Deadliest Catch (2005–…): Season 15, Episode 17 - Deadliest Catch - full transcript
Monte returns to co-captain the Wizard just as a freight train of storms slams the fleet from the south. Jake battles the risk of hauling pots in 30 foot seas to return to his family. Wild ...
Jake: They're getting big, boy.
They're getting big.
It's honestly very, very scary
to have all the money
in the palm of your hand
and know
that it could just slip away.
[ men yelling indistinctly ]
it's gonna be a war again,
except it's gonna be
a war of survival.
♪ I do whatever I've got to ♪
oomph, oomph, oomph!
♪ ain't no limit
to the things I do ♪
keith: It's gonna take monte
a while
to get his crab legs under him.
He's gonna have to suck it up
and gut it out
because this thing is probably
the biggest storm of the season.
♪ I will overcome ♪
♪ I refuse to run ♪
♪ I'm gonna fight
for my survival ♪
right now, I'm gonna work
as long and hard as I can.
We get those big seas,
this place is gonna shut down.
♪ because I will fight for ♪
♪ yes, I will fight for ♪
I'm hurrying, buddy.
I'm going as fast as I can.
-Oh, no!
-Oh, my god.
-Move, move, move!
-Get down!
♪ survival ♪
captions paid for by
discovery communications
[ bell tolling ]
keith: Since we left...
Hole in the boat,
bad weather, everything.
After pops died, we put
the flag at half-mast.
Monte: Yeah.
It's been at half-mast
ever since.
Old glory
is taking a beating.
Narrator: Four weeks after
the passing of gary colburn...
How is everything else
holding up?
Pretty good.
...Keith and monte reunite.
-Hey!
-Hey!
-Welcome aboard!
-Welcome aboard!
Narrator: His father's affairs
now in order
and keith hot off a tank-busting
opilio delivery,
monte returns to put a pin
in the winter season.
-You doing good?
-Doing really good.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
Missed you, man.
You know, it's been
really tough.
It's good to be back.
Man:
Welcome back, monte.
Been looking forward
to seeing you guys.
I'm so excited to see my dad
back on the boat, man.
He's probably hurting
a little bit
dealing with the death
of my grandpa,
but, you know,
fishing is good for him.
You know, it gets
his mind off it.
You know what I mean?
Get him out here on the boat.
It's just good to be
back with him.
Here's where we're at,
right here.
Narrator:
For keith, his brother's return
is not a moment too soon.
Just so you know,
we are racing a storm,
southeast 50 plus.
For more than a week,
a wall of high pressure
continues to funnel
low-pressure systems north,
laying the track
for a freight train of storms.
Now fueled by the energy
of warmer southern waters,
a 200-mile-wide tempest,
the largest yet, careens north
towards
the southern opilio grounds.
Let's get
out there, okay?
How you gonna work
this rotation?
You just gonna go
with an extra guy,
18 hours a day,
pretty much?
Right now, my intent
is to have you, basically,
on deck 8,
maybe 10 hours a day.
Keith's plan --
add monte to the lineup
and power through the weather.
This will make
a big difference.
You know, it'd be nice to go
to split shift, you know,
because 6 hours outside
and 6 hours in here,
you know...
No. I know
what you like.
Don't worry.
Just...We'll...
Haven't figured it
out yet.
We just need to ram
this stuff on here
as quick as possible.
Narrator: 229 miles north
of the building southern storm,
on the opilio grounds...
Bill: I'm all jacked up...
...Like a squirrel monkey
on mountain dew.
Narrator:
...Aboard the summer bay...
Bill: About a half a mile,
just need a decent average
for a couple trips
through the year which is cool.
We set back where we got
most of our crab the last trip.
We received a gigantic number,
471 average.
Narrator:
On the heels of harvesting
a monster town pick
in the north,
captain wild bill wichrowski
banks on the same grounds
to keep paying out.
I just want to be able to go
through these fast
before the storm hits.
Narrator: Now with a mammoth
low-pressure system closing in,
bill sets the pace to race.
Bill: Alright, you guys.
We've got one up here
on the bow about 100 yards.
Man #2: Let's go!
Yeah, baby!
Life is gonna be easy street.
Yeah!
Come on,
show me some life.
Come on, baby.
-[bleep]
-oh!
Ah! That's no good.
No bueno.
No bueno.
No joy.
Somebody have a number?
This one just dropped
on its ass.
[ yells indistinctly ]
please, god, please.
Oh.
-Wow.
-Ah, come on!
-Aw [bleep]
not yet.
Everybody out!
Ah, not what I wanted to see.
We've had such good fishing.
It sucks.
With any luck, maybe get
a higher average
for the whole pick.
See what happens.
Ah [bleep]
♪
♪
this has been mind-blowing
and hideous here.
