[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
Sig:
it's an early winter.
And, because of that...
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
Weather looks like
it's gonna go crazy here.
♪♪
We're already seein'
much colder temperatures.
Tides are runnin' hard.
The wind's just building.
I've never seen a beginning
like this, ever.
♪ Gonna get your motor ♪
♪ Runnin' ♪
♪ Head out on the ♪
♪ Highway ♪
Jake:
this weather's comin'
right now.
So, this'll be a test
To see how
my new guys hold up.
♪ I know you're lookin' ♪
♪ For adventure ♪
ohhh!
Monte:
when my brother's not here,
We have to put an additional
body on the boat.
Well, this year,
it's gonna be my son gregory.
♪ And whatever comes our way ♪[ howls ]
Whoo-oo!
♪ Born to be ♪
♪ Wild ♪
Four days, 70,000 pounds.
-Whoa-oa!
-♪ You were born ♪
-[Voice muffled]
-♪ to be wild ♪
Man:
give him a reminder
of what it's like
To really be a crab fisherman.
♪♪
♪ Wild ♪
-oh, boy. Oh, boy.
-♪ You were born to be ♪
-no no no no no no.
♪ Wild ♪
Hold on.
Hold on.
-♪ Be will-l-l-l-l ♪
-ah-ooh!
Oh!
He's not okay!
He's [bleep] up!
[ Siren pulses ]
♪♪
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
This is when
things get cold
And things get
really rough.
Ahhhhh!
♪♪
It's gonna be tough,
but...
[ Cawing ]
I'm here to fish.
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
Captions paid for by
discovery communications
♪♪
Narrator:
dutch harbor, alaska.
Just seven weeks after the
fall's legendary battle
For the quarter-billion-dollar
king crab horde...
Josh: winter sucks.
It's [bleep] cold.
The ice is comin', now, for the
first time in five years.
It's gonna be [bleep]
Narrator:
captains now face
what looks to be
Themost brutal winter season
in nearly a decade.
I knew it was gonna be
colder this year,
But I didn't necessarily think
That the ice was gonna
be comin' down.
We're gonna get the crap
kicked out of us.
Narrator:
northerly winds and frigid
temperatures have come early,
Pushing the ice pack south...
♪♪
Monte:
this is really not
what you wanna see
On the weather pattern screen.
It looks like it's frickin'
not real good.
Narrator:
...threatening to crush hulls
Or, freeze the fishing grounds
shut completely.
Sig:
you gotta get into the crab
before you hit the ice.
That's how you win the game.
Once the ice comes down on top
of your gear, it's game over.
Narrator:
four early birds --
the northwestern,
Cornelia marie,
wizard,and saga --
Race to get a jump
on the winter season
And the rest of the fleet.
Honestly, I have zero experience
with ice fishing, zero.
Yeah, this'll be a test
for everybody.
Monte:
this year could be 60-
to 70-knot winds.
In fact, it wouldn't
surprise me if it was.
Let's get this thing goin'.
[ Horn blows ]
throw! Throw!
Narrator:
the winter battle begins.
Ugh!
Let's hope
it goes smoothly.
♪♪
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
Across the island...
My crew and I came up early,
which is always an advantage,
And then, especially,
I've got a crane to put on.
Narrator:
... Northwestern
captain sig hansen
Looks for a quick start
to his winter season.
But, before the skipper
can throw lines,
He has a very large package
to pick up.
It was a lot of money
to get this thing shipped
All the way from europe.
Narrator:
on his last bairdi trip...
♪♪
Crane?
...the crane failed,
Forcing the crew
to stack-out by hand.
You gotta have
that crane.
Kind of important
on a boat.
♪♪
Now, after 30 years of use,
Sig's ready
for a replacement.
You know, this new one,
I mean, it's supposed
to be stronger, faster.
I mean, this is
a big deal for us.
Narrator:
fully aware that,
with each passing day,
The ice can move 24 miles...
Shipping company's
right around the corner.
♪♪
Can't wait
to see this baby.
...sig needs his new,
$100,000-piece of equipment
Installed and ready to go.
Probably...
[Bleep]
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
♪♪
It's supposed to be...
Here.
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
[ eerie music plays ]
♪♪
Yeah, it's sig
off the northwestern?
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
Right.
We're at the dock.
I was just wondering
where that crane was.
I don't see it.
♪♪
You gotta be kidding me.
♪♪
They're still two,
three days out!
They got stuck in weather.
Damn it!
[ Squeaking ]
I don't know what to do.
If they're two,
three days behind,
That doesn't mean a damn thing!
That could be a week,
the way things are lookin'.
You know, you look
at the weather in the gulf,
It's all storm.
[ Engine starts ]
I don't know if I should
hang out and wait or just go.
That's the problem right now.
♪♪
I'm here to fish,
not screw around.
Damn it!
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
♪♪
[ Rain pouring ]
♪♪
♪♪
Hey, kyle!
You going to the stern?
-What?
-Coming right down here?
No, comin' right here.
See how it runs.
Dude, I am so ready
to go right now.
How much longer?
Get our pots
all chained up.
-Greg!
-Yeah!
Yeah!
I just had to come up early.
There's nobody out there.
I got money to make.
I'm trying to buy a boat
And I need to get my crab
as fast as I can,
In order to maximize
all profits.
Narrator:
with a 25% stake in the saga
on the line...
You got that? Pull!
...captain jake anderson
Is gunning to get
off the dock
And start catching his
280,000-pound opilio quota.
Chris!
-Good?
-Yeah!
Oh, I have high expectations
for this season.
You know, usually, when it's
colder, we catch more crab.
It's been a colder year, so far,
What I seen.
Up! Up!
Jake:
I knew it was gonna be
colder this year.
There it is.
And I think we're gonna get
the crap kicked out of us.
♪♪
Put up the flag,
fuelin'.
The beautiful thing is,
is I was trying to be
As diligent as I could about
hiring the crew this time.
I think the crew's
gonna do pretty well.
So far, so good.
I've stepped on the boat.
I haven't had to say
one thing.
Narrator:
after firing more
than half his crew
At the end of king season...
Oh, my god.
He did it.
...jake hopes adding
three veteran hands
Will be his secret
to success.
My name's justin cohen.
I'm from connecticut.
I fished about 15 years
out of connecticut
And about six years
out here in dutch.
Yeah, I mean, this is
my third opies on the saga.
Obviously, for some reason,
I'm just --
I keep missin' king crab.
Somethin' comes up.
Jail. [Laughs]
Done it all.
I've done king crab, opies,
Bairdi, salmon, cod,
Blue crab, brown crab,
[indistinct]
♪♪
Jake:
you guys ready to go?
Yeah!
Yeah, we're all clear!
♪♪
Alright, throw 'em.
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]yeah!
You got that? Pull!
[Bleep]
Alright, we outta here,
or what?
Got 'em off, jake!
♪♪
Alright, 2019.
Here we go, baby.
Aah!
Don't get crazy.
