The video begins with the host, Mark Hood, explaining how he and his friend, Jared, decided on their fishing spot. Both experienced fishermen, Mark hosts a YouTube channel called M. Hood Fishing where he shows his best fishing tips. Mark brought segments of mullet that he previously caught and vacuum-sealed to use as bait. He describes the line and set up that he is using in the river and shows the viewer a 12-foot rod. Mark puts the bait on the hook and gets ready to start fishing. “I think it’s going to work,” he says of the mullet bait. He says that it had been in the freezer for a few weeks but that he thinks it will do the job. Mark positions the camera so that we get a front-row view of his cast. The line whirs as it goes out into the murky brown water of the Mississippi. Then, Mark returns in front of the camera to describe where they are fishing. This is a new spot for him, although he had previously fished nearby in two different locations. One was deeper and the other was shallow, like the place where he and Jared are fishing in the video. “There’s a lot of bait,” says Mark, as he gestures out over the river. Not only are the fish attracted to the bait on his hook, but other fish swimming in the water also keep larger fish in the area. “There’s a lot going on,” says Mark.
Catching a Shark
With their lines cast, Mark and Jared check on them periodically. They reel them in slowly and only pick the rod up out of its holder when they think something might be on the other end. “Are you there?” asks Mark, as he picks up one rod. He turns the reel to bring in the line. “There he is!” Something tugs on the other side and Mark begins the fight to bring the fish to shore. With the rod bending under the strain, Mark isn’t about to let the fish get away. He braces the rod on his hip and continues to reel it in. Ultimately, the fish got away this time. “I wonder if that was even a catfish,” says Mark. “We’re really far down river and this water has a higher salt content to it than most places on the river. I’ve already tasted the water. The possibility of some interesting catches is there today.” The video cuts to Mark reeling in another potential catch. Jared brings a net over as Mark continues to bring in the fish. Jared walks out of the frame to help bring in the fish with his net. “That’s a shark!” he exclaims. “No way,” responds Mark. The two watch as Mark continues to reel in. Out of the view of the camera, Jared says again that it’s a shark. “Woo hoo!” says Mark as he walks over to get the camera. Holding up the net in triumph, Jared wades through the water near the shore to bring it closer. The shark wriggles inside, moving its body back and forth like it is trying to swim away. Clearly, the shark is not very happy to be in the net and on the riverbank. “I finally did it,” says Mark. “I got a shark out of the Mississippi River.”
More Sharks
Mark lets the shark go while Jared reels in a fish on his line. Surprise–another shark! Scooping it up in a net with the camera alongside, Mark gets excited to see an even larger shark than the first one. They are either Bull sharks or Black-tipped sharks, both of which have been seen in the Mississippi River. By the end of the video, Mark and Jared have caught three sharks in this small stretch of the river. Even experienced fishermen can be surprised and get an exciting catch on a beautiful day.
