River Monsters’ Host and Extreme Angler Jeremy Wade to Uncover the World's Largest, Strangest and Most Dangerous Fish

Freshwater detective, biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade has spent three decades traveling the World’s waterways in search of man-eaters that lurk beneath the surface of rivers and lakes in some of the most inhospitable locations in the world.

Jeremy Wade standing in a river with a Wels Catfish	Jeremy Wade standing with a Goonch Catfish in India, Discovery

Man-sized piranhas, fish that electrocute, nine-foot river sharks (yes, river sharks) ... take a deep dive with Jeremy Wade and bring out these outlandish creatures to your living room weekdays at 8 PM.  The world’s greatest angling explorer takes Discovery viewers where no wildlife program has gone before, revealing the creatures that lurk in the murky depths of our planet’s inland waterways.RIVER MONSTERS will air Monday to Friday at 8 PM on Discovery. 

Get a glimpse of the top 5 catches of Jeremy here: https://youtu.be/1kzsW_z-se8

Jeremy grew up in southeast England on the banks of the Suffolk Stour, where his fascination with the underwater world and the desire to see “what’s around the next bend” began. His first overseas trip was to the mountain-rivers of India in1982 and since then, he has increasingly spent his time tracking down large and little-known fish in rivers around the world – particularly in the Congo and the Amazon rainforests.  Over the last thirty years, Jeremy has travelled extensively to India in search of elusive fish in Kali (Brahmaputra), Kauvery and other iconic rivers.  At the Kali River, he found a little-known catfish species that can grow to a large size - the Goonch or Giant Devil Catfish.  His search continued to find the rare fish, a Golden Mahseer. 

In the new episodes of River Monsters airing this December, the journey will continue with Jeremy visiting India in search of Goonch and Mahseer. He also tries fly fishing that takes a lot of practice to get right. Will he be able to compare it to catches of his past? Jeremy heads to Southeast Asia in search of the mythological sea serpent. But will his freshwater knowledge be enough to tackle this monster of the deep? He embarks on an epic mission to reveal the real creature behind the world’s most famous river monster; the Loch Ness Monster. But what will he uncover? Further in Africa's Rift Valley, rife with killer crocs, hippos and warring gangs, he dives deep for a worthy prize: the Mputa Nile perch. In Papua New Guinea rumours of flesh-eating pacu are haunting locals. How dangerous is this fish and has it really developed a taste for parts of the male anatomy? In the Congo River lurks a super predator. Fast and ferocious, this killing machine has even snatched a local child. Can Jeremy catch this notorious fish?

This December, viewers can join biology teacher and angler turned explorer Jeremy Wade, for an evening of mystery, mayhem and monster wrangling, only on Discovery.

Why River Monsters?

Nearly half the world's fish species live in just 0.01% of the world's water - our lakes and rivers. Yet most people know less about what lives in fresh water than they do about the oceans.

Because some rivers are very hard to get to - and/or too murky to see into, using normal means - many of their inhabitants are rarely or never seen in conventional natural history programs.

River Monsters takes a different approach. Biologist and fishing detective Jeremy Wade starts by examining myths and fishermen's tales, subjecting them to scientific scrutiny to separate fact from fiction. Then he homes in on his targets using a fishing line. The results are some fish of staggering dimensions and appearance, including some spectacular TV 'firsts'.

Jeremy Wade Biography

Biologist, Extreme Angler and Host of River Monsters

The world’s most fearless fisherman, Jeremy Wade, is a biologist, teacher, writer and television host who has been traveling (mostly solo) to the world’s most remote rivers for 30 years. Wade has encountered some of the strangest andmost terrifying fish out there and has risked his life more than once to document the stories of hundreds of fish and the cultures where they live. Wade holds adegree in zoology from Bristol University and a postgrad teaching certificate inbiological sciences from the University of Kent.

Wade grew up in southeast England on the banks of the Suffolk Stour, where his fascination with the underwater world and the desire to see “what’s around the next bend” began. His first overseas trip was to the mountain-rivers of India in1982 and since then, he has increasingly spent his time tracking down large and little-known fish in rivers around the world – particularly in the Congo and the Amazon rainforests.

“I don’t see myself as a particularly expert angler,” He says, “But I am able to getinto the kinds of places where outsiders don’t normally go and seem to have enough energy after I get there to put a line in the water. Teaming up with local fishermen is vital to my success and what’s great about this approach is that youget to see and explore diverse human cultures too.”

In between catching fish (or, on some journeys, not catching fish), Wade has also managed to catch malaria, be detained as a suspected spy, narrowly escape drowning, avoid gun-toting renegades and survive a plane crash. In 1992, he co-wrote ‘Somewhere Down the Crazy River’ – a book that is considered to be one of the classics of angling literature. He has also written on travel and natural history for publications including The Times, Guardian, Sunday Telegraph, The Field and BBC Wildlife. His latest book, ‘River Monsters: True Stories of the Ones That Didn’t Get Away’, was published in April 2011.

His first television series, JUNGLE HOOKS, filmed in 2002 for Discovery Europe, was one of the most-watched shows on multichannel television when it was released and has since been seen by audiences around the world. RIVER MONSTERS, his most recent and most iconic series, is the most-watched series in the history of Animal Planet and has been since its debut in April 2009.

When he’s not beside a remote river, Jeremy lives in the countryside of Somerset, England.

About Discovery

Discovery, the flagship network of Discovery Communications, is devoted to creating the highest quality pay-TV programming in the world and remains one of the most dynamic networks on television. First launched in 1985, Discovery reaches 220 million subscribers in Asia Pacific. It offers viewers an engaging line-up of high-quality non-fiction entertainment from blue-chip nature, science and technology, ancient and contemporary history, adventure, cultural and topical documentaries.