Whoo-oo!
Hey, you on?
[ Horn blasting ]
Steven:
go big or go home.
Get some crab.
Go get the gold,
the bering sea gold,
The real stuff.
Eight legs.
I have high hopes
for this crew.
I really do.
I know this crew's better
than the crew I had last season.
I know that as far as just
experience, alone.
But time will tell
how much better
Than the last crew
I had they will be.
♪♪
♪♪
[ Wind whipping ]
Narrator:
260 miles northwest...
The cornelia marieis first
to test winter's wrath.
-Whoo!
-Holy [bleep]
Oh, yeah.
Snow's startin'.
Get these soldiers
in the water.
♪♪
Narrator:
for captains casey mcmanus
and josh harris,
20-Knot winds
and 15-foot seas
Is the kind
of welcome-back kiss
They've learned to expect
from the bering sea.
Let's see what
we got comin' at us.
It's, uh, gonna pick up
a little bit tomorrow night.
We'll be
in a about-25-knotter.
Ooh, boy!
By 7:00 pm, she'll be
rippin' about 35, 40.
It's gonna get crazy.
We got pretty good-size quota
and a short timeframe to do it.
[ Eerie sting plays ]
First delivery:
70,000pounds,
[ Wind whipping ]
four days, akutan.
Little bit of a challenge.
Narrator:
a looming off-load
only days away.
Couple of guys got some
more quota layin' around
That we'd like
to pick up.
That's right.
Ifwe do well.
Narrator:
each scheduled winter delivery
Is another hurdle
between the captains
And an additional million
dollars worth of quota.
Josh:
little bit of pressure.
That's why I'm going
straight for the heart
Of the money makers.
But the rock pile
can be
A real son of a g*n
to fish.
You can strike out,
hard.
Narrator:
up against the clock,
Josh bets on a harris family
hot spot...
So, with any luck,
we'll hit somethin'.
...a rocky patch
of opilio grounds known
To provide shelter to the
biomass during turbulent seas.
Alright, kyle.
You have
all those made?
Let's rock 'n' roll, boys.
Set 'em out.
Roger!
-First crab pot.
-Aah!
-Oh, yeah.
-Ready?!
Whoo!
You're gonna be sweatin'
here in a minute.
It's gonna be
a long one.
[ Beep ]
One over!
Yeah, baby!
♪♪
Let's hope it performs.
[ Beep ]
two over!
Am I gonna be
in the penthouse
Or am I gonna
be in the outhouse?
We shall see.
[ Suspenseful music
climbs ]
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
[ siren pulses ]
[ Siren wailing ]
narrator: coming up...
Nick. Hold on.
Roll him on his side. Hold on.
No, don't [bleep] film this.
No.
Jake:
it's gonna be blowin'
like a bat outta hell.
-Whoo-oo!
-Whoa!
Oh, boy. Oh.
No no no no.
Whoa!
♪♪
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
Narrator:
290 miles northwest
of dutch harbor...
♪♪
Whoa!
Whoa-oa!
Watch yourself, ryan.
Watch out for this guy.
Aaaaah!
Guys, I hope you tied
everything down
'Cause this weather's
comin' right now.
[Bleep] yeah.
Narrator:
...the sagapunches
through the opening salvoes
Of winter's as*ault.
Argh. Whoa!
Watch out.
Whoa-oa-oa!
[Bleep]
-[bleep] there goes ryan.
He's down.
You okay, ryan?
-Good?
-Yep.
-Good?
[Bleep] hold on.
Hold on.
♪♪
Right now, it's probably
blowin' about...30 knots.
Seas are about
probably 12 feet.
So it creates a really
rolling environment,
But, I got about another
2.5 hours of settin'.
Whoo-oo!
♪♪
Agh! Whoo!
Nobody else is out here.
I'm doin' my homework,
Collectin' information
off my gear,
And then I'll set
accordingly.
Narrator:
a solo marauder on his
chosen prospect grounds,
Jake spreads his gear
Over a wide swath
to find the crab.
Yeah, baby!
Once located, he'll fire pot
after pot into the biomass.
Weather is --
[Bleep] is a good
name for it.
[ Laughs ]
It came up pretty quickly.
I think it's even supposed to be
comin' up a little bit more.
Whoo-hoo!
I've got two new guys
on board
That have never worked
on this boat...
Yeah, it's blowin'
pretty bad out right now --
At least 50, 60.
...justin
And steven.
So this'll be a test to see
how they all hold up
Under some extreme conditions.
Whoa whoa whoa.
I'm just on high alert.
♪♪
Doesn't feel good
right here,
I'll tell you that.
♪♪
[ Vomits ]
♪♪
[ Gurgle ]
Narrator:
the rocking boat causes its own
storm in the inner ear...
[ Spewing ]
...causing seasickness...
[ Gurgle ]
...that can take down
Even the most hardened
fisherman.
Ah!
[ Sniffle ]
Ohh.
[ Coughs ]
Ahh, god!
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
Is steven okay?
Amateur hour.
No one ever
gave me a break
When I was pukin'.
Yeah, no [bleep]
what the [bleep]?
-Hey, uh, kyle.
-Yeah.
Can you go and check on steven,
make sure he's doin' okay?
Roger.
♪♪
[ Steven heaving ]
[ Spitting ]
Your stomach hurts?
Yeah.
Just dry heavin's
of...?
Yeah. [Sniffle]
Alright.
[Sniffle]
[ Eerie sting plays ]
Hopefully, he gets better
pretty soon, 'cause
We aregonna start
haulin' gear
And I won't be able to, uh,
Keep a guy in the rack.
I just --
I can't afford it.
Keep an eye on him
'Cause I have high hopes
for this crew.
I just don't know what
my new guys are capable of.
I just hope
this all pays off.
God!
This is not fun.
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
♪♪
[ Cheeping ]
Narrator:
back in dutch harbor,
on the wizard...
It's been really kind of
tough to come up here...
[ Sigh ]
With the condition
of my father.
The candle's kind of startin'
to flicker a little bit.
Narrator:
captain monte colburn begins
his winter season
With a heavy heart.
His 81-year-old father,
gary colburn's, health
Is ailing.
-I probably wouldn't even
Be here,
if it wasn't for the guys.
You know, I know
they're countin' on me
To kind of proceed forward,
So, the plan is,
between my and my brother,
I'm gonna make this first trip
and then I'm gonna go home
And he's gonna come up.
Narrator:
keith attends to his father,
leaving monte on the hook
For the wizard's
140,000-pound bairdi quota.
We'll throw the lines here
pretty quick.
It'll be nice
to get outta town.
♪♪
We're close.
♪♪
Oh, yeah.
We've got a big chunk
of bairdi.
We've got 140-some thousand
pounds, so, that's a lot.
Most boats had 30,000,
40,000, maybe 50,000.
Hopefully, we can go out,
Pound through a bunch of pots
in a timely manner.
Everything's secured.