I have to start all over again.
Narrator: His numbers barely
breaking into double digits,
bill is back on the hunt.
Bill: Which way,
which way, which way?
Damn it.
Got the weather coming.
Well, the only thing
I can think of is,
I'm gonna run up the line
here and spread these out.
Let's see, that is 35 miles
higher than I've ever been.
Narrator: With gale-force winds
barreling up from the south,
bill eyes a spot
200 miles northeast...
Bill: It's a risk, you know.
It's wintertime.
It's a little dicey.
Narrator: ...Looking to get in
and get out
before the storm train
pulls into town.
But I'm a gambler.
I say we go for it.
Off we go into the wild
blue yonder.
♪
narrator: 246 miles south...
...A 920-millibar
low-pressure system
thunders
onto the opilio grounds.
On the saga...
I just want to find
these [bleep] pots
and not kill anybody.
Looking for them,
I don't see them.
This is when it's not fun.
Narrator: ...Bogged down
by a string of weather delays,
captain jake anderson
plows through the northern edge
of the gale-force low.
Jake: Processing plant called me
and said 7:00 a.M. Tomorrow,
so I have to do
what I can do today...
And go in.
Narrator: Now, with the delivery
date only 20 hours away,
it's fish or flounder.
Watch the rail.
♪
this is gonna be [bleep]
get it going, kyle.
Narrator: With only 40% of his
opilio crab quota delivered...
The weather right now
is terrible,
but hopefully
these things work out,
and I'll be able
to purchase the boat.
Narrator: ...Full or empty pots
could be the difference
between achieving an ownership
stake in the saga...
Or not.
I'm running out of time
because the weather
is gonna get worse.
Whoo!
Got them!
Whoo!
So much crab.
Yeah, baby!
350, 400 is on 36 hours.
Cheers, guys!
Crab cheer!
Crab cheer!
Ah!
Hopefully, this will go
pretty quick.
♪
don't worry about
the numbers, steven.
♪ it's a beautiful day
in the neighborhood! ♪
don't play around.
You got to be fast
when [bleep] comes out.
♪
watch out!
Watch out!
[ indistinct yelling ]
narrator: On the saga...
Jake: Watch out.
Watch out. Watch out!
[ indistinct yelling ]
whoa!
Damn it!
Ah.
Oh [bleep]
everybody okay? Roger.
Yeah, roger.
Narrator: While jake
struggles to navigate
through a low-pressure
freight train,
a monster surge
engulfs the rail,
ravaging the crew.
Are they okay to do this
like this?
Well, they say, "[bleep] yeah."
bering sea, man,
that's how it gets out here.
Jake: All these pots
are set to catch crab.
They're not set for the weather.
I knew that today was gonna
be just like it is today.
I just don't like coming in
with anything less than a tank.
I don't really have
any other option
but just to go
until I can't.
Let's go!
Narrator:
As day gives in to night...
Whoo!
Oh, it looks good.
Yeah!
...Jake and the saga crew push
through their remaining pots.
♪
-yeah!
-Yeah!
This makes it seem
that much closer to home,
getting all the crab.
350.
Yeah, baby!
Whoo!
That's exhilarating.
That's crab fishing.
-Yeah, baby!
-Whoo!
What's the number?
340.
We are full,
my friends, full!
We did it!
Oh, thank god, just in time.
I got to get the hell
out of here.
Narrator: With over 100,000
pounds in the tanks...
Jake: I've got 8 hours to get
to st. Paul.
A lot of things can happen
between now
and when I off-load these crab.
Narrator:
...Jake plots a course
to the notorious
st. Paul inland.
It's one of the hardest ports
in the country
to tie up
because of the ice,
because of the wind,
because of the currents.
And it's honestly very,
very scary how vulnerable I am
right now in this position,
to have all the money
in the palm of your hand
and know that it could just
slip away in an instant.
♪
narrator: 340 miles
to the far northeast,
above the southern storm's grasp
and any other boat
in the fleet...
...Is the summer bay.
Man #3: Look at this.
Oh, man, so beautiful.
Like a dream,
a really cold,
wet [bleep] dream.
Here I go.
Coming over.
We're definitely
snow crabbing now.
Narrator: Captain wild bill
finds refuge
from the building blow's rage
in the icy embrace
of the arctic.
Bill: To go from
that confident feeling
of having total control
of the gear
to what I felt like
only started checking,
what a opposite sensation.
I felt helpless and lost.
Narrator:
With no leads on crab,
bill expands his search
to virgin grounds
18 hours up the russian line.
Bill: This is, like, 35 miles
higher than I've ever been,
and I'm just kind of setting
from 71 shallower,
see how far they're gonna go.
I'm gonna go three
to the mile.
I'm looking for crab.
