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Narrator: On this episode of Alaska Fish Wars.
After a strong start to the day,
Captain Gavin struggles to maintain his edge.
Gavin Keohane: I think I may have made a bad decision.
Narrator: The Night Hawk's greenhorn crew struggle with
the pace of a big day.
Dino Sutherland: Get them out.
We got to get them out fast.
Narrator: Captain Taylor's slow season hits another snag.
Taylor Evenson: Does that buoy look like its getting
sucked into that rip?
Liz Holmgren: Yup.
Narrator: And Wes' drive pushes his
crew to confrontation.
Bonnie Boisvert: We've taken over 200 out of here.
Wes Humbyrd: I don't care.
There might be a thousand out there!
Bonnie Boisvert: Ok then, wind it up and go!
Narrator: 60 miles south west of Anchorage, Alaska,
the fishermen of Cook Inlet converge on over
7 million salmon swimming north to spawn in
more than 100 rivers.
Each boat trying to lay claim to the over
$95 million at stake.
Over 400 boats strategically position themselves in the
32 mile wide, 75 mile long fishing zone.
Before the hectic fishing day begins,
every captain prepares in their own way.
Gavin Keohane: It's a little before 5 right now.
We're getting up and people are moving about.
Narrator: On the slow and efficient North Crow,
Captain Gavin has added some comforts this year
in an attempt to make working on the small boat
a bit more pleasant.
Gavin Keohane: This'll be the first day that we
actually have coffee on board.
Chris Cotter: We just got this French press.
We just kind of make do, before so now it's nice.
You got coffee in the morning, you wake up,
wipe the cold out of our eyes and be done.
Gavin Keohane: Yeah that's really exciting to me.
It's a luxury we haven't been able to afford.
I say a deckhand that doesn't know how to make
coffee has got a lot to learn.
[laughing]
Dino Sutherland: Morning.
Narrator: Today is the Night Hawk's first full day at sea
and veteran Captain Dino heads out to the fishing grounds
with inexperienced boat owner Lance.
A greenhorn crew and untested gear.
Dino Sutherland: How you doing this morning Luke?
Luke Alldrin: Good.
Dino Sutherland: Good.
Narrator: Captain Dino battled cancer for two years
and is just getting back on the water.
Lance, the owner of the boat,
has hired Dino to captain the Night Hawk,
but he's only paying Dino 25% of the cut.
It's a second chance for Dino but he'll have to work
that much harder to make his usual payday and
he knows he has to prove he can still bring the fish.
Dino Sutherland: Just headed out to the grounds now.
I'm going to stick to my game plan,
head across the inlet.
Some of the guys that are south of us have seen three
of four jumpers already.
To see them this early in the day is a
great, great sign.
Lance Alldrin: We're fishing.
Gavin Keohane: Five minutes till opening and,
uh, there are a lot of boats out here.
This is always a moment-to-moment situation
is the very morning set.
It's an important one.
It's when the fleet initially gets on
any body of fish.
Uh, that's usually when you have your best chance
at a good set.
So we don't have a lot of time.
Narrator: 20 miles to the north, brash,
inexperienced Captain Taylor has decided to use the
outgoing tide to his advantage.
Taylor Evenson: It will be ebbing all morning,
starting tight at opening, 7:00.
So it will be easy for us to get down
if there's a fish call below us.
But, if we are in the fish,
it's not going to be as easy for anyone to get up.
Narrator: Taylor is a 3rd generation Cook Inlet salmon
fisherman and his crew is comprised of his mother,
Liz and his younger sister Raquel.
For Captain Taylor, this season is about carrying on
the family legacy while carving out his own reputation.
Taylor Evenson: A little north of the fleet there could
be a school of fish hanging out in some
area like that.
That's what we're hoping for.
Narrator: While the majority of the boats
gather in the north,
Captain Wes plans to avoid crowded waters and try
his luck at the southern end of the fishing zone.
Wes Humbyrd: Better be ready guys,
it's going to be an *** kicking time.
Narrator: Captain Wes is eager to put his plan into
effect as he positions his boat for the 7 AM start.
Wes Humbyrd: I just saw a jumper.
Let's go kill some salmon.
Radio: You seeing anything there?
Wes Humbyrd: They're jumping straight northeast.
There's a big body of fish here, my God.
Let her go!