♪♪
Narrator:
to make up for his own
absence on deck...
You know, I've got gregory.
He's my son.
He's on here,
first time, ever.
...monte brings on
a next-generation colburn.
We'll see how it goes.
He's been up here,
Workin' with these guys
for a couple days,
And they seem to be
gettin' along well
And that, in itself,
is a -- a good start.
I feel good,
so far, you know, but,
Everything on here
seems like it's like
A well-oiled machine, you know?
And I don't wanna be that --
the squeaky --
The squeaky gear, you know
what I mean? In the machine.
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
guess we'll see.
Narrator:
prepped and ready to go.
Alright.
Everybody, get up here.
Team meeting.
Right on!
So, soper, how much
of this stuff
Have you got up and runnin'?
Have you tuned
that radar, yet,
Since we've been here?
-Not -- not yet.
Narrator:
one last thing is needed.
Grab those radar wrenches
down there,
In the mid-ship cabinet.
Give him those.
Narrator:
and it involves a little...
Initiation.
[ Suspenseful music climbs,
chord strikes ]
Basically, you gotta go up
on the stack
And just kinda stand there
And he's gonna tune that radar
and this is really important.
We'll wait for ya.
You hold 'em up,
both like this,
And then you go
down with one.
[ Clang ]
and then up with one
And down with this one.
-Hold them all the way
extended out?
Yeah, and then
you'll be goin'
Like this,
then like this.
-Okay.
-Okay, be careful.
It's cold and --
Crouch.
You can do it.
[ Voices overlapping ]
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
[Laughing] what was
the motion, soper?
[ Laughter ]
[Hushed] quiet, now.
He might -- he might see us.
♪♪
That's the spirit!
Okay, once -- once
you get into position,
Get the radar wrenches
extended all the way out.
♪♪
Is he doin' it?
-Yeah.
-You're doin' it right.
Just a little bit slower.
[ Laughter ]
That's it.
See, now, do a circle,
a slow circle.
Okay.
Do a slow circle
[ Laughter ]
and lift one leg
While you're doin' it.
[ Cymbals crash ]
[ Laughter ]
He's gettin' it.
-Oh, my god.
-Is he doin' it?
Is he liftin' a leg?
Yeah.
[ Laughter ]
Okay, now, click the wrenches
together three times and say,
"There's no place like home."
[ Chord strikes ]
He probably got it now, right?
[ Clinking ]
There's no place like home!
[ Clinking ]
[ Howls ]
[ Laughter ]
Narrator:
a little levity eases the
pressure when times are tough.
[ Laughs ]
Alright.
♪♪
And, you know,
tuning the radar,
It's essential.
Let's go see if we can
get lucky again.
The sooner
we start the trip,
The sooner we'll
be back.
[ Suspenseful chords strike ]
♪♪
The next morning...
Sig: be alright.
On the northwestern...
Time to go!
-We're goin'.
-Rather than wait
For his new crane
to arrive...
Finally!
Finally, finally.
...captain sig
throws lines, anyway.
Crane is still in transit.
There's nothin'
we can do about that.
But we came up early for this,
so, might as well try
To get the pots in the water
while we got this weather.
-Good.
-Guys didn't come up here
To twiddle their thumbs.
Neither did i.
Clear!
Everyone on board!
-Everything loose?
-Yep.
All loose!
Okay, here we go.
Opies!
Whoo!
Whoo!
Let's go.
♪♪
♪♪
Clark:
it's always a good feeling
when you've got everything done.
We're headin' out
and you're like, "alright.
See you later, dutch.
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
we're out."
♪♪
Smell it.
Runnin' a little rough.
♪♪
He just --
he just went in.
Ah, come on!
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
oh, [bleep]
They're not
gettin' air.
♪♪
Yeah, they're
not breathing.
Oh, [bleep]
I got no fuel pressure!
Narrator:
dutch harbor, alaska.
Sig:
ah, come on!
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
oh, [bleep]
They're not
gettin' air.
♪♪
Yeah, they're
not breathing.
I got no fuel pressure!
Narrator:
the northwestern
is losing power
And the exhaust manifold
is smoking.
Seems like the fuel pressure's
bouncin' a little bit.
Should be a little higher.
Narrator:
attempting to diagnose
the problem?
Engineer norman hansen.
♪♪
♪♪
Sig:
turbos are smoking?
Like burnin' oil off.
[ Sigh ]
Okay. So that means
I'm turning around, right?
Yes or no?!
Yes.
Okay. So that means
I gotta --we didn't spill any oil.
I don't care!
I-i don't care.
What I care about is leaving
-both: safely.
Last thing we need is a fire
comin' out of our turbos.
[ Ominous chord strikes ]
narrator: a fire at sea
Can spread in seconds.
[ Speaks indistinctly ]
Got a fire! Fire!
-[Screeching] got a fire!
-Stay calm!
[ Alarm ringing ]
narrator: and sig has already
Had his fair share
of shadow and flame.
Stay calm!
Now, the captain has no choice
but to turn back.
Dock's here.
I'm gonna go tie up.
Pray that nothin'
catches fire down there.
Get the guys up and down.
I want communication.
♪♪
Take care of your boat,
you take of your life.
You don't take care
of your boat,
You die!
[ Ominous chord strikes ]
Narrator:
with the northwesternstruggling
to get off the dock...
♪♪
...290 miles northwest...
♪♪
...the sagaprepares to face off
With the first arctic blast
of the winter season.
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
♪♪
[Chanting] jake, jake!
He's our man!
If he can't do it,
no one can!
Steven's back in action.
Originally, I was
a little bit perturbed
About steven leavin' deck, but,
he's the first one on deck.
Whoa-oa-oa-oa!
[Bleep]
You got deuced, dude.
He knew we were here to fish
and I'm real glad
I'm back to a full deck.
I was worried there.
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
Narrator:
for now, the return
Of deckhand steven laginio
Means skipper jake anderson
Can go full-throttle
on his first prospect string.
Alright, fellas.
Here we go.
You guys be safe and I'll try
to keep you guys protected.
Whoo-oo-oo!
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
Let's just see how this
sagacrew performs.
Narrator:
covering the grounds
with pots galore...
Right now, it's probably
blowin' about 30 knots.
Seas are about
probably 12 feet.
But that's not
gonna stop me.
...jake is looking
for a 100-crab average.
Anything less means the
young skipper's first swing
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
is a miss.
Jake:
I'm gonna do whatever
I can do safely
To catch my crab faster
than anybody else.
♪♪
I'm comin' out here,
'cause I got bills to pay
And I got a boat I wanna buy.
♪♪
This is on short soak.
♪♪
Alright, let's see
what we got,
See if this was worth it.
♪♪
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
[ Sinister music plays ]
♪♪
Looks like there's
crab in it.
Oh, yeah, baby!
Whoo-oo-oo!
Yeah! See?
-Oh, yeah.
-Yeah!
[Bleep] yeah.
Signs of life,
and that's good.
I like it.
