and to see Cyril tackle the biggest, baddest aquatic monsters across the world’s most remote rivers, oceans, seas and even beneath frozen lakes, tune in to History’s Chasing Monsters, premiering on Thursday, March 24, 10 p.m.
History is available on SKYCable Ch. 67; Cable Link Ch. 43; Dream Satellite Ch. 30; Destiny Cable Ch. 57; and Cignal Ch. 125.