72 Hours on an Alaska King Crab Boat – Ice, Waves, Massive Crabs

Looks like we've got some size on these, Cap. Hold it steady. Easy on the winch. All right, easy now. Bring it down slow. Clear the way. I'm ready for the count. Watch the swing. Whoa, look at the size of this one. Oh, that's a keeper right there, boys. Winch engaged, tension good. Ropes clear back here. All right, let's haul. Stern line's off, Cap. Bring it aboard. Let's get clear of the dock. Watch the ice off the bow. There they are, Mike. That's the main string from yesterday. Okay. I got the bearing now. Look right there. The red and white one. That's our buoy. Get the hook in there now, Sam. I got it. Pull it up. Watch the line. All right, here it comes. Hold it steady. Got it, Mike. Bring it in. It's coming up fast, Cap. Keep the pressure on. All right, easy now. Watch the swing. Looks like we got some size on these, Cap. Secure that pot now. All right, I'm on it. Watch your hands. Hold it steady. Easy on the winch. All right, easy now. Bring it down slow. Clear the way. I'm ready for the count. Watch the swing. Yes, look at that. We finally hit it big. That is unbelievable. Best haul yet. Looks like we're in for a rough one. Secure everything on deck. Look out. Watch the swing. Hey, watch what you're doing up there. Get that pot secured. Sam, watch your footing. Chris, haul that line in faster. Don't let it hit the rail. Everybody all right? Yeah, let's get back to it. Look at that, boys. We hit the mother load. That's a huge one. Finally. Get it secured quick. All right, Chris, bring it up. Nice and slow. It's heavy, Mike. Sam, watch your side. Got it. Looks full. Watch the swing on that pot. All right. She heavy. Get the mallet, Chris. Tapping her now, Sam. That's a full one. Get the hook ready, Sam. Got it. Stand clear when it opens. Whoa. Look at the size of this one. Oh, that's a keeper right there, boys. Keepers to the tank. Watch that big one, Mike. Clear the table. Let's go. Another set coming up. Here's another big one, Chris. 72, keeper. Got it. Next. Fill them up. Let's move. This one's almost full. Watch the ice behind you. How many in this one? Coming up heavy. Let's go. Move it out. Watch the swing on that pot. I got it easy now. Clear the line, Sam. And that's when he realized he was wearing the crab bibs wrong side out. Stop it, Mike. I can't breathe. That's hilarious. I swear. I thought I lost that pot for good. Nearly lost your lunch too. You look green back there. It's all part of the job out here, son. Did you secure that pot on the starboard side? Yeah. Double lashed it just before the squall hit. Here, take this one. It's huge. Wow. Thanks. That is delicious. To the left. Clear on the stack. Drop it. Watch the line. We pushed it long enough out here. It's time to turn it around and head in. All right, captain. Sounds good. Last pot of the season. Kind of small. It's fine. We did good. Bring it down slow. Watch the edge. I got it. Setting her down now. Stand clear. Watch your left. Keep it straight. Okay. Easy now. Push from the back. Heavy one here. All right. Set it down easy on the left side. Glad we could come to terms. Pleasure doing business with you, captain. Confirmed. $125,000 right there. That's incredible, Jack. Best haul yet. And that captain is the one that got away to the biggest catch of the season. I'll drink to that, Mike. Everything tied down back there, Jimmy? Yeah, we're good to go. You got your vest on tight enough, Sully. Tighter than your wallet, Jimmy. Are we clear to shove off? So long. We'll see you when we get back. All right. Safe travels. Make sure that one's tight, B. Yeah, got it. How much longer we got before dark? Get that buoy secured now. We're taking on water back here. I got it. Make sure that line is secured before we head out further. We don't want to lose this hook. Got it. Coiling it up now. I swear the sandwich nearly bit me back. It's always the quiet ones you got to watch out for. We got one. He's taking the line fast. Hold on to him. Fight and fight. Get him up. Easy, easy. He's a big one. Almost there. Keep the pressure on. Clear the deck. Move it. Grabbing the belt. Watch the line. She's taking drag. Clear the deck. Watch that coil. We got him coming up. Get ready. He's making another run. Keep the pressure on. We got this. There he is. Hold on tight. Get the gap ready. I got him. Look at the size of that thing. Pull, pull. I got it. Let it go. Yes. Look at the size of that. He's calming down. Let's move him. All right. Grab the gap. Open the hold. We're ready. Right there. 98 inches on the nose. What do you think she weighs? I'm getting too old for this kid. You say that every time. This stew is hitting the spot tonight. Damn right. Needed that. Keeps the cold out. We think about the risks. Sure. But you got family back home and this is how we make a living at sea. Send the spring line. On the piling now. She's secure. All right. Take the slack. Easy. Bring her down. We got the next one ready. Weighed in at 800 pounds, bled perfectly at the turn of the tide. They look magnificent. Captain. We'll take the lot. Every day on this dock starts long before the sun comes up. This is captain Jack's boat today. They only have one day to fill it. If this engine does not row, nobody gets paid. The net is their lifeline. A good set can make the whole day. If the fish are not cold, we are in trouble at the dock. Every knot, every buoy has to be right. Looks good. Let's go. Ready when you are. Lines off. Let us go make a day. They will be miles offshore before most people even wake up. It is a perfect day. Flat seas, clear skies. We will run out a bit farther, then start looking for birds. Out here, the sunrise is both a blessing and a countdown. Coffee first, fish second. Birds mean bait and bait usually means fish. Watch the net right there. I got it, Mike. Heads up. Soon it is time to work. Birds mean bait and bait usually means fish. They only get a few chances a day. Every set counts. Nice and smooth. Do not twist it. In a few hours, this line of buoys could be the difference between a good day and a bad one. All right, let us go see what is in that net. This is the moment of truth. Here we go. If the net feels heavy, that is a good sign. There they are. That is what we are here for. Not giants, but they add up fast. And keep them clean, keep them cold. That is the rule. Looks like we got a good haul here. Yeah, plenty of mackerel. That is a nice size snapper right there. Get it on ice. Already on it, Captain. Lunch is quick and simple. The ocean does not wait. It is easy to feel small out here. The net took some hits. Patch it, set it again. Bait fish breaking the surface right there. Confirmed, Captain. Moving in now. Feels like there is fish here. Just a hunch. Got the line, Luke. All right, pulling it in now. This one feels heavier. Bring it in easy now. Watch the railing. Got it, Captain. Haul away. Now we are talking. That is a payday. Get these big ones first. Watch your feet. Almost done with this box. Full boxes mean full wallets. Let us go home. They turn the bow toward home. Look at that wake. We earned that one. Sure did. Time for a cold beer. And tomorrow, they will do it all over again. Now comes the hard part, waiting. Looks like they are starting to pull under over there. Yeah, give it another 15 minutes. To most people, this looks calm. To them, it is tension. If this set is good, we might be home early. One more good set, and we are done. Careful with that twist, Mike. Almost got it. Luke, grab that orange float. On it. Second chances do not always come on the ocean. Today, they do. By the time they get back, most people are just getting off work. Get that ice secured now. How many more of these phone boxes we got left? The weather looks perfect tonight. We are expecting a big haul of those giant California prawns. Good luck out there. Catch some giants. We will see you when you get back. Is the gear stowed properly? Yes, everything is secure. We are ready for the open water. And I swear, the fish was this big. You always say that. Look at them. We almost believed you this time. Just taut in these straps. We cannot afford to lose any gear tonight. Watch the line. Pull it in now. Heavy one this time. Clear the deck. Move the crates. The goal tonight is to get these nets down to about 1,000 feet. That is where the giant king prawns are hiding, and we aim to catch enough to make this trip worthwhile. Pull it up. Let's go. Watch the floats on the side. All right. Keep it moving. Ready on the line. Move. Keep it steady. Watch the line. Rolling out now. Easy with the winch. Let it run slow. Ah, you slack away. All right. Easy now. Let it run slow. How much further out do we need? Another 100 feet, Cap. All right. That's 30 minutes down. We still got a while before the first haul. We're cutting through the surface now. Just watch the tension on the main line. All right. Helmet's on. Let's get this haul up. Winch is ready. Stay clear of the ropes. Here it comes. Watch the railing. She's coming in heavy. Get ready to secure it. Looks like a good haul. That's all we got? Yeah. Rough haul. We'll try again. This haul is decent, but it's not enough. We need significantly more volume just to cover our costs and break even. All right. Let's get it over. Push the doors. Doors away. And the net. Let's go. Set the winch. That's a solid haul coming up right there. Yeah. Let's hope for some big kings this time. We're working hard, but I'm worried about the price. Yeah. Fuel costs are killing us this season. Just keep moving. We still have more to sort. Keep it coming. We're almost there. Watch the side. Don't let them spill. All right. Easy now. Easy. We've got too much weight here. Bring it up slow. Look at that. That is unbelievable. We hit the jackpot. Look at this haul. We hit the jackpot, boys. Get these sorted now. Only the biggest ones for the crew tonight. This one right here looks perfect for the grill. Are these the biggest ones we've caught yet? I think so. They're ready for the grill now. Smells good, doesn't it? Yeah. Almost ready. The big ones always take longer. Here you go. Grab a couple of these. Wow. These look amazing. Best catch of the night. Be careful. They're still hot. Wow. That is perfectly cooked. The garlic butter. It's amazing. You spend enough time on the water, you start seeing things differently. Every trip is a gamble, but these nights make it worth it. Off the coast of California, the night belongs to the fishermen. We chase the giant king prawns, hauling traps from the dark, cold water. We're done here. Good. I'm beat. Let's head in. Keep those crates moving. We got a full haul tonight. Copy that. Almost done here. Keep the water moving towards the scuppers. All right. It's clearing up now. Keep the nets clear on the starboard side. Almost got it, Cap. Just a little deeper. That's the last haul for tonight. Good run. Time to tie her up. Welcome home. Did you catch many prawns tonight? These look excellent. Very fresh. We appreciate that, sir. All right. The total take is $2,140.50. Looks like we did well tonight. So as you can see here, the operating costs were high this week, but the catch size means we still made a decent profit. Well, that wraps up our trip targeting the giant king prawns. A huge thanks to the crew for their hard work, and thank you all for following along.