I like it.
That's a good one.
[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]
Clean, good crab!
70 And clean.
That's a good pot.
♪♪
Come on, god,
come on.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Hell, yeah!
[ Voices overlapping]
Those are good-lookin' crab.
60 Knots, 70 knots.
It's on.
♪♪
140.
140.
Yeah!
That's why
we prospect.
As I'm gettin' shallower,
we're gettin' more numbers, so,
We're gonna continue
up the hill,
Which, I'm hoping it's
gonna keep getting better.
-Whoo!
-Yeah!
But this is good.
This is actually real good,
right off the bat.
♪♪
Two-seven-zero!
Yeah, baby!
Yeah-eah!
That's what
I'm talkin' about.
Oh, yeah, baby.
Holy [bleep]
I said I promised myself
I was not gonna get excited.
But, I'm ready to drop
some pots right now.
Yeah, looks
like money!
John, I think
we're soakin' codfish.
These things are gonna
[bleep] hit, dude.
Okay, roger.
Narrator:
fresh out of the gate,
Jake hits his first pile
of the season.
Go ahead and leave it
in the rack
And we'll
start settin'.
Now, the young skipper
Will double down
and reset his gear...
I'm baitin' realheavy
right now,
So they're gonna
need 36 hours.
...gambling that extra bait
and twice the soak time
Will bring in twice the crab.
Whoo-oo!
Whoo-oo-oo!
♪♪
Okay, fellas, just kinda
watch the rail here.
♪♪
[ Snap ]
-whoa [bleep]
-what?!
♪♪
Hoh.
Is steven okay?
Aah!
You alright, steve?
[ Sinister-eerie
tune plays ]
Yep, I'm good!
♪♪
Thank god he didn't
break his hand.
Narrator:
as the boat rolls,
Tension in the coil line
briefly eases,
Then snaps back,
lashing steven's hand...
Aah!
...with the force
of a bullwhip.
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
♪♪
Pull it slow.
Pull it slow. Pull it slow.
Pull it slow, please.
Pull it slow.
♪♪
[ Snap ]
aah!
-Whoa!
-You okay?
Narrator: bucking violent
12-foot breakers...
Pull it slow.
Pull it slow, please.
Pull it slow.
[ Snap ]
aah!
-Whoa!
-You okay?
Narrator:
the 107-foot sagarolls,
causing the line to snap.
And steven laginio
takes another shot --
This one across the face.
Could've been a lot worse, for
somebody that's a lot greener.
Good job, steven.
That was a tough one.
Yeah!
Ugh, get me some!
He is one tough son of a b*tch,
that guy.
This is a crew.
This could be
a really good crew.
They understand what's at stake.
Two, seven, zero!
That's good.
But now we're gonna
take this string
And we're gonna dial it
in even more.
I'm excited to see what these
pots are gonna look like
When they've had proper
soak and proper bait.
I know I can do better.
I know I can find 600s.
I know it.
And I'm not gonna accept
anything less.
Narrator: while jake takes aim
at a record-breaking haul...
55 Miles south...
♪♪
On the cornelia marie...
♪♪
Captain josh harris
and his crew
Are looking for an opilio
jackpot of their own.
Breakfast of champions --
ice cream.
Casey: yeah, the boys
aren't moving too fast today.
I think josh wore them out
last night.
Worked them till 2:30
in the morning.
We got weather that's coming in
and stack up against us.
I wanna get as many pots
hauled today as we can
So we can get them situated.
Narrator:
looking at a scheduled off-load
in just three days...
Casey and josh count on the
boulder-ridden waters
Of the rock pile
to show them signs of life.
Casey: pressure.
Josh: okay.
You see, there's your set.
Hope you set in a good spot.
Show me that harris luck.
♪♪
♪♪
Man: first pot of the season
coming up.
Hopefully,
there's something good in it.
Oh, let's see here.
If we got...
80 To 100 out of this,
we'd be styling.
♪♪
Where's the beef?!
Oh, yeah.
Baby!
Whoo!
Crab look okay?
Yeah.
I got a good pot!
Down the hole!
[ Laughs ]
Yeah, there's a few in there.
Yeah, baby.
Okay.
155 In that one.
[ Laughs ]
Ow!
Good stuff.
Sweet.
We're onto pretty crab now.
Yeah, baby!
That's a pretty healthy pot.
As far as prospect strings go,
I can't b*tch about this one.
If we can continue
on this track,
We'll hit our 75,000 pounds
And we'll still have
a day to travel.
Narrator:
early returns say josh has
put them squarely on the crab.
Man: aah!
Ew.
The [bleep] happened there?
Narrator:
but with a prospect string,
The trick isn't
just getting on them.
It's staying on them.
Man: not very many.
They're just small.
Ah, damn it.
As I go south there,
I'm losing them.
I'm at six right now,
And we've cleared
about half the cable.
I think the crab's
probably to the north,
That's what we're
definitely seeing.
We're not gotta set it back
on that, that's for damn sure.
That string is gonna have
to be moved.
Narrator:
before they can shuffle
their gear north, josh and casey
Have to pick up all the 165 pots
set in the south.
Hope we get better numbers
than this
Because if we're gonna beat
this storm,
We gotta see
a better average.
Every day,
with the weather coming in,
We'll just start
working the areas
That we see
the higher numbers.
Go from there, you know.
Still the initial set.
Gotta calm myself down,
relax a little bit.
♪♪
I don't need to blow out
a hemorrhoid just yet.
I mean an aneurysm.
Don't need to have an aneurysm.
That's so much worse.
[ Laughs ]
Narrator: 285 miles northwest
of dutch harbor,
On the wizard...
Lemme know
when you got one ready.
Man: okay, roger.
Narrator: captain monte colburn
prepares to launch
His first pots
of the bairdi season.
Well, we're getting close.
It's almost time.
We're gonna start by setting up
kind of
Over the same chunk of dirt
we covered last year --
Straight up toward st. Paul.
I think we hauled
about 150 average
Across the board,
or something insane.
If we can run into half the crab
we saw last year,
I'd be real happy.
Narrator: with a monster
140,000-pound quota to fill,
Monte's gambling that
this cold water honey hole
Is sweet enough
to stuff his tanks.
It's gonna be tough,
sitting up here alone
And wondering
how my dad's doing.
I told him goodbye.
I said,
"I'm going bairdi fishing.
I'll see you in a week."
So I'm gonna try to make this
a quick one.
The old man's kind of
counting on us.
Narrator:
captain monte faces the fleet's
largest bairdi quota,
Still worried
about his ailing father.
[ Retching ]
But down below...
I'm picking up some kind
of growling sound.
Anybody have any idea
what that is?
Man: yeah, roger!
Narrator: it's the youngest
of the colburn fishermen...
[ Retching ]
Who's singing
the greenhorn blues.
[ Retching ]
You know, the first day's
always a rough one
For anybody coming out here.
And now here, it's -- you know,
the weather's gone to hell.
