Would You Rather Catch A Big Fish Or Land A Big Air? - Stab Mag
713 Views

Would You Rather Catch A Big Fish Or Land A Big Air?

Matt Meola gives us his thoughts— and does both — on Salty Crew’s jungle cruise.

cinema // Apr 18, 2023
Words by Holden Trnka
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Matt Meola might get older every year, but his rubbery feet seem to still think they’re filming for an Innersection part.

The 33-year old can find an A-clip at any given dry-sand closeout, and is currently working on a possible SEOTY entry — granted he gets some clips on his next tropical trip.

Depicted above, Salty Crew decided to put him, Benji Brand, and Kalani Rivero on a trip along Costa Rica’s resource laden coastlines, accompanied by talented local Tosh Talbot and some fishing rods.

The result is ‘Pez Gallo,’ a chronicle of the adventures available to those with a boat in the jungle — set to a quirky Bruce Brown story arc.

Slabs included.

“The fishing really stood out on this trip, but watching it back I realized we actually did get some fun waves,” Matt tells me. “Every trip with Salty Crew is epic, we bring so much gear — fishing poles, dive gear, surfboards. You can’t get skunked, there’s always a way to have an insane time. I never want to go on a trip without my fishing gear again.”

These guys are definitely in the 1% of dating-app fish-pic portfolios.

After all his years of throwing it to the flats, I wonder if Matt gets more excitement from rolling away clean on a big spinner or reeling in a big meal.

“It’s becoming harder and harder for me to get the same excitement from a big air, but when I do get that feeling it’s hard to beat,” he smiles. “It’s my favorite thing ever, I’m still chasing it. Even at home I’ll wait all year for the right section — so when that comes I don’t think you can beat it. But, I’m glad I’ve got fishing to keep me stoked in the meantime.”

The meantime.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

The 100 Million Dollar Wave

An economic study of Nazaré.

Dec 12, 2025

Tension 11 And The Beautiful, Battered State Of Bodyboarding

Chris White on reviving the iconic boog films after 20 years, and the unsettling physics…

Dec 12, 2025

Zoe McDougall Debuts In “I Love You 2”

But, according to Vogue, boyfriends are out.

Dec 12, 2025

How Will Australia’s Social Media Ban Affect Surfing’s Kidfluencers?

The high-stakes world of youth digital entrepreneurship.

Dec 11, 2025

Watch: Taro Watanabe Get Tubed In ‘Tsunami-Like’ Peru

“Nevertheless” is a beautiful disaster.

Dec 11, 2025

How Surfers Get Paid: Season 2, Episode 9

The Style Economy.

Dec 9, 2025

First Look: Stab x Raen x Mikey Feb Signature EAST Sunnies

Stack high, watch fly...

Dec 9, 2025

Shane Borland Drops His Rage Part, Seals Himself As Ultimate Surf x Skate Crossbreed

“That pink board is Kobo's, and I had some mojo with it.”

Dec 9, 2025

The Man Who Built A Kingdom Without A Crown

The life and legacy of Pukas founder, Iñigo Letamendia.

Dec 8, 2025

Moore Drops 18-Point Totals After 2-Year Break, McGill Sweeps Haleʻiwa and Sunset

“It was so liberating to come in to my husband and daughter and not be…

Dec 8, 2025

The 2024 Eddie Winner On Addiction, Jail Time, And His Long Road To Glory

The Stab interview with Landon McNamara.

Dec 6, 2025

The Eddie Can Go

Brent Bielmann and Mason Ho on the 2025/26 Rip Curl Eddie Opening Ceremony.

Dec 6, 2025

The Desperately Primal Defense Of Something That Was Never Truly Your Own

We talked to the people from that viral Canary Islands localism video.

Dec 5, 2025

EAST With Mikey February, Episode Four

And the four finalists are...

Dec 5, 2025

Queensland Surf Coach Eligible For Parole In 6 Months After Pleading Guilty To 31 Child Sex Offences

The former WSL QS competitor could be released as early as June 2026.

Dec 4, 2025

Nate Florence On The Pipeline Board Matrix, His Superhuman Status & The Truth About Boats

“I got milked and did some milking, basically.” 

Dec 2, 2025

How West Oz Accidentally Built A Good Fucking Wave

“Apparently they were building this reef for beginners and intermediates, but with swell it's a…

Dec 1, 2025

Liam McNamara Raises Over $100K To Bring Back ‘Wave Of The Winter’

“This is not a private party, it's an open door party. Everybody's welcome.”

Nov 30, 2025
Advertisement