They're jumping.
Another jumper right there.
Come on Reni, go fast!
Taylor Evenson: Look how smooth the water is.
Narrator: 35 miles north,
Captain Taylor is determined to succeed.
Taylor Evenson: Let it rip.
Liz Holmgren: Set it?
Taylor Evenson: Yes!
Come on, come on!
Damn it!
Step on it.
Roll it out, yeah.
Raquel Holmgren: My brother can get very snappy
and angry and frustrated when we don't put out the
gear fast enough.
Taylor Evenson: Let it out.
Raquel Holmgren: It can be hard keeping up
with his expectation.
Narrator: Nothing is personal on the Nedra E
to Captain Taylor.
It's all about making his mark.
Liz Holmgren: Ok, got it.
Taylor Evenson: Finally, ugh.
Narrator: 20 miles to the south,
confident Captain Gavin wastes little time and zeros
in on an area for his 1st set.
Gavin Keohane: I never liked going into the waves.
A lot of water.
Water everywhere.
Just going to go right up here and set out.
Gavin Keohane: We'll do it here, Chris.
All right, let her roll.
When you set the net out, we lay it straight out to get
as much distance as possible.
We're going to put a bend at the very end that's
closest to the boat.
You tow it with the boat so it creates a hook on the
end of a straight net.
Purpose of that is fish that are swimming up and down the
net will either run into the hook or get turned back
around down the length of the net again.
It's a hook, it's a corral,
uh, it's a strategy.
Narrator: As an experienced captain,
Gavin knows it's not just about dropping the
net in the water, technique is everything,
and so is patience.
Gavin Keohane: There's a nice group.
Nice group!
Oh yeah, oh yeah!
Chris Cotter: Alright!
Gavin Keohane: So we towed a hook in this end and
sure enough got a nice group of fish moving up and down it.
I've been fishing for a number of years,
done a number of fisheries, and seeing salmon hit the
net in Cook Inlet is one of the most exciting things
I've ever seen.
It's fast, it's immediate,
it's money.
They hit right where the bend is.
There's a fresh hit there.
We got some good fish here.
Narrator: The salmon have hit early for the North Crow
and Gavin plans on staying put until he's fished
this area clean.
Gavin Keohane: Alright, let's wind this net up.
Oh what a pleasant surprise.
This is a good *** hit right here.
We got fish.
North Crow makes its money by not wasting fuel,
wasting time.
We can make money by saving money.
North Crow doesn't spend a lot.
And for anything we get is money made.
Narrator: Gavin captains a small gas efficient boat and
with only a two man crew most of the fish he catches
are pure profit.
Gavin Keohane: Well, we're catching a few fish now,
couple more good hits there.
Heads up.
Yeah.
This is how North Crow makes money.
You pick fish.
You don't make money running around.
You don't make money looking for fish.
You make money picking fish and that's what we do good.
Narrator: 10 miles north, Captain Dino spent the last
half hour searching for fish,
but his gut tells him he thinks he's found the spot.
Dino Sutherland: Good place to start.
We saw a few jumpers here,
had reports of jumpers a mile north and a mile south.
We should be seeing something if there
is anything here.
Narrator: Captain Dino and his crew hope that he
still has the uncanny ability to sniff out the fish.
Dino Sutherland: Oh, big hit.
Big hit.
Woo hoo, ha-ha-ha!
There's another two hits!
Look at them down there, look at that!
Whoooooo!
That's the way to get back in the game!
Lance Alldrin: Oh, we got some fish.
Dino Sutherland: Alright, let's see what we got.
Oh look at this whole ***, Lance.
Lance Alldrin: Yeah.
Dino Sutherland: Look at that.
Yeah, baby!
Here we go.
Yeah-ha, look at that.
Clear the head, see, clear its head.
Narrator: Captain Dino has proven to himself and
the crew that he knows how to get the
fish in the net, but getting them out
is another problem.
Lance Alldrin: Crap.
Come on.
Dino Sutherland: Hurry, hurry, hurry.
Lance Alldrin: We got fish that refuse to, oh boy.
Dino Sutherland: Clear that part.
Lance Alldrin: You seeing it?
Dino Sutherland: Yeah, glad you guys worked that out.
Narrator: On the north end of the fishing zone,
Captain Taylor is poised for his 1st set.
