Commercial Fishing

[Skillet]

Those kings look great skillet. Are you pressure bleeding them?

Thanks wetwoods, I work hard to present the fish in the manner they deserve.  I do not pressure bleed the winter kings with the standard pipette like I do with summer fish.  I just think these winter kings are too delicate and can be easily over pressurized.  I do cut a very tiny notch in the main artery under the kidney and hold my cleaning hose about 2-3" away from it to push blood through the fish for about 30 seconds while I massage it along the lateral line.  It removes a lot of blood that way, and I think it is a much gentler way to accomplish the task.  When we're catching as few fish per day as we do in the winter, I can dedicate all sorts of time to ever-so-slightly raise the quality bar on each fish.

[Houndhunter]

Great thread! I got bit by the AK bug last year and can not wait for work to start back up!

[Woodchuck]

Good morning from Elisdon harbor in Sitka-



Will look into that H20.  I never considered selling directly via HuntWa, figured this crew gets their own meat!  But if people wanted, I'll see what it takes to sell some on here.

Speaking of which - Whitpirate, how much and what kind of fish are you looking for?   The easiest and least expensive would be a type of mixed grade and sized FAS coho next Aug/Sept.  That's around 1000# of headed and gutted frozen fish, all pressure bled.

Awesome picture.

[quadrafire]

I am really looking forward to watching this thread. Be safe my friend.

   

[rainshadow1]

Tagging...

I ran my Dad's 47' steel Monk for several years right out of High School. It's up there somewhere now, we sold it to some Native guys somewhere on the south end of Baranof. It's called the Avenger. Was a very good boat.

I grew up commercial fishing. Spent a little time up there, out of Sitka and Wrangell. Mostly down here though.

Looking forward to the pics... although being the family business for generations, I was happy to find another life. Kinda opposite your path! Good luck, be safe, enjoy the freedom! (The freedom in one thing I've never been able to set aside!)

[Skillet]

Thanks guys. Getting the boat ready to run south for haulout/yardwork in a few days, lots of busy work.

Here's a couple scenery pics from the winter drag.

Friend's boat under Mt Edgecumbe on a very calm afternoon out on the line.



Pic of my deckhand taking a pic of a great sunrise as we're heading towards Edgecumbe from Symonds bay.  She is pretty tough and a good photog to boot. I'll see if she'll let me use some of the pics she's taken from my boat on here.



And here's a vid of us heading into town from the line in a NE gale.

Winter up here is really beautiful, going to miss it.

[7mmfan]

That's a ROUGH NE wind. I rarely saw anything like that, just not a common weather config in the summer. I remember one particular storm that came in a little faster than expected one day. I was anchored off the Cape for halibut expecting the weather to pick up about the time we normally headed in. It came in a couple hour's early and went from SW 15-20 and 5' seas to 35-40 and 10' seas inside of an hour. Turning the corner at the Cape and heading in with a quartering sea on my tail was one of my scariest days. We were able to take a breather behind the Bird which was much needed. That trip in took almost 2 hours instead of the normal 40 minutes.

[Woodchuck]

Awesome.

[Skillet]

Yeah, NE doesn't happen often in summer at all, but is much more common in winter.  When it goes NE, it blows.   Usually when a high-pressure system sets up on the B.C. interior and there's a low just offshore.  The "outflow event" can get pretty gnarly on the inside waters, and usually way less intense for us out on the coast.  The day we saw 40 knots out there, Stephens passage blew 60 gust to 70. 

[3boys]

Keep the pics and story's coming. I have been sport fishing in Sitka for 20+ years and love walking the docks and talking to the commercial guys. One of them used to be half owner of one of the larger sport fishing lodges in Sitka that we used to frequent. Several of the owners of sport lodges live a double life of commercial fisherman as well as sport-fishing lodge owner. I will be up there again in August looking for you to say hi. I never get tired of running down to Whale bay or up to Khaz to find the bite. I have lost count on how many friends have been fooled by the flamingos in Neva straits or the killer whales chasing the trollers.

[Skillet]

I will be up there again in August looking for you to say hi.

You won't see me around town much in Aug unless the fish are plentiful right outside,, but shoot me a pm when you know the dates you'll be up and I'll keep it in mind.  Always happy to chat for a few mins on the dock if I have them to spare.

I have lost count on how many friends have been fooled by the flamingos in Neva straits or the killer whales chasing the trollers.

 

[Angry Perch]

Dang, looks like I have some reading to keep me occupied tonight!

[jstone]

I also remember when we came back to Gig Harbor after my trip it was about 2 am and my family was waiting at the dock. My son was almost 5 he said hey daddy. I asked the wife what she was feeding him all summer, he was bigger than when I left. Made me laugh, still does.. Great times. Awesome pictures.

[Skillet]

I also remember when we came back to Gig Harbor after my trip it was about 2 am and my family was waiting at the dock. My son was almost 5 he said hey daddy. I asked the wife what she was feeding him all summer, he was bigger than when I left. Made me laugh, still does. Great times. Awesome pictures.

This resonates with me.  I love the anticipation of coming home after a long season.  Planning on leaving Sitka in two days to start the long slog south.  Eager to see my family and friends again. 



Will get another story or two up before I leave, just depends on how the day goes. 

Next topics - resupply via tenders and... Sharks.

[Boss .300 winmag]

I also remember when we came back to Gig Harbor after my trip it was about 2 am and my family was waiting at the dock. My son was almost 5 he said hey daddy. I asked the wife what she was feeding him all summer, he was bigger than when I left. Made me laugh, still does. Great times. Awesome pictures.

This resonates with me.  I love the anticipation of coming home after a long season.  Planning on leaving Sitka in two days to start the long slog south.  Eager to see my family and friends again. 



Will get another story or two up before I leave, just depends on how the day goes. 

Next topics - resupply via tenders and... Sharks.

You going to get that tattoo with your boat in it?