My first trip on a bottom dragger was a head and gut factory boat, 155’ long. Crew of about 28. We locked into a honey hole of Pacific Ocean Perch off Yakutat.. There were three shifts, the boat fished and processed around the clock. I spent 120 days straight at sea, 16 hour shifts. The deckhands were on deck sometimes more than us plebes, since the trawl nets were constantly getting hung up on the rocky, mountainous terrain. They would regularly come back up with fifty-foot long gashes. Processors would often give up sleep to help them, by being another set of hands to help hold the net while they mended. Damn, what a grind. Breaking gear all the time, up to the main tow cables, which were around 1 3/4” thick. A season for us began in January for Rock Sole, which was far easier. Shallow water (100 fathom), sandy bottom, and no spines on the fish like the perch and rockfish. Some of the rockfish we were catching were over thirty pounds without head and guts, so the fish in the round were over fifty. Fch’n poisonous spikes sticking out everywhere, and your knife hand suffered badly with repetitive stabbings. At any rate, once we put 20k thirty-pound cases up, we would meet a Japanese tramper at sea, transfer our product and get back on it. Food delivered to us at sea from transport boats out of Seattle. So many memories. Getting the crap beat out of us in heavy weather and still fishing. Big paychecks after A season. Wild times in Dutch, back when the runway was dirt. There were only twenty or so boats in the fleet and the fishery was untouched and so it was balls to the walls. Most of the skippers and owners were king crab guys who found themselves needing something to do when that fishery was closed in the seventies and early eighties, and the bottom fished with big nets the same way the fished for crab:, hard. More than a few Norwegians there then, guys who were the worlds best trawlers. Watched one of them literally run the coast guard off the boat in fear during an inspection boarding. Anyway, good luck up there kid. It’s a great life. Just remember that it’s hell on relationships, when you’re thinking about starting a family. Choose your wife and the mother of your kids carefully. It’s very hard on the women on the beach. And last, have the time of your life. Youth is short, make the best of it.
and I’m sure Weather plays a significant factor in whether you are going out or not as well… technically if the weather is bad enough, you could lose a whole season is that correct? ⁉️💁🏼♂️
If people knew how nasty pollack are , you'd be out of work ... bottom of the barrel fish .. yuck ... couldn't pay me to eat that ... that's long John's, McDonald's, fish sticks, if you don't see " cod " and it's in a fast food joint or frozen ... it's pollack ....😂
My first trip on a bottom dragger was a head and gut factory boat, 155’ long. Crew of about 28. We locked into a honey hole of Pacific Ocean Perch off Yakutat.. There were three shifts, the boat fished and processed around the clock. I spent 120 days straight at sea, 16 hour shifts.
The deckhands were on deck sometimes more than us plebes, since the trawl nets were constantly getting hung up on the rocky, mountainous terrain. They would regularly come back up with fifty-foot long gashes. Processors would often give up sleep to help them, by being another set of hands to help hold the net while they mended. Damn, what a grind. Breaking gear all the time, up to the main tow cables, which were around 1 3/4” thick.
A season for us began in January for Rock Sole, which was far easier. Shallow water (100 fathom), sandy bottom, and no spines on the fish like the perch and rockfish. Some of the rockfish we were catching were over thirty pounds without head and guts, so the fish in the round were over fifty. Fch’n poisonous spikes sticking out everywhere, and your knife hand suffered badly with repetitive stabbings.
At any rate, once we put 20k thirty-pound cases up, we would meet a Japanese tramper at sea, transfer our product and get back on it. Food delivered to us at sea from transport boats out of Seattle.
So many memories. Getting the crap beat out of us in heavy weather and still fishing. Big paychecks after A season. Wild times in Dutch, back when the runway was dirt. There were only twenty or so boats in the fleet and the fishery was untouched and so it was balls to the walls. Most of the skippers and owners were king crab guys who found themselves needing something to do when that fishery was closed in the seventies and early eighties, and the bottom fished with big nets the same way the fished for crab:, hard.
More than a few Norwegians there then, guys who were the worlds best trawlers. Watched one of them literally run the coast guard off the boat in fear during an inspection boarding.
Anyway, good luck up there kid. It’s a great life. Just remember that it’s hell on relationships, when you’re thinking about starting a family. Choose your wife and the mother of your kids carefully. It’s very hard on the women on the beach. And last, have the time of your life. Youth is short, make the best of it.
Great stuff!!
There may be A and B seasons, but you are the A Team!
(Yes., I know aboard ship it's a crew, but that didn't connect you to an 80s TV show.)
My advice to you keep fishing stay as long as you can as your body is able to make as much money as you can
Done heaps of 6 month swings , many longer.
and I’m sure Weather plays a significant factor in whether you are going out or not as well… technically if the weather is bad enough, you could lose a whole season is that correct?
⁉️💁🏼♂️
Thanks for the information very interesting business
Quick question. When fishing for pollock,.is it midwayer dragging your net,.or is it bottom dragging?
Do you get a job during the offseason or do you make enough from fishing to support yourself through the whole year?
What company do you fish for? Do they pay y'all pretty good for Pollock?
Unisea takes 4ever to offload
How do i apply to get a job
Just ask around the docks lotta people need deck hands
If people knew how nasty pollack are , you'd be out of work ... bottom of the barrel fish .. yuck ... couldn't pay me to eat that ... that's long John's, McDonald's, fish sticks, if you don't see " cod " and it's in a fast food joint or frozen ... it's pollack ....😂
His explanations are so boring