I have to start all over again.
Whoa!
This is a big blow.
Looks like it's going
to go west of us.
Would be great, you know?
Narrator: Hopeful he'll sidestep
the worst of the wind and waves,
bill looks to make it rain
in the snow.
It all comes down to saying
a prayer to the crab gods
and finding a biomass
that sends our butts home.
Here we go!
So hopefully hit a little bit
of a payday
and then get out of here.
Narrator: 60 miles southwest,
the storm train's
steaming engine
pulls into the northern grounds.
On the wizard...
It's gonna be a little bit
of a gnarly haul here,
these 22 pots.
[ yells indistinctly ]
this weather just keeps on
picking up and taking it off.
Narrator:
...Captain keith colburn
charges to the first pot
of his 5-day town soak.
Keith: Really sucks.
It's not the safest
hauling conditions right now,
but with any luck,
we can put 130,000
to 140,000 pounds on this boat
in the first pick,
probably 4 1/2-,
5-day soak on the scale.
If we can do that, we might be
able to fill this boat.
Narrator: On deck...
I'm doing good.
It's gonna take
a little doing
to get back
into the groove of this.
...Monte colburn reacquaints
himself with the hallmarks
of the fishery --
pain and suffering.
You know, I'm a little old
for this deal.
Keith: It's gonna take monte
a while
to get his crab legs under him.
He belongs in the wheelhouse
driving the boat,
not working deck.
I told him at the beginning
of the season,
I was gonna give him
more crab to catch,
but, you know, he's gonna
have to suck it up
and gut it out because this trip
is going to be brutal.
Still trying to knock
the rust off.
We'll get
through the trip.
Here it is.
I know there's some crab there.
I just don't know how much.
♪
we should get 400s out of this
on a long tow.
-Oh!
-Oh!
This is what
I like to see!
Oomph, oomph, oomph!
Yeah!
Looks like
you're loaded, man.
Guys, that's what
we're looking for, guys.
That's what we want to start on.
Right on, right on, right on.
Yeah!
Monte: Well, you continue
like that,
fill the boat up
pretty quick.
Keith: Okay, guys, let me get
a count here.
4-6-0.
4-6-0, roger that.
That's what we're after.
♪
second pot, second pot.
♪
alright.
Of course, now it seems
like the wind and rain
just kicked up even more.
♪
watch it, watch it!
Holy smokes,
that's some bad weather.
That's serious.
Watch it, guys!
Head's up, rail, rail,
rail, rail, rail.
Hang on.
Hang on there.
Watch out.
Hang on! Hang on!
Narrator: 520 miles north
of dutch harbor...
Keith: Holy smokes.
Narrator: ...Overtaken by
the relentless southern storm.
That's some bad weather.
That's serious weather.
Watch it, guys.
Head's up, rail, rail,
rail, rail, rail.
Hang on.
Hang on there.
Watch out.
Hang on! Hang on!
Whoa!
Everybody good?
That one had a little bit
of bite to it, that wave there.
I got to be on my game here,
hauling these pots
because I'm gonna take
the whole crew out with waves.
[bleep] yeah!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Nasty night to be hauling gear.
♪
it's just stacking up.
The worst of the weather
isn't even here yet.
Right now, I think the boys
are back online.
Kind of got dialed in with four
quality hands at the table.
Monte is out there with them.
These guys are really starting
to mow through these piles
of crab pretty fast.
The weather is really gnarly,
but we'll get through the trip.
It's gonna hurt.
I have a sympathetic streak
for my brother
when I see him
out there beat up.
I told him I was gonna give
him more time here at the wheel,
and I'm gonna make good
on that, what I told him.
♪
narrator: 65 miles
far northeast...
...On the summer bay...
Whoo!
Bill: Aye, aye, aye.
It was a weird feeling, kind
of like standing in quicksand.
It sucked.
Narrator: ...Eager
to get back on the crab...
Bill: Everything I have
is set northeast.
This is a blind shot,
a random look for crab.
Narrator: ...Captain wild
bill wichrowski steamed north,
betting on grounds
above the approaching gale.
Need some love here
somewhere today, something.
Give me a break here.
Travis: We're hauling the first
string of the day.
I'm gonna throw a little
hail mary up there,
say hi to all
my catholic friends and jesus
because you can't
forget about jesus.
♪
throw the hook.
Throw the hook.
Travis:
First pot of the day coming up.
This here is gonna kind of
tell the story
on how our day
is gonna go.
Time will tell.
Man #4:
Come on, crab!
Bill:
Come on, baby, keepers.
Two fiddy, come on, baby,
two fiddy.
♪
what do we got here?
-Come on.
-Whoa!
-Whoo!
-Yeah!
Well, that was
a nice surprise.
There's some crab.