It gets cramped quickly as every boat
jockeys for position.
Taylor Evenson: All that open water and he decides
he's got to come and set right under me.
Get out of here, I'm setting!
Narrator: There are no rules on the water and if
Captain Taylor doesn't learn to play the game,
he can kiss his day goodbye.
Taylor Evenson: He intentionally stops right
where I stop.
Are you (bleep) kidding me?
Come on!
What are you doing?
(bleep) you!
Narrator: With their net in the water,
Captain Taylor has found what he hopes is a
prime fishing spot.
Taylor Evenson: All that open water and he decides
he's got to come and set right under me.
Narrator: But in this competitive business,
there is always another captain looking to
take what's yours.
Taylor Evenson: Get out of here, I'm setting!
He intentionally stops right where I stop,
are you (bleep) kidding me?
He's corking me.
Come on, what are you doing?
You cork me, man!
(bleep) you!
God, what a jerk.
Narrator: The fishermen arrive on scene using a common
but aggressive action called corking.
The new boat sets its net directly between
Taylor's and the fish,
effectively netting the salmon first.
Taylor Evenson: He stopped right when I stopped
and then he set right on top of me.
What a jerk.
God.
Look at all that open water.
It's wide open underneath us.
There's no one else around us and he decides he's got
to come and set right under me.
Well it's one of those days.
Come on, let's pick it up.
Narrator: Despite his family name,
the fisherman shows no signs of respect and
chases Taylor out of the area.
Taylor Evenson: My stomach just turns
into knots; it feels like it's attacking me.
Gavin Keohane: You got it?
Chris Cotter: Yeah.
Narrator: 23 miles to the south Captain Gavin
has started the day strong and with his first set
has already turned a profit for the 2 man crew.
Gavin Keohane: So, we got about 100 fish
on our first set.
With the amount of fuel we spend it only takes about
10 or 15 fish to cover that.
So, we're well into the profit margin at this point.
If we can just continue to do this we'll have an entire
day of being in the profit.
Chris Cotter: Somebody's playing hard to get today.
Gavin Keohane: Wow, how is this happening?
Chris Cotter: I don't know.
Gavin Keohane: This isn't really going so well,
I'm starting to feel a shred of doubt.
Nope, ain't nothing here.
Narrator: An empty net means that the fish have moved on
and Gavin decides to run north in an attempt to
catch up to the school.
Taylor Evenson: Ugh, I can't make up my mind.
Narrator: After his encounter with an
infringing fisherman, Captain Taylor must quickly
find a new place to fish and time is money.
Taylor Evenson: I don't know what to do.
Ugh.
Liz Holmgren: You're out of position,
that's what you don't like, you know?
But should he run an hour or not?
You can end up running and running and by the
time we get there the show might be over.
I don't know what to say.
Just hope his intuition is telling him to do the
right thing for more fish.
Taylor Evenson: Pull it in.
I don't know where I'm going.
Narrator: With everything on the line,
Captain Taylor can't afford to move his boat and
come up empty.
He calls on one of the inlet's legendary fishermen:
his father.
Mr. Evenson: Go Nedra E.
Taylor Evenson: Yeah, what did you pick up there?
Mr. Evenson: We probably got 3, 400 in here at least.
Taylor Evenson: He said he's gotta have
3 or 400 in it?
Is that what he said?
Roger.
Are you on the east side?
Mr. Evenson: South.
Not too far though.
Narrator: Taylor's decision could make or break his day.
Follow his father south or trust his own instincts.
Taylor Evenson: We're moving back to the east.
Narrator: Headstrong Captain Taylor ignores
his father, goes with his gut and heads east.
But he's already hours into his day and he must
find a spot and do it quickly.
No one makes money unless the nets are in the water.
With the majority of the fleet fishing to the north,
wise old Wes stays south but the jumpers he saw
earlier this morning are gone.
Wes Humbyrd: Not seeing much, guys.
Damn tide rips come.
We've got to grab this end and tow it out.
God (bleep)!
Narrator: Without a fish in sight, Captain Wes
watches his profits slip away along with his patience.
Wes Humbyrd: Damn it!
Come on, Reni.
My goodness.
Narrator: It's the second day of salmon fishing season
in Alaska's Cook Inlet.
Over $95 million is at stake for the over
400 commercial fishing vessels.