It's what I signed up for.
I shouldn't laugh.
It's not funny.
I got really sick
when I first came out here.
It's just a matter
of getting over it.
G. Will be fine.
I'm not that concerned
about it just yet.
We got crab to catch.
[ Cheering ]
Whoo-hoo!
Alright, dump it
if you're ready.
Be careful.
We're trying to move along here.
Throttle up, actually.
Let her go.
Do it.
Pot over!
[ Yelling indistinctly ]
Whoo!
2019, Baby!
It's a challenge, you know.
This is a difficult fishery.
These crab are not nearly
as plentiful.
Oh!
To find a body of crab that you
can really just pound away on...
Oh!
Bering sea fishing,
Wizard,bairdi crab.
♪♪
Just kind of trying
to keep going here.
My dad's always kind of
in the --
I wouldn't even say
he's in the back of my mind.
He's more in the --
the middle or the front.
So captain keith is down there
where our dad is.
So he's there today,
which is awesome.
♪♪
[ Insects chirping ]
Keith: hey, dad.
Wall's getting good.
You got grandpa and grandma
right there.
You got grandpa and grandma
with the pope.
You got me and monte
and the crew.
He'll be fine.
He's the second-best
fisherman in alaska.
[ Laughs ]
Well, you know
who number one is.
What can I do better?
[ Laughs ]
What are you gonna do
on the boat?
[ Laughs ]
Yeah, dad.
You'll always be out
crabbing with us.
Yeah.
I love you, dad.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
back in dutch harbor...
Sig: we just got in.
We found some issues.
Narrator:
...on the northwestern...
And, uh, hopefully we can
get this thing wrapped up
And -- and get outta here.
Narrator:
...shortly after throwing lines,
Smoke in the engine room forced
captain sig to return to dock.
Now his brother, engineer norman
hansen, diagnoses the problem.
So, what do you think it is?
What's going on here?
Apparently, water ran down
the stack and saturated
The, uh, fire blanket.
Sig:
oh, it's the exhaust blanket?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
Narrator:
between seasons, rainwater
leaked through the exhaust pipe,
Rotting out the insulation,
which turned the heat blanket
From fire-retardant
into fire-starter.
Wow.
We were that close to a fire.
Norman:
yeah, that's right.
That's a load off my mind.
Okay.
So then, uh, do it right.
I don't wanna catch on fire.
Narrator: the disaster averted,
The crew must make
the repair before departure.
You know, I gotta say,
the young sig would've been
Pounding on the desk,
screaming and yelling,
And cutting corners
to get the hell out of town.
The old one is just thankful
that we're okay,
And that we're, uh --
we found these issues early on.
I mean, I'm just grateful
to god right now.
I'll get it.
I'm the smaller person.
Having a fire
in the engine room,
That's too -- we've been there.
And that's not a fun thing.
Here in the engine room,
there's lots of things
That are flammable down here.
So if we weren't down here
doing an engine room check
And that got worse, worse,
that fire spread.
Then you'd all of a sudden
have a full-on fire on the boat,
Instead of just
a smoldering one.
Fire's no bueno.
No bueno.
Sig:
I think all the guys would agree
that we wanna play this safe.
If I just lost another day
of fishing, then so be it.
Where's norman?
And we just dodged a b*llet.
So maybe it was meant to be,
you know?
And I believe in fate and --
and, uh, maybe this is --
There was a reason for all this.
I don't know.
[ Norman collapses ]
Roll him on his side.
Go on.
No,
don't [bleep] film this!
Oh, [bleep]
♪♪
♪♪
Man: put him on his side.
Go on.
No, don't [bleep] film this!
Oh, [bleep]
Narrator: on the northwestern,
sig's brother,
Engineer norman hansen,
Lays unconscious
on the engine room floor.
Hold on.
It's okay, norm.
[Bleep] yeah.
We rolled him on his side
and opened his mouth,
And he started breathing.
He took a step here, rolled off,
and then hit that.
Sig: could you get a blanket?
Yeah.
Getting you
off the cold steel.
Yep.
I don't know
if I should move him.
No, don't move him.well, I'm not.
I just held his neck
while he was out.
He had a -- you know,
had a little seizure.
♪♪
Hell, we're doing our exhaust
and I was -- I was doing bolts.
And, uh, he slipped,
hit his head.
It has a sharp point, too.
And cried out in pain,
And then he started
seizing and turning purple.
And that was scary,
but he's alert now.
Good.
Just hold on, normie.
You just fell down
for a second.
Lay still.
[ Siren honks ]
♪♪
Alright,
just look right at me.
No, just look at me.
Narrator:
his vital signs stable...
Emts transfer norm
to the local clinic.
♪♪
[ Sighs ]
♪♪
[ Sighs ]
I think this is worse
than we think.
Narrator: and with his brother's
condition uncertain...
The start of opie season
will have to wait.
He's not okay.
Man: well, I mean...[Bleep] no, he's not okay!
...he's in the hospital.
He's not okay!
He's [bleep] up,
is what he is!
I'm just saying about the care
he's getting now.
I'm not saying that.
[ Siren wailing ]
♪♪
♪♪
260 Miles from dutch harbor...
♪♪
Casey: whoa.
Narrator:
...in winter's wrath...
Where the hell'd
that one come from?
Oh.
Narrator:
cornelia mariecaptains casey
mcmanus and josh harris...
Hey, uh, taylor -- you got
your brown pants on today?
[ Laughter ]
Narrator: ...set into a savage
onslaught of wind and waves.
-Heads up!
-[Bleep] watch out, fellas!
I don't like setting with it,
but I'm gonna have to.
♪♪
The plan right now
is to set these off
Across the top of our strings
where our best pots were.
This is what the gear's
telling us to do.
Our good pots were here,
here, here, and here.
So we're gonna go right
across through them.
Narrator:
josh and casey drop their pots
East and west across the
northern end of the rock pile,
Dialing in
on the best sign of life
From their opening
prospect string.
♪♪
[ Indistinct shouting ]
Weather
is really picking up now.
We're starting to see that blow
that's coming through.
♪♪
Josh: oh, boy.
Oh.
♪♪
Oh!
Ooh, didn't see
that one coming.
Those things are building
pretty [bleep] fast.
They're building
very quickly.
Narrator:
with their scheduled off-load
rapidly approaching
And barely enough crab
for a po' boy...
We have three more after this
one to set in this direction,
Then on up the hill.
Okay.
Narrator:
the crew is just going to have
to take their lumps.
♪♪
Ooh.
Oh!
Man: oh.
Boy,
whoever's throwing sucks.
That's axel.
Oh.
Sorry, axel.
Axel:
I'm just happy to be here.
Just making sure I give him
a reminder
Of what it's like to really be
a crab fisherman, you know?
♪♪
[ Laughs ]
♪♪
Narrator: 55 miles north...
♪♪
Alright, fellas.
Here comes the first pot.
Man: whoo!
Narrator: ...on the saga...