Looks like we're on something.
♪
two...
Two...
Four...
Four...
...Five.
Making me a happy guy.
-Yeah.
-Come on!
Oh, yeah,
baby, baby, baby.
There's a little volume there,
a little volume.
Oh, yeah.
Thank you.
Two-five-eight.
Captain wild bill
strikes again.
We could be in pretty fair shape
but another little weather
change here.
We'll know more later today.
We get those big seas,
this place is gonna
shut down
even more than it is already.
Narrator: The good news --
bill finally hit the jackpot.
The bad -- he's in the path
of a boat-crushing storm.
[ crew cheering ]
bill: And now I'm gonna work
as long and hard as I can.
Keep digging.
♪
narrator: 314 miles
to the south...
...Aboard the saga...
This is why mama
doesn't ever want you
to be a fisherman.
...Captain jake anderson
prepares to navigate
the ripping tides
and 20-foot breakers
of the st. Paul inland.
Just got to st. Paul.
As you can see, the weather
right now is terrible.
Before attempting, the young
skipper gets a quick reminder
of who he's fighting for.
I'm hurrying, buddy.
I'm going as fast as I can.
I'm hurrying, aiden.
I'm hurrying.
I love you.
Bye.
Nothing better than going
through days like this
with your family.
♪
narrator: After stuffing
his tanks in the face
of towering 30-feet seas...
Jake: I always take tying up
in st. Paul serious.
I get nervous even when
it's flat column.
Narrator:
...Jake makes his approach
to the rocky entrance
of st. Paul harbor.
Jake: See that little spot
right there?
That's the hole
we got to go into.
So I got to get into there,
take a right,
and here's the waves.
They're coming in like that.
Narrator: Made hostile by
the southerly swell...
And the tide is probably
gonna be pushing me
against the rocks.
Narrator: ...Jake must time
the curlers to thread the saga
through the mouth
of the jagged jetty.
Jake: See, here's a big swell
right here.
As we get shallower,
these sets are gonna come in.
Narrator:
If too late or too early,
whitecaps will broadside
the 198-ton schooner.
It's not just driving
your boat in
and trying to keep it straight.
You have to time the waves out.
You have to look at the current
and see which way
it's pushing you.
Worst-case scenario --
we put the bow on the rocks,
and we all die.
♪
♪
there's the swell right there.
Man #5: Oh, my god!
Get down!
Oh, my god!
Narrator: On the saga...
-Oh, my god.
-Get down!
Man #5: Oh, my god!
Oh [bleep]!
♪
narrator:
...Captain jake anderson
navigates st. Paul inlet...
[bleep] [bleep]
narrator: ...In the throes
of a hulking
low-pressure system.
♪
♪
jake: We're good now.
-Whoo!
-Yeah!
[bleep]
oh [bleep]
[bleep] dude.
[bleep] me, dude.
[bleep] me running, dude.
Hard to get in there
when you got [bleep] tide
ripping you around.
Narrator: Past the jagged jetty
and the safety of the harbor,
jake heads for dock,
on time
and ready for off-load.
Well, now I'm hoping
that we can be back up
to the fishing grounds
in two days.
We're getting close
to the end of the season.
I'm a little bit nervous,
so I just got to stay focused
and not let anything
get inside my head.
This job is...
This job
can be tough sometimes.
♪
♪
narrator:
282 miles from st. Paul,
a 200-mile-wide northbound
low-pressure system
collides with the bering sea's
arctic freeze.
Caught between these
two weather titans
is the 155-foot wizard.
Keith: Here's the plan --
you have 22 pots.
Monte: Okay.
We're gonna make us
a 3-mile long string.
It says straight south,
right through the meat
of everything we've seen.
Okay, rog.
Narrator:
140,000 pounds of opilio crab
in his tanks
and in need of rest...
Um...
Yeah, well,
we have our best fishing
through that vein.
So, yeah,
it's just what it is.
...Captain keith colburn
relinquishes the helm
to brother monte during
a pitch black and angry sea.
We got all southerlies.
You know, we're gonna have
four good sets
of hands
out there on this shift.
Just keep
an eye on these guys.
Roger that.
Narrator: Monte's mission --
set back 22 pots
directly into the weather.
[ sighs ]
as much as I don't like
working outside,
this is...
Kind of sucked.
♪
I don't know how long
it's gonna blow like this,
but I hope it's not long.
Dump it when you're ready.
Here we go.
[ man
yelling indistinctly ]
♪
♪
I got to really just lean
on this throttle
to get the boat to even
push into this weather.
It's not normal.
♪
narrator: Using more power
to stabilize the boat,
monte is banking
on the extra thrust
to help pilot through
the cresting whitecaps.
♪
this isn't the ideal
first shift at the wheel
I was hoping for here.