While the Nedra E, the Night Hawk,
and the North Crow fish further north,
Wes is convinced the fish are still close to the
southern boundary of the fishing zone.
And hopes that he's right.
Wes Humbyrd: There's some fish right
in the bite right there.
We got' em, guys.
Yeah, nice shot.
Woohoo!
Tia Pietsch: Woohoo!
Narrator: Wes has hit a hot spot and the experienced
captain knows that when the fish are in the area you
have to take advantage and you have to move quickly.
Wes Humbyrd: Reni, you don't wait to go
to buoy please.
Reni Robbin: Okay.
Wes Humbyrd: Grab it wherever you can get a
hold of it, ok?
Come on Reni, grab it!
Don't wait until we go clear to the end I keep
telling you that, ok?
God!
Jesus, Reni, come on, wake up!
Come on Reni, my goodness!
You get in a panic.
Let's go, start hauling on them guys!
Let's go!
Come on Bonnie, come on, toughen up.
Coming in, coming, coming, coming.
Boy that's a big fish Reni.
Tia Pietsch: Wooo, look at them!
Wes Humbyrd: Woo-hoo-hoo!
Wes Humbyrd: Let's start sending the fish down.
Narrator: Wes rides his crew for every last dollar,
the same way he's been doing it in the Inlet
since 1968.
Wes Humbyrd: Come on Reni,
you're farting around here, let's go!
Tell me when you're clear guys, ok?
Here comes another batch.
Are we having fun yet gang?
Mama, mama Mia!
Narrator: 28 miles to the north.
Dino Sutherland: Nice hit, nice hit.
Narrator: Captain Dino and the crew of the Night Hawk
are back on the water and on the fish.
Now he must rely on his greenhorn crew to pick the nets.
Lance Alldrin: Hold it, sorry.
Narrator: And get them back in the water as
quickly as possible.
Dino Sutherland: Get that guy.
Get that fish, Andrew.
Get him out.
We got to get them out fast.
Narrator: Dino is pulling double duty as
captain and teacher.
Dino Sutherland: You flip him out,
pump around the nose.
Narrator: His crew is learning how to fish on the
fly and time is money.
Dino Sutherland: Get 'em, Andrew.
Flip him outside the gear.
Get him out, get him out.
Get him out, clear his gills.
Get up in that net, get up in that net.
Get up in there.
Andrew, get up in this net.
Andrew Puser: Alright.
Dino Sutherland: I'm going to ask a lot
from you, Andrew, today.
A lot of (bleep) you haven't done before.
I'm not going to put you in an unsafe situation,
trust me.
Look at that.
We have about 20 fish hanging off the
stern right there.
Lance Alldrin: Hit it hard, hit it hard.
Dino Sutherland: Here, here, like this.
1, 2.
Lance Alldrin: Picking fish is frustrating,
so don't let it rattle you.
Wes Humbyrd: Boy, a lot of fish on this west end
I didn't see guys.
We pounded them pretty good here.
Here they come, yes siree.
Narrator: Cocky Captain Wes continues to push his crew
with the bravado of a man who thinks he's rarely wrong.
Bonnie Boisvert: Oh my gosh.
There's tons of fish down there.
Wes Humbyrd: Why do you think I put the net
in the water here for dear?
I didn't learn how to do this yesterday.
Bonnie Boisvert: I know that.
Wes Humbyrd: Just keep putting them in the boat.
That's the way we're going to pick
fish this year, guys.
Just pick the net,
don't worry about cleaning them.
We gotta clear up.
We're going down over the line if we don't get it.
Tia Pietsch: Okay.
Reni Robbin: All right.
Wes Humbyrd: That's the way we make money.
This is going to be more like a 2,000 fish day.
You get him, Tia?
Tia Pietsch: Yeah.
Wes Humbyrd: There you go.
Tia Pietsch: He just got in again.
Wes Humbyrd: Boy, towed in that that rip and
we smacked 'em.
Narrator: The deckhands make 10% of the take,
and it's days like this that help Reni pay for college,
and Tia, a schoolteacher cover her mortgage during
the slow summer months.
Tia Pietsch: Wes knows what areas are going to be good
at what time in the year and where we should be.
Wes Humbyrd: Holy Criminy.
You were right, Bon.
Holy, mama Mia, manga!
Tia Pietsch: Got it?
