Ultimate Cup: Bigger than the America’s Cup

Almost exactly a year on from the 2013 America’s Cup finals, the skippers from the 34th edition are at it again.

Jimmy Spithill (Oracle Team USA) and Dean Barker (Emirates Team New Zealand) are going head to head out on the water, but this time it’s a fishing challenge, and with fishing being three times more popular than sailing, the winner will take out the aptly named ‘Ultimate Cup’ and settle the score of this fierce sporting rivalry and once and for all determine the true king of the ocean.

Over two full hour episodes (Sept 6 and 13) Matt Watson, host of The ITM Fishing Show, puts the combatants through a range of challenges to catch different species using different techniques, from snapper to marlin – the first to score nine of the biggest fish, takes out the title and gives ultimate glory to their team and nation.

Matt says “Both guys had caught some excellent fish, and just as Dean encountered tough windy conditions, Jimmy started his comeback with some big deep-sea fish. There were some freakishly good catches in this fishing challenge but the rules were pushed to breaking point, protest flags were raised and the dreaded time limit threatened to beat both of the anglers and rob New Zealand of the opportunity for redemption”

To read Matt’s full length article previewing the challenge click here: http://www.thefishingshow.co.nz/images/Barker.pdf