The weather is up dramatically,
and now we're setting into it.
It's a little dicey.
A little more challenging
in the dark
when you're in this weather,
really hard to see much
of what's out there.
It's kind of unfortunate,
but that's what I do.
I drive at night,
so it's going to take
a little getting used to,
you know?
♪
get these guys back in the house
where they belong.
♪
yeah, this is not cool, man.
This is not cool.
♪
♪
watch out.
Watch out.
♪
♪
narrator:
On this week's "salty takes"...
Bill:
I just had a crown break.
Man #6: Oh, no.
Narrator: ...The deckhands
aren't the only ones
falling apart this season.
Oh, my god.
Hey, it's bill.
I can't find the crab.
Make sure you put that
under your pillow, boss.
It's high-dollar dental work
that failed.
What a difference that makes
in a person, huh?
Wild bill...
Hillbilly bill.
This sucks.
Paid all that money
for that tooth.
There's a dentist in mexico
that's gonna pay.
Narrator: Unfortunately for
bill, the tooth fairy brings
not only crab but a storm.
Narrator: On the wizard...
A little more challenging
in the dark
when you're in this weather.
It's gonna take a little
getting used to, you know.
Narrator: ...Caught in
an unrelenting
low-pressure system...
Monte: This is not cool, man.
This is not cool.
Narrator: ...Co-captain monte
colburn sets into the weather,
throttling to stabilize
the boat...
♪
watch out.
Watch out.
Heads up!
Heads up!
Narrator: ...Inadvertently
powering into the face
of a 40-foot rogue wave.
♪
-whoa.
-Oh [bleep]
[bleep] kidding me, right?
Everybody okay?
[bleep]
everybody's okay.
Hey, we're obviously
gonna be slowing her
down here a notch.
We just took a big one over the
bow while we were setting here.
I think it took just about
everybody off their feet.
Narrator: A curling swell the
size of an apartment building
breaks over the wizard's bow,
pounding the deck with 30,000
gallons of arctic-sea water,
nearly washing 22-year-old
greenhorn
todd gateman overboard.
Probably the closest
I've been to going overboard.
It was a little scary.
What was that?
What happened there?
Monte: [bleep] one
just tried to come
over the nose on us there.
It's...
Big green one?
Yeah, just...
Thing just kind of stood up.
I think a couple guys ended up
down by the table there.
It kind of exploded
on the bow.
Not very cool.
Didn't really see the son
of a bitch coming in the dark.
It's tough. I, obviously,
need to slow down.
Alright.
Yeah.
I mean, you can angle it
a little bit.
You don't have to go
straight south.
Okay.
It's stacking up.
Yeah, no doubt.
Alright.
Welcome back.
Oh, yeah.
♪
narrator: While life
on the bering sea isn't warm,
soft or fuzzy...
I'm really happy to be back
because at home, you know,
all I was doing was dealing
with my father's passing.
You know, to get to think about
something different here...
Narrator: ...The 40-foot waves
and 55-knot winds
could be just
the respite monte needs.
Monte: Get through them here.
I don't know what this weather
is gonna do.
It's...I don't even think
it's gotten going yet.
I think it's gonna get worse
as the night goes on.
Man, what a night.
♪
♪
narrator:
65 miles northeast...
[ indistinct conversations ]
...On the summer bay...
Got it right here!
Now the pots are
just coming up huge.
We're on the meat pile,
for sure.
Bill: [bleep] gangbusters.
These are the full-size mongos.
Narrator: ...Captain wild bill's
arctic expedition
yields pot after pot
of opilio prey.
Man #7: 6-21, high pot.
Whoo!
Woo-hoo!
[ speaks indistinctly ]
bill: We're doing just fine,
but, you know,
they come out with a forecast,
and it updates every day.
We got a --
so a weather pattern
coming that sounds
downright ugly.
Narrator: In the path of the
storm system's northern March,
captain wild bill's arctic safe
haven is soon to be under fire.
That's what dreams
are made of.
If you live in a condo building,
look up at the fifth floor.
That's how high these waves are.
I'll fish in most anything,
but I'm not fishing
in 35-foot swells.
That ain't the way
I'm gonna die.
Oh, yeah, a beautiful crab.
Probably the best efforts
we'll see
until the end of this thing,
but we got a blow coming.
It's just...
It's not gonna work.
We're getting our asses kicked.
We're gonna have to scurry.
Man.
Narrator: After effectively
outfoxing the storm
for 72 hours,
massive 35-foot seas
push the veteran captain
off his opilio hoard,
sending him tuck-tail
toward town.
Come back out when it's done.
Take what I get out of 'em.
Put me
into a clinical depression.
We ain't gonna see crab
like that again
for a long time,
I feel like.