Jake: it's got 36 hours on it.
I gave it everything she's got.
She got codfish.
She's got soaked.
She's got the depth.
Now I'll see if it all pays off.
Narrator:
after prospecting across this
70-mile stretch of cold water,
Captain jake anderson
has shoved all of his chips
Into the middle of the table.
Jake: my future's hanging
in the balance here.
I don't know if I'm gonna
be a boat owner.
But I'm gonna do everything
that I can do
To make sure we catch
the most crab the fastest.
Narrator: slamming his gear
on the first signs of life...
Jake: I did the homework.
I found a lot of crab.
But crab don't just stay
in one spot.
Narrator: ...jake is all in.
He'll either run the table...
Or crap out.
Alright, here we go.
Man: come on, crab!
[ Sighs ] please, god.
Oh, there's cr--
I see crab on the top.
I see crab on the side.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Oh!
Oh, yeah!
-Yeah!
-Oh, yeah!
[ Cheering ]
Boom, baby!
Yeah!
Whoo!
We're gonna need
a bigger table, guys.
Man #2: [bleep] yeah!
This is awesome!
Thanks for the money.
Yeah!
Man #3: ow!
Yeah, [bleep]
Whoo!
Oh, dude, I love you guys.
You're so excited.
Be going home quick
with this.
Yeah!
Oh, they're so excited.
Let's see what their count is.
♪♪
What are we looking at?
Five, zero, five!
Boom, baby!
Boom!
505, Baby!
Narrator:
500 crab is a great start.
Okay, let's see.
It's gotta continue, though!
It's gotta continue
throughout the whole string.
Narrator:
but the hand's not over until
all the cards are on the table.
Yeah!
Whoo!
Oh, damn!
-Yeah!
-Yah, yah!
Oh, yeah!
Now, that's a pot
right there, dog!
Fill the tank, go to the bank!
Whoo, look at that
[bleep] score!
Cross bars.
Oh, yeah!
This is the glory, baby!
Man: you don't even know, dog.
This is the first time
on the sagawe've had pots
Looking like this, first couple
of hauls of the season.
Narrator: pounds of crab
coming over the rail...
It is good to be me right now.
Narrator:
...jake can see his payday...
Whoo!
...and his future
as a boat owner.
[ Laughs ] I'm seeing 500s!
Narrator:
the young skipper doubles down.
Yeah!
Jake:
so now we're gonna start seeing
how these guys hustle,
'Cause the pots
are getting bigger
And I don't want anybody
getting this crab but me.
Oh, yeah, baby.
♪♪
Yeah!
Whoo!
600!
Yeah!
600?
That's a high pot.
Oh, yeah!
These are my best pots I've
ever had in my fishing career.
-Yeah!
-Yah, yah!
Look at that pile, dude.
That's a pile.
Oh, this is so much fun.
It's just too good
to be true, man.
Everybody's doing what they're
supposed to be doing,
And working real hard
without complaint.
Yeah, whoo!
What we're here for!
Dude is ripping it.
Shredding, bro!
♪♪
[Bleep]
Ooh [bleep]
Is he okay?man: kyle!
♪♪
Narrator: on the saga...
Yeah, whoo!
What we're here for!
Dude is ripping it.
Shredding, bro!
♪♪
[Bleep]
Ooh [bleep]
Is he okay?
Kyle!
You alright, kyle?
Oh, [bleep]
Narrator:
big numbers and big crab
Has captain jake anderson's
crew on the grind,
Until engineer kyle sample
can't grind anymore.
What was that, sean?
He just went in!
You better check on his a*s!
Well, once you get the pot up,
I'll go check on him.
Roger!
Hoo, it's a real bad time
to lose a guy.
♪♪
I'm on a lot of crab.
And I need every man
available that I have.
How you feeling?
♪♪
[ Machine whirring ]
132 Over 83.
Blood pressure's good.
You know,
everything looks fine.
Okay.
I need to have a serious
conversation with you.
But I -- I really need
you right now.
If you could muster up
everything you got,
There's a ton of crab
on the table.
I got no time.
Think so?
Yeah.
Oh, my friend.
Love you.
Narrator:
the captain's prescription --
Lay off the sweets
and get back to work.
Jake: when you're out here
fishing and working,
You have to be really, really
careful about what you eat.
Hopefully, kyle gets better
And nobody else
gets hurt or sick.
Man: yo, kyle!
Dude, you gonna make it?
You feel alright?
You feel alright, man?
Well, you're alive.
Kyle's a big part
of this operation,
And I cannot get this done
without him.
Alright, fellas.
Here we go.
I've gotta push everybody
to their fullest,
And then I have to
push them over the edge.
♪♪
Narrator: 35 miles southwest...
♪♪
The wizard'screw dances
for the crab gods
Before hauling the first pots
of their bairdi season.
Big money!
Man: whoo! Yeah!
He's into it.
Narrator: captain monte's son,
the new greenhorn...
Ow!
Adds his call for good fortune.
Monte: we had some huge fishing
out here last year --
200S, 250s.
We're just kind of hoping
that we can pull one
Out of the hat here again.
Narrator: with a $495,000 quota
yet to catch...
You know, we don't have
a lot of time to work with.
I just got off the phone
with the hospital down there.
Dad's not doing too good.
Narrator:
...and with his terminally ill
father weighing on his mind,
Monte is desperate
for these grounds to produce.
Monte: not just the clock that's
ticking on the fishing trip,
But the clock is ticking on
getting home to see my dad.
♪♪
A lot to think about,
that's for sure.
We need every last one
that comes over the rail.
♪♪
♪♪
Man: no bueno, mi amigos!
Oh, that doesn't look --
doesn't look very promising.
♪♪
A lot of undersized bairdi,
but we'll get better.
19 -- One niner.
19'S not enough, you know.
You need to haul 50s and 60s
to even survive out here.
♪♪
♪ Wah, wah, wah ♪
Oh, [bleep]
Slippery [bleep] things.
I don't know, man.
Need this to pick up.
Narrator:
the old spot has grown cold,
Leaving monte to stack his pots
and get back on the hunt.
Sooner we do that, the better.
There's no sense waiting.
And that means spending
the one thing
He can least afford -- time.
We're gonna figure this out.
[ Telephone ringing ]
Hello, wizard.
Wizard,hey.
It's, uh, keith
and, uh, pops.
Yeah, pop's sitting
with me now.
No.
Well, we're not seeing what we
saw last year, that's for sure.
It's pretty disheartening.
Tell the old man I'm gonna --
We're gonna dedicate
a string to him
And hopefully,
it's a good one.
Well, I just started my trip.
I gotta finish
my fishing trip first.
But hopefully, it's gonna
be very soon.
Alright.
Hey, I love you, pops.
He said he'll talk
to you later.
Bye.
♪♪
Narrator:
captain sig hansen returns
to the northwestern
After checking on his injured
brother at the town clinic.
♪♪
Oh, god.
So, you know, I talked
to the doctor.
