Matt Wells on Surviving Off the Land, Kayak Fishing & Viral Fame| Get the Net Podcast | EP12
🎣 Get the Net – Tight Lines, Loose Lips! 🎙️Show Notes
Matt Wells – better known as Nomadic Kayak Fishing – isn’t just the guy who went viral after being chased by a great white shark while livebaiting for kingfish from his kayak. He’s built a lifestyle around adventure, self-reliance, and chasing his passions. In this episode, Matt relives that heart-pounding shark encounter and how it changed his approach tosafety and respect for the ocean.
Beyond the viral moment, Matt shares what life looks likeliving full-time out of his van, making his income through YouTube, and surviving by living off the land. His journey shows what’s possible when you step away from the conventional path and lean into a simpler, more adventurousway of life – one built around fishing, freedom, and connection with the outdoors.
We also explore Matt’s biggest inspirations, the species heloves to target, and the lessons he’s learned about mindset and resilience. From battling kingfish in a kayak to adapting to life on the road, Matt’s yarns are as much about lifestyle and philosophy as they are about fishing.
✅ Matt Wells @_matt09wells_ (IG) ✅ @nomadickayakfishing (YT)
⏱️ Chapters /Segments ✅ (00:00) – Matt’s introduction to the world of fishing ✅ (05:00) – Living full-time in a van, making a living from YouTube, and surviving off the land. ✅ (21:50) – Why he loves kayak fishing, and the mindset and safety required to do it.
✅ (33:00) – Matts obsession with catching Big Kingfish ✅ (51:30) – The full story of being chased by a great white shark while kayak fishing for kingfish. ✅ (70:00) – Matt’s biggest inspiration and what drives him to keep pursuing this lifestyle.
🌟 Links & Socials - YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@getthenet_nz] - Apple Podcasts: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/🎣-get-the-net-–-tight-lines-loose-lips🎙️/id1824558692]
✅ Follow Us - Instagram: @getthenet_nz - TikTok: @getthenet_nz
🎵 Music Used ✅ Proctor, Topher Mohr & Alex Elena ✅ Satellites, Swello ✅ Momentum, Zplit ✅ Source (YouTube Audio Library)
🎥 Production Notes ✅ Shot on: Sony A7iii + Sennheiser Mics ✅ Edited in: Adobe Premiere Pro ✅ Shot, Edited & Produced by Nick Hoyle
More from 🎣 Get the Net – Tight Lines, Loose Lips! 🎙️
In Japan, jig anglers have an unofficial benchmark. It isn’t a club with a membership card. It’s a bluefin tuna over 100 kilos, caught on the jig. You can’t plan for one or buy your way into it. You just keep dropping. Justin Corric had chased that fish for years. A little over four weeks ago, on the final morning of one of the toughest trips of his life, he finally got one.
Captain Rick Pollock grew up in Hollywood, the son of a doctor whose patients included movie stars, and had boated 100 billfish out of Baja Mexico by the time he was 18. He arrived in New Zealand in 1978 on what was meant to be a one-year contract skippering a charter boat out of Whakatane, fishing White Island — and never left. Rick sits down with Nick to share stories from nearly 50 years on the water, including White Island — his home away from home — plus the day his boat tied the All Tackle world record kingfish, and a career built almost entirely around the country's most obsessed-over sportfish.
Recorded on the Daiwa stand at the NZ Boat Fish Dive Expo. This Quick Cast is with Aaron Styles, founder of Just Another Fisherman.
Frank and Jane are the couple behind Beyond the Coast, a YouTube channel built around fishing, camping and exploring their own backyard. They've turned that into a lifestyle a lot of us would love to have.
A 5.8 metre trailer boat. A UFC heavyweight strapped into the harness. And a Pacific bluefin tuna that pulled the scales to 243kg bled, gutted and gilled.