It sucks.
Bill: It was a pretty grab
and pretty
decent numbers for 24 hours.
It was headed to be epic,
but no!
Can't finish epic.
If the job was easy,
everybody would do it.
They're getting big.
It's honestly very, very scary
to have all the money
in the palm of your hand
and know
that it could just slip away.
[ men yelling indistinctly ]
it's gonna be a war again,
except it's gonna be
a war of survival.
♪ I do whatever I've got to ♪
oomph, oomph, oomph!
♪ ain't no limit
to the things I do ♪
keith: It's gonna take monte
a while
to get his crab legs under him.
He's gonna have to suck it up
and gut it out
because this thing is probably
the biggest storm of the season.
♪ I will overcome ♪
♪ I refuse to run ♪
♪ I'm gonna fight
for my survival ♪
right now, I'm gonna work
as long and hard as I can.
We get those big seas,
this place is gonna shut down.
♪ because I will fight for ♪
♪ yes, I will fight for ♪
I'm hurrying, buddy.
I'm going as fast as I can.
-Oh, no!
-Oh, my god.
-Move, move, move!
-Get down!
♪ survival ♪
captions paid for by
discovery communications
[ bell tolling ]
keith: Since we left...
Hole in the boat,
bad weather, everything.
After pops died, we put
the flag at half-mast.
Monte: Yeah.
It's been at half-mast
ever since.
Old glory
is taking a beating.
Narrator: Four weeks after
the passing of gary colburn...
How is everything else
holding up?
Pretty good.
...Keith and monte reunite.
-Hey!
-Hey!
-Welcome aboard!
-Welcome aboard!
Narrator: His father's affairs
now in order
and keith hot off a tank-busting
opilio delivery,
monte returns to put a pin
in the winter season.
-You doing good?
-Doing really good.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
Missed you, man.
You know, it's been
really tough.
It's good to be back.
Man:
Welcome back, monte.
Been looking forward
to seeing you guys.
I'm so excited to see my dad
back on the boat, man.
He's probably hurting
a little bit
dealing with the death
of my grandpa,
but, you know,
fishing is good for him.
You know, it gets
his mind off it.
You know what I mean?
Get him out here on the boat.
It's just good to be
back with him.
Here's where we're at,
right here.
Narrator:
For keith, his brother's return
is not a moment too soon.
Just so you know,
we are racing a storm,
southeast 50 plus.
For more than a week,
a wall of high pressure
continues to funnel
low-pressure systems north,
laying the track
for a freight train of storms.
Now fueled by the energy
of warmer southern waters,
a 200-mile-wide tempest,
the largest yet, careens north
towards
the southern opilio grounds.
Let's get
out there, okay?
How you gonna work
this rotation?
You just gonna go
with an extra guy,
18 hours a day,
pretty much?
Right now, my intent
is to have you, basically,
on deck 8,
maybe 10 hours a day.
Keith's plan --
add monte to the lineup
and power through the weather.
This will make
a big difference.
You know, it'd be nice to go
to split shift, you know,
because 6 hours outside
and 6 hours in here,
you know...
No. I know
what you like.
Don't worry.
Just...We'll...
Haven't figured it
out yet.
We just need to ram
this stuff on here
as quick as possible.
Narrator: 229 miles north
of the building southern storm,
on the opilio grounds...
Bill: I'm all jacked up...
...Like a squirrel monkey
on mountain dew.
Narrator:
...Aboard the summer bay...
Bill: About a half a mile,
just need a decent average
for a couple trips
through the year which is cool.
We set back where we got
most of our crab the last trip.
We received a gigantic number,
471 average.
Narrator:
On the heels of harvesting
a monster town pick
in the north,
captain wild bill wichrowski
banks on the same grounds
to keep paying out.
I just want to be able to go
through these fast
before the storm hits.
Narrator: Now with a mammoth
low-pressure system closing in,
bill sets the pace to race.
Bill: Alright, you guys.
We've got one up here
on the bow about 100 yards.
Man #2: Let's go!
Yeah, baby!
Life is gonna be easy street.
Yeah!
Come on,
show me some life.
Come on, baby.
-[bleep]
-oh!
Ah! That's no good.
No bueno.
No bueno.
No joy.
Somebody have a number?
This one just dropped
on its ass.
[ yells indistinctly ]
please, god, please.
Oh.
-Wow.
-Ah, come on!
-Aw [bleep]
not yet.
Everybody out!
Ah, not what I wanted to see.
We've had such good fishing.
It sucks.
With any luck, maybe get
a higher average
for the whole pick.
See what happens.
Ah [bleep]
♪
♪
this has been mind-blowing
and hideous here.
I have to start all over again.
Narrator: His numbers barely
breaking into double digits,
bill is back on the hunt.