Wes Humbyrd: Woohoo!
That's what we do when we got heavy picking.
Tia Pietsch: Not bad, it's going to be full.
Wes Humbyrd: Do you think it will be?
Tia Pietsch: Soon.
Got to ice it real good because that's a lot of fish.
Billy: 10-4-9.
Tia Pietsch: We've got lots of room.
Wes Humbyrd: Shh-shh!
[inaudible].
53.
Narrator: Wes is making a killing but there's news
of an even bigger school of fish swimming north.
But if he leaves now there is no guarantee
he will reach them in time.
Wes Humbyrd: We got to get up above a ways.
We're going to run north guys.
Yeah what's your numbers, Billy?
Billy: 56, 16.
Wes Humbyrd: Ok, thank you.
I'm not out here just to have fun.
I'm out here trying to catch as much as I can.
I guess you can call it greed more than anything else.
I've never, ever caught enough.
I go for it.
Billy: Yeah, [inaudible] you there?
Wes Humbyrd: I'm just below you.
We're going to go north and try one.
Go.
Ok.
Narrator: There's no time to spare as the crew
rushes to drop the net,
but rushing can lead to disaster.
Reni Robbin: Whoa.
Tia Pietsch: [inaudible] run.
Whoa, stop!
Wes Humbyrd: Ah!
Narrator: Following the migrating salmon,
Wes and the Night's Edge have relocated 10 miles
further to the north.
Tia Pietsch: We're going to catch a bunch of fish.
Wes Humbyrd: Go, let's go.
Narrator: Greedy for an even bigger take,
Captain Wes pushes his crew to get the net in the
water as quickly as possible.
Reni Robbin: Whoa!
Tia Pietsch: Whoa, stop!
Wes Humbyrd: Ah!
What'd it do, rip a whole shackle?
Tia Pietsch: Oh, keep going back.
Keep going, keep going.
Wes Humbyrd: Ah!
Narrator: In their haste, the crew caught the bottom
of the net in the reel.
Even worse, as the top continued to unwind it tore
the net in two.
Although these backlashes are preventable,
lapses in concentration make it all the more common.
Wes Humbyrd: You can't be relaxing with that.
Tia Pietsch: We weren't.
We were pulling leads like crazy.
Wes Humbyrd: Oh, now I got to patch
web again, geez, I'm tired of it.
(bleep)!
It's, you got to keep going guys,
it's right, stuck in there so tight you've got to go back,
go back some more.
Oh my God.
Ugh, I hate.
Pull it back some more.
It's so tight that, ahh.
Tia Pietsch: Keep pulling.
Don't pull up, pull down.
Keep pushing, Bonnie.
Wes Humbyrd: I've never seen one that bad in
all my life.
Rip it out of there.
It ain't coming out until you rip it out.
Tia Pietsch: Rip it out.
There you go.
Wes Humbyrd: Watch what's going on,
Reni, I don't want it to happen again.
Narrator: After some solid morning sets
Gavin Keohane: Oh yeah.
Narrator: Captain Gavin's net came up empty.
In the ever evolving game of cat and mouse,
he has repositioned 6 miles north in hopes of
catching up with the salmon.
Gavin Keohane: So we came about 5 miles north.
I feel uneasy about it.
But this is exactly what I wanted.
I thought it was a good spot.
So here we are.
It always makes me a little uncomfortable with
no other boats around.
To be honest I'm not too comfortable with
the move right now.
I haven't seen anything.
We just set out.
And I know now that we ran away from a few fish.
It was nothing spectacular but I don't like to run from
fish and I think I may have made a bad decision because
we're over here and I'm not seeing much going on.
I just don't know.
I made a call and it might not have been the right one.
Wes Humbyrd: Oh geez.
Well, there went my picking hook.
Get a net or something so we can get it back.
Narrator: Captain Wes rushed his crew off a hotspot
to chase the fish north and now with a ripped net,
his frustrations boil over.
Wes Humbyrd: Ugh, Reni you're fine right
where you're, ooh, Reni what was wrong where
you were at?
You always keep moving on me.
See you lost it, Reni!
Oh, I tell you what, oh!
Narrator: It's very possible the hole in the
net is too large and the salmon are slipping
right through it.
This could be the end of the line for the Night's Edge.
Wes Humbyrd: There they go right there,
here we go, here we go.
Tia Pietsch: Ha,ha,ha.
Wes Humbyrd: Told ya.
Tia Pietsch: They just went right in.
Wes is really great at putting us on the fish.
He knows this inlet like the back of his hand.
Wes Humbyrd: Let's get it in the boat.
Here they come, guys.
Oh look at it now, look at it now!
Ho, ok, cut 'em, cut 'em, cut 'em.
Ho, ho, ho, we're taking them now baby!
Whoo!
Here comes some more.
God, we would've just pounded them if we
didn't have a hole in there.
That cost us a lot of fish.
Narrator: After 2 unsuccessful attempts
at the fish, Captain Taylor continues
to follow his instincts and repositions further to
the south east.
Taylor Evenson: Ok, go ahead and throw it.
Narrator: With less than 4 hours remaining
in the fishing day, a dejected Taylor
makes a desperate move and orders his crew to
drop his net near a dangerous rip.
Taylor Evenson: Rips are very strong.
This one is sucking pretty good here.
Narrator: Rips form when opposing bodies
of water collide.
These rips can also collect logs and dreaded debris,
which makes fishing them extremely risky.
Taylor Evenson: Does that buoy look like its
getting sucked into that rip?
Liz Holmgren: Yup.
Radio: Nedra E, I got a shot of your buoy and
it's sucking it really hard there.
Narrator: In a rare act of sportsmanship,
a fellow fisherman radios Taylor to warn him that a
hazardous situation is only moments away.
If Taylor's net is sucked into the rip,
he could be done for the season.
He must decide if fishing on the rip is worth
risking his career.
Radio: If I'm right, it's gonna pull it in.
Narrator: Back on the Night Hawk,
Captain Dino is pushing forward with his
comeback season.
But working with an entirely new operation is proving
increasingly frustrating.
Dino Sutherland: Agh (bleep).
Look how tight this is.
Go ahead and pull that.
That should be totally off of it.
See, here's where we get screwed up.
You have to turn around Lance and pull that cork line.
See what, behind you?
Lance Alldrin: Yeah.
Dino Sutherland: You have to try to keep up with it.
Narrator: The cork line along the top of the net is
criss-crossed with the lead line on the bottom.
It takes a practiced hand to untangle them as the net
unwinds so it will set in the water properly.
Dino Sutherland: Gotta get this turned.
Turn, you baby.
Lance Alldrin: Oh, oh, oh!
(bleep)!
Dino Sutherland: What?
(bleep)!
Watch it, Andrew.
Narrator: Captain Dino's day and his net continue to
suffer at the hands of his inexperienced crew.
But 14 miles south, the Night's Edge is running
like a well-oiled machine.
Wes Humbyrd: Oh, ho!
Tia Pietsch: Oh!
Wes Humbyrd: Oh, big one fell out.
Narrator: Captain Wes and his crew continue
to bring in fish.
Reni Robbin: Clear.
Narrator: As the end of the day nears,
Wes is thirsty for more.
Wes Humbyrd: Suppose we ought to set this
back out before we move?
Bonnie Boisvert: Yes.
It's like, why would you move when we're
getting such good fish?
Wes Humbyrd: Ok, lets go ahead and set it back.
Take it out, let's go.
Run it over, run it over,
run it over, run it over!
Tia Pietsch: All leads on the corners, huh Reni?
[inaudible radio chatter]
Wes Humbyrd: They're knocking the (bleep)
out of them right out there,
a half a mile away.
His net's exploding.
I'm in here piddling around with
little scratch fishing.
I have a bad feeling about this.
I shouldn't have put it back in the water.
Bonnie Boisvert: We've taken over 200 out of here.
Wes Humbyrd: What?
Bonnie Boisvert: We've taken over 200.
Wes Humbyrd: I don't care.
There might be 1,000 out there!
Bonnie Boisvert: Okay, then, wind it up and go.
Wes Humbyrd: Jiminy Christmas Bonnie.
Bonnie Boisvert: Geez.
Wes Humbyrd: I've been doing this for, oh.
Bonnie Boisvert: Then go.
Just go, wind it up and go.
Wes Humbyrd: You start running the boat then.
Narrator: Out on the inlet, Captain Wes is on the fish
but greed and impatience have him second guessing
every move he makes and his crew has had enough.