And, uh, it is not good.
Norman has a head injury,
But they don't have
a c.t. Scan here.
So we're waiting on a medevac
to go to anchorage,
Because right now they don't
know if there's hemorrhaging.
We don't know.
They're gonna x-ray him
right now.
That's the best they can do.that's the hard part.
So basically, we're not gonna
know for another eight hours.
Yeah.and every minute counts.
That's the problem.
So, head injuries are --it's a head injury.
You could be hemorrhaging.
You could -- we don't know!
Yep.
♪♪
♪♪
Ah...
Man: did you talk to him?
♪♪
Yeah, I talked to him.
He's --
The good news
is he's coherent.
He asked about the boat.
I said, "don't give a [bleep]
about the boat."
Yeah.
We're worried
about your brother.
We can always fish.
Ah, [bleep] [bleep]
♪♪
I -- I tell you something, guys.
There's no way I could leave
this dock right now
Without knowing
what's going on with him.
I don't have the conscious
for it.
No, we're fully behind you.
Whatever you wanna do,
we're on the same page.
-Yeah.
-Yep.
Narrator:
sig and crew head to the airport
to see norman off
On his two-hour
medevac flight to anchorage.
The doctor talked
about his heart.
He says he's got, you know,
high blood pressure.
Hopefully, he's not
hemorrhaging.
The last time we went
through this gate,
That's where your plane was.
♪♪
♪♪
Soon as you get that test scan
done, let us know right away.
You understand?
'Cause I wanna
know right away.
Man: one, two, three.
Tell me he'll be alright.
♪♪
They got norman
on his way to anchorage.
It's just a waiting game.
♪♪
For now, I don't even
wanna think about it.
I just wanna have good news.
♪♪
Narrator: 308 miles northwest...
Monte: show time!
[ Speaking indistinctly ]
Keep throwing them out there,
you know.
Can't catch a fish if you don't
put your net in the water.
Narrator:
...captain monte colburn pushes
To get his bairdi season
on track.
Monte: I gotta set some gear
a little bit deeper,
West of where we have
seen them heavy in the past.
♪♪
Okay, go ahead.
Whoo!
Going straight to the bank,
bro!
Ow!
With my dad in the condition
he's in, it's --
I think about him a lot, even
out here when we're struggling.
Narrator:
with his brother, keith,
tending to his ailing father...
Monte:
130,000 pounds of bairdi's
a lot of crab to catch.
You know, we don't have
a lot of time to work with.
Narrator: ...the pressure's
on monte's shoulders
To catch
the wizard'sbairdi quota.
Monte: we'll just continue
to spread them out here.
We'll throw this one off
for the old man.
Wanna dedicate a string,
and this is gonna be it --
To the old man.
Let's see how he does.
Yeah, baby!
Whoo, yeah!
Narrator: the veteran skipper
not only casts a wider net,
But also looks for his dad
to toss a little luck his way.
Monte: we'll come back here
in about 30 hours
And hopefully,
it'll be loaded.
-Yeah!
-Ow!
♪♪
Narrator: 45 miles southeast...
Josh: be ready.
Be ready for anything.
Watch your asses out there,
and first bag is coming in.
Narrator:
...on the cornelia marie.
Josh: we're going to the north.
Seems to be a lot stronger,
further to the northern end.
Let's see what we got.
Narrator: after doubling down
on the best sign of life,
Josh and casey bank on the
northern edge of the rock pile
To put them on the biomass.
Josh: we're under the g*n, man.
Probably about 7,000,
8,000 pounds onboard right now,
And trying to get to 75k as fast
as we can while we can do it.
Narrator: the cornelia marie
needs big numbers,
Or they risk going in light to
tomorrow's scheduled off-load.
Casey: we were hoping to prove
something to a couple of guys
Who are looking
to lease us more quota,
But the weather outlook
For the rest of this trip
is not pretty.
Josh: so next couple days,
we gotta really hero it up
And look our best so people know
that we get the job done.
♪♪
♪♪
Huh.
Casey: anything?
Yeah.
Yeah, there's something,
alright.
[ Laughs ]
-Whoo!
-[Bleep] yep!
[ Laughs ]
I told you they were up here!
Wow.
Boom!
Man: yeah!
That is a [indistinct] of crab.
Look at that.
Yeah!
Yeah, you might have the high
pot of the season here, case.
Oh, if we break 160, 170,
I'll be real happy.
Two, twenty, five.
225, First pot.
Holy [bleep]
Nothing will give you a semi
like pots like that coming up,
I'll tell you what.
[ Laughter ]
Man: yeah!
That's a good pot.
♪♪
Good.
That's a lot of [bleep] crab.
Two -- 200.
[ Laughs ]
He's like, "oh, yeah."
Yeah, give it to me.
Oh, my lord!
Narrator:
200 opilio at three pounds
each would let the cornelia crew
Reach their off-load goal
of 75,000 pounds
In one run through the gear.
Casey [bleep] found them.
225.
Oh, [bleep]
Hey, can I get, like,
a happy dance
Out of you mo-fo's
or something?
Anything?
I mean, come on!
Show me some love.
Show me some [bleep]
appreciation.
[ Laughs ]
Didn't I tell you that one
two years ago?
Oh! God, I hate it
When they get smart enough
to throw it back in my face.
Good job, buddy!
[ Laughter ]
Boy, today turned
into a great, great day.
Narrator:
casey's strategic strike
to the north pays off.
You know what, guys?
We'll set this one back.
Bait up heavy for these ones,
'Cause we're not gonna see
these guys again
Till we come back out.
-Get the bait set up!
-Okay, taylor.
Narrator:
now that they've honed in
on the biomass...
Keep kicking a*s
and taking names, boys.
We're just gonna haul
till we fall.
'Cause the weather's
only gonna get worse.
Narrator:
...the cornelia crew must haul
And set back all 165 pots
before high-tailing it
To their scheduled off-load
in just 30 hours.
♪♪
Oh, the weather's definitely
picking up.
And it's gonna get worse here
in a little bit,
But we got to get as much crab
into town as we can.
♪♪
-Hang on!
-Whoa!
♪♪
Sorry about that, guys.
That one snuck up on us.
Man: I wanna go home!
Now we see why I keep those
on the port side
And not the starboard side?
When the waves are big,
you gotta use that port side
That's taller
to protect the boys.
Narrator:
the port side of the boat
is fortified
With a seven-foot wall,
While the starboard comes up
just four feet to make room
For tossing the hook
and launching the pots.
You let too big a one rip
over the starboard side,
You're gonna
wipe the crew out.
That's a whole thought process,
is we can haul gear
And stuff like this still
and do it safely.
Try to, anyway.
It's not the best day
in the world
To be out there,
put it that way.
[ Laughs ]
There's a lot of of [bleep]
going on out there.
Oh, boy.
Oh, boy.
No, no, no, no, no.
Whoa!
Man: whoa!
♪♪
Narrator: this fine week
on "salty takes"...