Bill: Which way,
which way, which way?
Damn it.
Got the weather coming.
Well, the only thing
I can think of is,
I'm gonna run up the line
here and spread these out.
Let's see, that is 35 miles
higher than I've ever been.
Narrator: With gale-force winds
barreling up from the south,
bill eyes a spot
200 miles northeast...
Bill: It's a risk, you know.
It's wintertime.
It's a little dicey.
Narrator: ...Looking to get in
and get out
before the storm train
pulls into town.
But I'm a gambler.
I say we go for it.
Off we go into the wild
blue yonder.
♪
narrator: 246 miles south...
...A 920-millibar
low-pressure system
thunders
onto the opilio grounds.
On the saga...
I just want to find
these [bleep] pots
and not kill anybody.
Looking for them,
I don't see them.
This is when it's not fun.
Narrator: ...Bogged down
by a string of weather delays,
captain jake anderson
plows through the northern edge
of the gale-force low.
Jake: Processing plant called me
and said 7:00 a.M. Tomorrow,
so I have to do
what I can do today...
And go in.
Narrator: Now, with the delivery
date only 20 hours away,
it's fish or flounder.
Watch the rail.
♪
this is gonna be [bleep]
get it going, kyle.
Narrator: With only 40% of his
opilio crab quota delivered...
The weather right now
is terrible,
but hopefully
these things work out,
and I'll be able
to purchase the boat.
Narrator: ...Full or empty pots
could be the difference
between achieving an ownership
stake in the saga...
Or not.
I'm running out of time
because the weather
is gonna get worse.
Whoo!
Got them!
Whoo!
So much crab.
Yeah, baby!
350, 400 is on 36 hours.
Cheers, guys!
Crab cheer!
Crab cheer!
Ah!
Hopefully, this will go
pretty quick.
♪
don't worry about
the numbers, steven.
♪ it's a beautiful day
in the neighborhood! ♪
don't play around.
You got to be fast
when [bleep] comes out.
♪
watch out!
Watch out!
[ indistinct yelling ]
narrator: On the saga...
Jake: Watch out.
Watch out. Watch out!
[ indistinct yelling ]
whoa!
Damn it!
Ah.
Oh [bleep]
everybody okay? Roger.
Yeah, roger.
Narrator: While jake
struggles to navigate
through a low-pressure
freight train,
a monster surge
engulfs the rail,
ravaging the crew.
Are they okay to do this
like this?
Well, they say, "[bleep] yeah."
bering sea, man,
that's how it gets out here.
Jake: All these pots
are set to catch crab.
They're not set for the weather.
I knew that today was gonna
be just like it is today.
I just don't like coming in
with anything less than a tank.
I don't really have
any other option
but just to go
until I can't.
Let's go!
Narrator:
As day gives in to night...
Whoo!
Oh, it looks good.
Yeah!
...Jake and the saga crew push
through their remaining pots.
♪
-yeah!
-Yeah!
This makes it seem
that much closer to home,
getting all the crab.
350.
Yeah, baby!
Whoo!
That's exhilarating.
That's crab fishing.
-Yeah, baby!
-Whoo!
What's the number?
340.
We are full,
my friends, full!
We did it!
Oh, thank god, just in time.
I got to get the hell
out of here.
Narrator: With over 100,000
pounds in the tanks...
Jake: I've got 8 hours to get
to st. Paul.
A lot of things can happen
between now
and when I off-load these crab.
Narrator:
...Jake plots a course
to the notorious
st. Paul inland.
It's one of the hardest ports
in the country
to tie up
because of the ice,
because of the wind,
because of the currents.
And it's honestly very,
very scary how vulnerable I am
right now in this position,
to have all the money
in the palm of your hand
and know that it could just
slip away in an instant.
♪
narrator: 340 miles
to the far northeast,
above the southern storm's grasp
and any other boat
in the fleet...
...Is the summer bay.
Man #3: Look at this.
Oh, man, so beautiful.
Like a dream,
a really cold,
wet [bleep] dream.
Here I go.
Coming over.
We're definitely
snow crabbing now.
Narrator: Captain wild bill
finds refuge
from the building blow's rage
in the icy embrace
of the arctic.
Bill: To go from
that confident feeling
of having total control
of the gear
to what I felt like
only started checking,
what a opposite sensation.
I felt helpless and lost.
Narrator:
With no leads on crab,
bill expands his search
to virgin grounds
18 hours up the russian line.
Bill: This is, like, 35 miles
higher than I've ever been,
and I'm just kind of setting
from 71 shallower,
see how far they're gonna go.
I'm gonna go three
to the mile.
I'm looking for crab.
I have to start all over again.
Whoa!
This is a big blow.
Looks like it's going
to go west of us.
