On the surface, YouTube’s newest fishing show, Das Boat, appears to be just another fishing show; a cast of merry anglers killing time on the water with rod and reel in hand. MeatEater’s new brainchild takes the aforementioned notion and turns it on its head.
Das Boat is the story of a battered aluminum boat, saved from the purgatory of Craigslist and brought back to life by Steven Rinella and friends. Each episode features a new pair of anglers and a different fishery. The anglers have a few days to make renovations to the boat and fish their selected waters before passing the boat on to the next set of anglers.
Episode one features Rinella and Gulf Coast fly fishing guide JT Van Zandt. The pair christen the Alumacraft boat near the town of Rockport, Texas.
Like much of MeatEater’s content, the episode is laden with conservation banter and thought-provoking discussions about the tension between fly fishermen and users of conventional tackle.
Das Boat then makes its way to Austin, Texas, for episode two. Fishing guide Alvin Dedeaux and world-renowned chef Jesse Griffiths add a new trailer wench, oars and locks and a detachable grill to the vessel.
These anglers set sail down the Lower Colorado River in search of Guadalupe Bass and gar. While reeling in a fair number of bass, they touch on their personal histories and the advantages of different tackle on the river. Chef Griffiths takes over Das Boat’s new grill and prepares Guadalupe Bass over a hardwood fire. Episode two ends with Dedeaux presenting a gift for the next set of anglers.
Across the entirety of the American South, wildlife artist Ed Anderson and MeatEater Director of Conservation Ryan Callaghan prep the boat to fish the mangrove mazes of Sanibel Island and Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in the Sunshine State. Callaghan installs carpet flooring that he scavenged on the island and the casting platform gifted by Dedeaux. Anderson puts his artistic mastery to work by hand-painting fish on the left hull.
The anglers set sail on waters that are struggling to come back from the effects of a red tide. Snook and tarpon are on the docket, but skipjack (ladyfish) are all to be caught. Episode three has the least amount of action on the water but includes a healthy dose of conservation history and visually appealing food preparation.
Callaghan and Anderson are most successful in portraying the spirit of camaraderie that accompanies the best of all fishing stories.
Longtime friends Frank Smethurst and “Mustache” Rob Smith take to the helm in episodes five and six. Episode five features the anglers adding column steering to the now worn-in vessel and a gamecock figurine for good luck.
Day one is spent in the Savannah River near Augusta, Ga., where the two men use fly rods and conventional gear to catch a species that is native only to the Savannah River, the Bartram’s bass. The history of Augusta is touched upon, and the two men discuss their personal relationships to the river while bait-fishing for Atlantic stripers. Episode six takes place the following day. The same guys hit the same river for a 50-mile float to Wade Plantation.
The anglers catch a variety of ornate species including red-breasted bream, largemouth bass, Bartram’s bass, and gar. Fans are introduced to the work of 18th-century American naturalist William Bartram, who explored the Savannah River alone and by canoe. Smethurst and Smith’s final destination, the Wade Plantation, brings to mind good old-fashioned Southern hospitality.
Das Boat’s first season fades to black while the two final anglers share a meal of roasted feral pig and homegrown vegetables with the plantation residents.
Das Boat is unconventional in its promotion of the fishing lifestyle. It uses the passing of a nostalgia-inducing object to drive the stories of a passionate, personable and knowledgeable cast. Like the majority of MeatEater’s most popular content, conservation, camaraderie and fishing as a means of food acquisition are at the forefront of the message.
It is not for gearheads looking for the next hot product or armchair anglers sniffing out their midday fix. Das Boat is a 20 minute glimpse into the how’s and why’s of fishing and provides viewers with an opportunity to involve themselves in the adventures of a reborn, aluminum vessel.
Once again, Rinella and staff prove that satisfaction comes not from the taking of game, but from the process of the journey.