[ Sink sputtering ]
Greg: [bleep]
Monte: what's going on?
Narrator: for a greenhorn,
there's no job too small.
I think I got
a plunger upstairs.
We'll deal with that later.
We got --
I got the plunger
right here!
Is it working?
You need an assist?
Oh, there it go.[ Laughs ]
There it go!
You fixed the sink after you
[bleep] up the sink.
I didn't even!
I was just doing the dishes,
and it started to fill up.
Roger that.
Apparently, we have
a plumber onboard.
[ Chuckles ]
Narrator:
so far, jake's early trip
is a big hit,
While josh and casey --
Well, let's just say they could
use some of that harris luck.
♪♪
Narrator:
on the cornelia marie...
Casey: it's not the best day
in the world to be out there,
Put it that way.
[ Laughs ]
When the waves are big,
You gotta use that port side
that's taller.
Josh: oh, boy.
Oh, boy.
No, no, no, no, no.
Whoa!
Man: whoa!
Oh, man!
Man #2: good looking.
Good look.
Everybody okay?
Yeah.
Everybody got wet underwear?
Alright.
Narrator:
a thundering 22-foot breaker
collides with the port side,
Dropping nature's wrath
onto the mortal crew below,
Washing a portion of the crab,
And nearly the deckhands,
overboard.
♪♪
Josh: oh, [bleep]
Well, hashtag --
I could've pooped my pants.
It's twice now.
That's gonna be the last pot
for this evening.
One over the starboard rail,
one over the port rail
About ten minutes
of each other -- that's it.
Let's go ahead and sort those
crab out and call it a night.
After one too many
close calls...
I, uh --
I don't wanna hurt anybody.
...casey and josh tuck tail
and run to town.
Man: whoo!
Narrator:
the cornelia mariewill head
in to off-load light.
Finally over.
We could've put right under
3,600 pounds on the boat.
Grab it on the next trip.
I don't care.
Man: whoo!
There's no point in making
all this money
If you don't live
to spend it.
Narrator: 45 miles northwest...
Monte: watch the rail.
Out of whack.
Watch out.
Watch out.
♪♪
Narrator:
...on the wizard...
This weather has kicked up
on us here.
And I actually think
it's probably gonna get worse
Before it gets better.
♪♪
It'll be extremely difficult
to haul,
If we can even haul them at all.
Narrator:
after navigating on the edge of
bad weather for his first set...
Yeah, heads up.
Heads up.
Narrator:
...captain monte colburn hauls
His western string face-to-face
with the winter blow.
Whoa!
Monte:
this is the end pot of the
string we set for my old man.
So this is the pop string.
You know, we all know
that my dad
Is coming down the home stretch.
Narrator: at stake -- more than
145,000 pounds of bairdi,
And more importantly,
A chance to be
with his old man one last time.
Monte:
I was kind of praying that
there's enough fish up here
To get us through.
Yeah, baby.
-Whoa!
-Yeah, baby!
Man: yeah!
If we can haul anywhere close
to 100 a pot, we're golden.
Whoo!
Come on, baby!
Oh, yeah!
Yeah, baby!
-Yeah!
-Whoo!
Whoo!
♪♪
Monte: looks good.
Come on, hundreds!
Nice!
♪♪
Whoo!
Ah, yeah, baby!
Roger.
Oh, yeah!
Welcome aboard, boys!
129'S a good score.
Continue to haul anywhere
near that number,
I'll be really happy.
Come on, baby.
Just keep them coming here.
-Yeah!
-Keep on coming, baby!
Ow!
Right now,
we're kind of kicking a*s.
Come on.
Kind of watch the rail here.
♪♪
We've managed to land
a couple big punches.
Clawed our way back into this.
Now it's just a matter
of staying on our feet.
-Whoo!
-Whoo!
Man:
keep 'em coming, baby!
We're sucking them up.
Narrator:
despite intense weather
and an elusive biomass...
Monte:
we just need these numbers
to keep coming.
We need a couple big days here.
Maybe we can make it home.
Narrator: ...the pop string is
the break monte needs.
Monte: we're a long ways away
from being done out here.
It's alright.
My pop is still kicking.
We'll get there.
-Yeah, baby!
-There they go!
Yeah, baby.
Narrator: as one brother minds
the family business...
Monte: I love you, pops!
Keith:
I'll be back in the morning
to see you, okay?
Narrator: ...the other attends
to the business of family.
Don't go anywhere.
Yeah.
Deal?
Yeah.
Yeah, we are.
Alright, dad.
Keith:
he's not gonna be around long.
Hopefully, monte will go
out there and crush it --
Catch a bunch of bairdi.
I can get up there and catch
a bunch of opies.
Who knows?
Right now, we're lucky
we get to say goodbye.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
back on the grounds...
♪♪
Jake: look at all that crab!
Man: yeah!
Nice, big crab!
Narrator: ...aboard the saga...
Man: whoo!
From the very beginning
of the trip,
This is one of the best I've
ever had in my fishing career.
Man #2: we're full, jake!
-Whoo!
-He's standing on it!
Jake: no way.
Ow!
I'm so proud of all you guys.
Let's get these crab to town
and see how much money we made.
Yeah!
Narrator:
while the early start brings
an overflow of riches
To one captain,
in akutan...
Uno mas?
[ Whistles ]
The captains of the
cornelia mariecome up short...
Josh:
we got 27,300 pounds.
...to the tune of 48,000 pounds.
Weather just kind of got
in the way.
It's just a battle
between mother nature and us.
This next trip, we're gonna go
out and start nailing hard.
Josh and casey look to start
their second trip.
And 35 miles away, sig has yet
to begin his first.
[ Telephone rings ]
Sig: hello?
Dr. Matt: hello, this is dr.
Matt calling from anchorage.
Oh, hey, dr. Matt.
It's, uh, sig,
norman's brother.
Okay.
So, I'm taking care
of norman here
And, uh, we did
brain scans and stuff.
And, uh,
the scans confirm it.
He actually does have a brain.
We saw it.
It's actually there.
[ Laughs ]
okay, that's good to hear.
We don't see any injuries.
He's doing pretty well.
What I want him to do, though,
Is to stay in anchorage
for two days.
Oh, no problem.
Couldn't get better news,
you know?
We really appreciate it. No problem.
Have a good one.
[ Phone beeps ]
Let's do it.
Man #3: we're throwing lines.
We're getting the [bleep]
out of here.
Good?
Alright.
Let's give it another try here.
Hopefully, it's not gonna
start smoking down there again.
♪♪
It's been a rough go,
you know?
This was not the start
I intended.
You know, my brother --
I don't know
if he'll be coming back.
So we're just gonna
three-man it.
I'm kind of fearful
for this winter.
We're already seeing much
colder temperatures.
They've already had storms
coming through.
So, this winter's got me
a little intimidated.
[ Bell tolling ]
♪♪
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15x07 - Winter is Here
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Follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons.
Follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons.