Albany angler Gido Mettam hooks global audience on extreme fishing adventures

Most people cannot fathom the adrenaline rush of abseiling down a towering coastal cliff, let alone pausing to cast a line into the churning ocean below. Albany’s thrill-seeking fisherman Gideon Mettam has gained a global following for doing just that. “Gido”, as he is known to his fans, will hike for hours, abseil onto ledges, and camp overnight to reach otherwise inaccessible fishing locations. The most remote reaches of the rugged Albany coastline have become his private fishing spots — and he has documented plenty of impressive catches to prove his methods work. His extreme form of fishing was born out of coastal rock climbing trips with a friend. “Often I would look at the ocean and I couldn’t help but think there must be some good fish to catch down there,” he said. “One day I decided to give it a go. “When I went back with fishing gear I was stoked with the good fish I was catching, but frustrated that I kept losing bigger fish because I wasn’t properly prepared to land them. “Those fish that I couldn’t land sparked my drive to try again and explore other spots.” He started filming his trips to show his wife the amazing scenery, and about two years ago he thought he might as well create a YouTube account — Gido’s Land Based Fishing Adventures. What started as a bit of fun has grown into a source of income which supplements his carpentry work. “Initially there wasn't a huge amount of interest, but as I learnt how to get better footage and make better videos the audience grew,” he said. “Just this year my channel has taken off. I think adding a drone to my kit recently has helped, because it shows off our coastline and how ridiculously scenic some of the places I get to go are. “I’ve always loved exploring, seeing what’s around the next corner, what fish can I catch at this location and that location. “I just enjoy getting outdoors and getting to see parts of our amazing coastline that almost nobody else gets to see. Catching good fish is just a bonus.” He now has more than 57,000 subscribers on YouTube, and videos with more than two million views. He tries to head out weekly to keep the video content coming. One of his favourite moments came earlier this year when he caught a dhufish on fly fishing gear. “I don’t believe anyone has been able to do this from land yet and I wanted to be the first,” he said. “The fact that it was caught from shallow water around 6m deep and was able to be released made it even better. While his videos can look terrifying to people with no experience, he said with the right precautions and a weather check, he felt safe. “I don’t think it is as dangerous as most people think it is,” he said. “Of course, whenever you are doing an activity of this nature there are risks involved. “But I take every precaution I can to lower that risk and make it as safe as possible. “I have been abseiling, rock climbing and fishing for many years.” When choosing his next adventure, he inspects the location on Google Earth and works out how much rope he will need. “Every gram counts when hiking a long way over difficult terrain and I want my bag as light as possible,” he said. “Once all that is decided, I let my wife know where I am going and when I will be back. “Sometimes I go with a friend but sometimes alone, so I always carry an EPIRB just in case. “For the abseiling part, I carry camming devices to place in the cracks and build an anchor with.” He said it was important for viewers to know that the skills required for his brand of fishing could not be learnt from watching YouTube videos.