Bonnie Boisvert: We've taken over 200 out of here.
Wes Humbyrd: What?
Bonnie Boisvert: We've taken over 200.
Wes Humbyrd: I don't care!
There might be 1,000 out there.
Bonnie Boisvert: Okay then, just wind it up and go.
Wes Humbyrd: Jiminy Christmas Bonnie.
Bonnie Boisvert: Geez.
Wes Humbyrd: I've been doing this for, oh.
Bonnie Boisvert: You're getting this kind of fish
why are you going to run away from it?
Makes no sense.
Wes Humbyrd: God all mighty.
Tia Pietsch: Certainly more than we had all day.
Radio: [inaudible] going towards me, just [inaudible].
Wes Humbyrd: They are doing way better than us
outside there, way better.
Okay, let's pick it up.
It's not this good.
Come on, let's wind it.
We're not getting as many as we should be.
I gotta get out of here.
Oh, ho, whoa, whoa.
Yeah!
Tia Pietsch: Woohoo!
Wes Humbyrd: Woohoo!
Tia Pietsch: Score!
Wes Humbyrd: Oh!
Let it out, let it out!
Let it out, let it out!
Narrator: Captain Wes' decision to stay put
was the right call.
Wes Humbyrd: Yeah, we got 'em.
Big set for the evening.
Narrator: Even if he didn't know it.
Wes Humbyrd: Alright.
Maybe we'll get 150.
There's fish all along the net.
Oh my goodness gracious.
Bonnie Boisvert: Wow, yeah!
Tia Pietsch: Whoa.
Wes Humbyrd: All right, come on.
Let's have some.
Tia Pietsch: Whoa.
Wes Humbyrd: Right on, yeah, woo!
I hate to admit it but you are right.
Damn, you know I hate it when she's right.
Damn it.
Bonnie Boisvert: Yes!
Chris Cotter: What do you guess is in here 15, 20?
Narrator: Captain Gavin has been second-guessing his
decisions all day.
Now, with only a few hours remaining in the fishing day,
he hopes that his move to the north
finally pays off.
Gavin Keohane: Not many fish coming up now.
We got a few here.
Another jelly fish.
[inaudible radio chatter]
That was a pretty poor set.
You've got about 20, maybe 10 reds.
I need to think about what our strategy is.
Again, not one of North Crow's best days.
How do we rebound?
We're going to rebound well.
Everyone has bad days and you gotta keep going.
We're going to have a good day coming in.
We're due.
Taylor Evenson: Start picking it.
Step on it!
Narrator: With the end of the day looming,
Captain Taylor has risked fishing on a powerful rip
to catch salmon.
And his net was sucked right in along with
massive amounts of sticks and debris.
Taylor Evenson: We grabbed it.
It's not good.
Narrator: If the $6,000 net is destroyed,
Captain Taylor's day is shot and so might be his
reputation as the next great fisherman on the inlet.
Taylor Evenson: I set right through this junky ***
rear rip to see if there's anything in here.
There's no fish.
Liz Holmgren: Oh.
Taylor Evenson: Whoa.
Liz Holmgren: Something's tearing.
Taylor Evenson: (bleep)!
Liz Holmgren: Here comes another one.
Taylor Evenson: We've got to get it out quick.
Narrator: There isn't much time left to fish and
what Taylor's caught so far is worthless.
Back on the Night Hawk, Captain Dino discovers,
that it's not just his crew that's faulty,
but also his net.
Dino Sutherland: There's no slack in this gear at all.
There's no (bleep) slack in it.
(bleep) up.
(bleep).
Lance Alldrin: Aw, (bleep).
Dino Sutherland: This is some messed up gear.
Unbelievable.
Lance Alldrin: Was it the way we stacked it on the
reel in the wind or?
Dino Sutherland: It was poorly hung.
It was poor craftsmanship who
did this gear.
We shouldn't be having any problems with the net
but we are.
He hung the lead line shorter than the cork line.
Narrator: Captain Dino's net won't set in the water
properly because the bottom is shorter than the top,
causing the net to curl.
Dino Sutherland: Dear God, net 101.
Narrator: Without the proper equipment,
the Night Hawk is fishing with one arm tied
behind its back.
Dino Sutherland: Now the net's just,
it's not an effective weapon right now.
We're out struggling making money today
with this (bleep) gear.
