AK fishing job

[crawdadmacdaddy]

Hello everyone. I am a 19 year old who wants to work on an fishing boat in a Alaska. I have been sport fishing all my life, my father was a sport fishing guide in south east Alaska and my family lived up there for many years. I live here in washington now and am currently employed at a excavation/septic construction company, I am the youngest one there by far,(closest to me is 27) and in only 6 months I have moved passed laborers that have worked there for 3 years, and am running machines (excavators, skid steers, driving dump trucks), I am the only laborer that runs machines of the four of us. I worked many 50 and 60 hour weeks this summer, and am not afraid of hard work. I can Tie leaders and many other nots. I have done a little gill netting around the puget sound with my dad and his friend, nothing too serious though, and I some have net mending skills. I am 210lbs and can bench and squat more than that. sorry if all that sounded like bragging I'm not that type of person, I'm just trying to make the case that I am a very hard worker. I would be interested in doing literally anything, dragging, long lining, gill netting, seining. I am not one of those tweakers looking for a job, I make plenty where I am now, Im doing this because I love challenge, and want to learn. I am not asking for anyone to just hand me a job but if you know someone who could use a deckhand, or even know someone who might know someone, I would love to get in touch. any info helps and every no gets me closer to a yes.
thanks, kyle
p.s. excuse the username, I made this account when I was like twelve and into crawfishing Washington

[pd]

Kyle, you might be a few months early, but here is how you find that job.  Go down to the terminal (meaning, Fisherman's Terminal), right in front of the Port of Seattle office, in front of Chinook's cafe.  Walk the docks.  There will be few boats working right now (meaning, repairing their nets, working on engines, painting the boats) because it is too cold, and the days are too short.  But come March or so, many of the boats tied up at the terminal will spring to life.  Just call out to the crew or the captain, from the dock, and ask for a job.  Also, go into the port office.  If you are handy as a mechanic you might find paying work right now. 

[crawdadmacdaddy]

Thanks so much for the info man, would you suggest I do that now or in a few months?

[JimmyHoffa]

Could check craigslist.  When they do advertise, though, it's usually for the mega fishing platforms like the dragger-processors.   

[Duckslayer89]

Thanks so much for the info man, would you suggest I do that now or in a few months?

Does your dad have a Puget Sound gill net permit or something?

[JJB11B]

And so it begins.... 👮

[crawdadmacdaddy]

duckslaer89- yes he did, him and his best friend were leasing it, never made a bunch of money, needless to say I didn't get paid either just in experience.

[JJB11B]

duckslaer89- yes he did, him and his best friend were leasing it, never made a bunch of money, needless to say I didn't get paid either just in experience.

hope you find the job you're looking for

[Duckslayer89]

And so it begins.... 👮

  just trying to see what experience he has

[crawdadmacdaddy]

And so it begins.... 👮

  just trying to see what experience he has

heres a video of it. I'm not in this just my dad and his friend. as you can see very small scale, but I did log a lot of hours on that boat.

[Duckslayer89]

And so it begins.... 👮

  just trying to see what experience he has

heres a video of it. I'm not in this just my dad and his friend. as you can see very small scale, but I did log a lot of hours on that boat.

That's cool dude I wished I would have went SE gill netting my buddy owns a boat he does well. Cool thing about gill netting is most of it is inside waters. Nice and calm. You should post something on salmontrolling.com.

[pd]

Thanks so much for the info man, would you suggest I do that now or in a few months?

If you have some time during the week, go down to the terminal, and walk the docks.  Look for the seiners, and just start knocking on doors.  In most cases they will need a greenhorn.  It is early yet, but you might get a few leads.  Do this every couple of weeks.  When you meet somebody who owns or works a seine boat, pump them for information.  "Do you know somebody I could call?" Honestly, a lot of the new hires turn out to be problems (drugs, lack of commitment, etc.), so if you are genuine you should have no problem finding several good opportunities.  Do ask at the port office. 

Finally, fishermen are full of baloney, so go in with your eyes wide open, 'k? 

[Duckslayer89]

Thanks so much for the info man, would you suggest I do that now or in a few months?

If you have some time during the week, go down to the terminal, and walk the docks.  Look for the seiners, and just start knocking on doors.  In most cases they will need a greenhorn.  It is early yet, but you might get a few leads.  Do this every couple of weeks.  When you meet somebody who owns or works a seine boat, pump them for information.  "Do you know somebody I could call?" Honestly, a lot of the new hires turn out to be problems (drugs, lack of commitment, etc.), so if you are genuine you should have no problem finding several good opportunities.  Do ask at the port office. 

Finally, fishermen are full of baloney, so go in with your eyes wide open, 'k?

Right now would be a perfect time to head to Port Townsend during the week and hand your name and number out at the dry docks. Write it down on like 10 pieces of paper and hand them out. Even a tending job for the summer on a crab boat or something in southeast would be cool.

[Night goat]

looks like we got ourselves a wanna be greenhorn here


ya got spirit kid, and thats a start.


right now, the local guys are doing dungies, and in a few months will be switching over to shrimp, most of those guys run smaller boats and have a skip and a deckhand, so, wouldnt recommend learning with crab pots

wouldnt really recommend fishing in WA at all for yiur first experience, like some if the guys said, fishermans terminal is a great place, but it depends ln what you wanna do, and a huge mistake you could potentially make is going to one kf the large companies ie Trident, Icicle, Ocean Beauty, American Gold, Glacier.... all of those big companies are looking for kids and greenhorns, and they are gknna stuff you deep down in the cargo hold of a 300 foot factory boat either in the freezer hold in =40 temps and never see the sun, or, onnan assembly line bent over in a factory deep innthe ships bowells. AVOID The big companies at first

go dock stomping, start showing up, hanging out, asking questions, start *censored*ting, and making friends. some of the nicer and more reputable boats have a no pot policy, so, take that into consideration. all the boats should be dry boats meaning no booze. and you gotta work on some crappy boats before you are given the privelage of being allowed to work on a nice boat, and its easy to screw it up, some of rhe best boats have a zero monkey buisness policy.

ive worked on some crappy boats, last time I went seining, ibwas engineer but our deckhand couldnt keep a needle out of his arm and was on heroin the whole season, so you need to pay attention to the guys around you, that dingbat could pile the boat up on rocks in the middle of rhe njght, or hit something on deck and mess up somebodys leg and end the season.

id reccomend seining, to me, its the biggest adventure that a virgin greenhorn can get into. ask for theier past catch reports, ask for the fish forcast (yes thats real) and keep your mouth shut and listen and pay attention and yes sir no sir with the captain, and take the *censored* from the other guys, seriously, bend over and take it, and dont bitch, its an almost ritualistic right to haze a greenhorn, more of a sport, but, if you can handle it, you eventually become one of the guys. my first skipper would shoot at me with a bb gun to get me to work faster so.....

[Night goat]

lots of oppertinities, and the bjggest piece of equipment you can bring is a good attitude and dont whine about jellyfish.