Off the Hook: Extreme Catches premieres on Animal Planet this January

Showtime Eric Young, an avid yet novice outdoorsman and professional wrestler, is getting out of the ring and turning in his tights for a brand new category of tackle. On OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES, join Eric as he embarks on the ultimate amateur angling road trip with a mission to quench his thirst for the craziest fishing adventure. From women’s pantyhose on rods and reels to catch sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, to launching live bait with fire extinguishers on Lake Michigan, to hand fishing with Tennessee’s bikini-clad “Girls Gone Grabblin”, and odd local traditions practiced for centuries, go on a fishing expedition like no other as Eric unravels the country’s most out-of-this-world fishing techniques! A 12-part series, OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES premieres Monday, January 21 at 9:00 p.m., with encores every Wednesday at 9:00 p.m., Thursday at midnight and Saturday at 10:00 p.m.

On OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES, Eric crisscrosses America to uncover fishing masterminds who go to extremes to haul in their catch, some of whom have pioneered ingenious and insane methods of catching fish for both profit and play. Using all sorts of unique bait, tackle, poles and transportation, join Eric on his pursuit to be the makeshift MacGyver of fishing as he tries his hand at a host of these mind-blowing techniques. From the wildly dangerous to the all-out crazy and downright bizarre, watch as Eric learns from the experts and puts his new skills to the test by going head to head with some of the biggest (and smallest) fish around. Paddleboard and jet-ski fishing for sharks? No problem! Underwater spear fishing and nighttime squid jigging? Easy. Fishing for dangerous alligator gar or invasive species like snakehead fish and carp? Um, that might be an issue.

From the waterways of New England to the beaches of North Carolina, from the coasts of Florida to the sunny shores of California, and everywhere in between, get ready for a fishing jaunt like no other. No matter how long it takes, how foolish it seems or how many bumps and bruises he gets along the way, nothing is going to stop Eric and his incessant quest to catch the ultimate fish, including the ones that got away! Catch the craze on the following episodes of OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES:

SHARK-A-MANIA
Showtime Eric Young ventures to Shark Central – the Gulf Coast of Florida. First he learns how to fish for sharks using women’s pantyhose. Then he fishes for sharks in the middle of the ocean – while standing on a 4-inch thick paddleboard.

SAILFISH SMACKDOWN
Eric ventures to South Florida to go after the fastest fish in the Atlantic – the sailfish. But he’s not fishing from the luxury of a yacht -he’s fishing 8 miles off the coast or Miami, from a homemade raft he’d built himself.

RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL

Eric journeys into the heart of Texas to take on the aptly named Devil’s River to go fishing – from a kayak.  He braves whitewater rapids, flash floods, snakes, scorpions, and extreme heat, all to find the biggest bass in the state.

AMBERJACKED UP

Eric travels to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where he’s going after one of the orneriest fish in the ocean – the mighty amberjack. And he’s going after it 30 miles off the coast, in the middle of the ocean, from a jet-ski.

SKISHING HELL WEEK

Eric travels to Rhode Island to skish – a combination of ski and fishing – to land a striped bass. He’ll free float miles from the coast armed only with a rod, and if he lands a big one, he could be towed through the water like he’s on water skis.

THE DEATH RACE

Eric heads to Long Island Sound, New York, where he’ll take on ‘the Race’, a dangerously fast, boulder-filled stretch of water that is an underwater superhighway for striped bass. He’ll be free-diving, and hunting the stripers with a spear gun.

BEARD GONE GRABBING

Eric travels to Tennessee, where the catfish is king. He’s there to learn how to hand fish from a team of bikini-clad, local legends known as the “Girls Gone Grabblin”.