Lance Alldrin: Damn it.
This net.
Dino Sutherland: I'm not sure we'll be able to
get it fixed.
Very frustrated right now.
Dino Sutherland: This is a messed up gear.
Lance Alldrin: Damn it.
This net.
Narrator: As the day winds down,
Captain Dino realizes his net was poorly crafted.
Crewman: Hold the haul.
Narrator: Dramatically limiting the amount of
fish he can catch.
Dino Sutherland: Its unfortunate you know but
that net hanger totally screwed us up.
I will beat him up.
Narrator: Dino heads into port early to
replace his nets.
For the 2nd day in a row he sees his opportunity
to make money disappear.
Dino Sutherland: I've got a crew that's they're a
little green, then I got gear that
ain't worth a (bleep).
It's *** me off.
Narrator: Forced off a rip filled with debris,
Captain Taylor races to find a clear space to
drop his net.
Taylor Evenson: Woo-hoo-hoo.
Let 'er rip.
Let 'er rip!
Throw it!
Narrator: With little time left in the day and
not a single fish to show for it.
Liz Holmgren: Alright, attack it.
Narrator: Taylor makes a last ditch effort to
turn his fortune around.
Liz Holmgren: We got a hit!
Taylor Evenson: Yeah, that's a good one.
Liz Holmgren: That's a nice one.
Taylor Evenson: We need more now.
We need a lot more.
Raquel Holmgren: The captains getting a
smile on his face.
Taylor Evenson: Just a little bit of one.
Oh, there's more fish in there than I thought.
See all those fish?
I hope it's like that all the way through.
Yeah, (bleep) yeah!
Liz Holmgren: Whoo.
There's some fish here.
We set on fish.
Narrator: Captain Taylor followed his guts
and found the fish.
With the end of the fishing day moments away,
the Evenson family is back in business.
Liz Holmgren: Whoo.
Narrator: Now, they must rush to bring
up as many fish as possible before the
7:00 p.m. deadline.
Taylor Evenson: Come on, mom,
don't slow down.
We're almost done.
Come on.
[inaudible radio chatter]
Pull it out!
[inaudible radio chatter].
Come on, pull it, yeah.
Pull it!
Whoo.
You're pretty good, mom.
Pretty damn good.
Narrator: Back in Kenai for the offload,
Dino realizes that to make money this season,
he needs a crew, and gear,
that won't let him down on the water.
Dino Sutherland: I ended up picking 95%
of the fish out there today.
I've got to push both Lance and Andrew
a little harder.
What happened today cannot continue as far as
picking the fish out.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to make some phone calls.
I know, I know some people that have some nets
and we're going to try and get this fixed.
I can bring back a lot more fish if I have
the right gear.
Narrator: The Night Hawk's total for the day
is 1,729 pounds of fish worth $3,849.
Wes Humbyrd: Yeah, Inlet Fish dock.
Night's Edge.
Tia Pietsch: That good, Reni?
Reni Robbin: Yeah.
Narrator: With a ripped net and taking advice
from his partner and deckhand, Bonnie,
Wes has enjoyed his most profitable day
of the season.
The Night's Edge ended the day catching
2,794 pounds of fish worth $4,941.
Crystal Fite: Alright, we'll see you next time.
Wes Humbyrd: You bet you will.
See you later.
Crystal Fite: Okay, take care.
Taylor Evenson: The majority of our day as far as
poundage caught was done in the evening.
That kind of made our day up.
Narrator: After an exhausting 18 hour day,
Captain Taylor and his family crew struggled
through a debris field and managed to bring home
785 pounds of salmon, worth $1,667.
Captain Gavin had a promising start,
but his net came up empty for the rest of his day.
Gavin Keohane: In my opinion,
I haven't performed this poorly in years.
Uh, as a fisherman, I start questioning my
own skill set and my own uh routine even.
And, because I do feel that's what being successful
at commercial fishing is about the routine that
you can maintain.
You know, I couldn't find the fish.
It happens.
Narrator: The North Crow finishes the day with a haul
of fish weighing 1,474 pounds worth $2,580.
Wes and the Night's Edge maintain their lead,
while Gavin's North Crow clings to 2nd place.
Taylor and the Nedra E drop to third.
And although Dino and the Night Hawk finally
caught some fish, they're still dead last.