Would be great, you know?
Narrator: Hopeful he'll sidestep
the worst of the wind and waves,
bill looks to make it rain
in the snow.
It all comes down to saying
a prayer to the crab gods
and finding a biomass
that sends our butts home.
Here we go!
So hopefully hit a little bit
of a payday
and then get out of here.
Narrator: 60 miles southwest,
the storm train's
steaming engine
pulls into the northern grounds.
On the wizard...
It's gonna be a little bit
of a gnarly haul here,
these 22 pots.
[ yells indistinctly ]
this weather just keeps on
picking up and taking it off.
Narrator:
...Captain keith colburn
charges to the first pot
of his 5-day town soak.
Keith: Really sucks.
It's not the safest
hauling conditions right now,
but with any luck,
we can put 130,000
to 140,000 pounds on this boat
in the first pick,
probably 4 1/2-,
5-day soak on the scale.
If we can do that, we might be
able to fill this boat.
Narrator: On deck...
I'm doing good.
It's gonna take
a little doing
to get back
into the groove of this.
...Monte colburn reacquaints
himself with the hallmarks
of the fishery --
pain and suffering.
You know, I'm a little old
for this deal.
Keith: It's gonna take monte
a while
to get his crab legs under him.
He belongs in the wheelhouse
driving the boat,
not working deck.
I told him at the beginning
of the season,
I was gonna give him
more crab to catch,
but, you know, he's gonna
have to suck it up
and gut it out because this trip
is going to be brutal.
Still trying to knock
the rust off.
We'll get
through the trip.
Here it is.
I know there's some crab there.
I just don't know how much.
♪
we should get 400s out of this
on a long tow.
-Oh!
-Oh!
This is what
I like to see!
Oomph, oomph, oomph!
Yeah!
Looks like
you're loaded, man.
Guys, that's what
we're looking for, guys.
That's what we want to start on.
Right on, right on, right on.
Yeah!
Monte: Well, you continue
like that,
fill the boat up
pretty quick.
Keith: Okay, guys, let me get
a count here.
4-6-0.
4-6-0, roger that.
That's what we're after.
♪
second pot, second pot.
♪
alright.
Of course, now it seems
like the wind and rain
just kicked up even more.
♪
watch it, watch it!
Holy smokes,
that's some bad weather.
That's serious.
Watch it, guys!
Head's up, rail, rail,
rail, rail, rail.
Hang on.
Hang on there.
Watch out.
Hang on! Hang on!
Narrator: 520 miles north
of dutch harbor...
Keith: Holy smokes.
Narrator: ...Overtaken by
the relentless southern storm.
That's some bad weather.
That's serious weather.
Watch it, guys.
Head's up, rail, rail,
rail, rail, rail.
Hang on.
Hang on there.
Watch out.
Hang on! Hang on!
Whoa!
Everybody good?
That one had a little bit
of bite to it, that wave there.
I got to be on my game here,
hauling these pots
because I'm gonna take
the whole crew out with waves.
[bleep] yeah!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Nasty night to be hauling gear.
♪
it's just stacking up.
The worst of the weather
isn't even here yet.
Right now, I think the boys
are back online.
Kind of got dialed in with four
quality hands at the table.
Monte is out there with them.
These guys are really starting
to mow through these piles
of crab pretty fast.
The weather is really gnarly,
but we'll get through the trip.
It's gonna hurt.
I have a sympathetic streak
for my brother
when I see him
out there beat up.
I told him I was gonna give
him more time here at the wheel,
and I'm gonna make good
on that, what I told him.
♪
narrator: 65 miles
far northeast...
...On the summer bay...
Whoo!
Bill: Aye, aye, aye.
It was a weird feeling, kind
of like standing in quicksand.
It sucked.
Narrator: ...Eager
to get back on the crab...
Bill: Everything I have
is set northeast.
This is a blind shot,
a random look for crab.
Narrator: ...Captain wild
bill wichrowski steamed north,
betting on grounds
above the approaching gale.
Need some love here
somewhere today, something.
Give me a break here.
Travis: We're hauling the first
string of the day.
I'm gonna throw a little
hail mary up there,
say hi to all
my catholic friends and jesus
because you can't
forget about jesus.
♪
throw the hook.
Throw the hook.
Travis:
First pot of the day coming up.
This here is gonna kind of
tell the story
on how our day
is gonna go.
Time will tell.
Man #4:
Come on, crab!
Bill:
Come on, baby, keepers.
Two fiddy, come on, baby,
two fiddy.
♪
what do we got here?
-Come on.
-Whoa!
-Whoo!
-Yeah!
Well, that was
a nice surprise.
There's some crab.
Looks like we're on something.
♪
two...
Two...
Four...
Four...
...Five.
Making me a happy guy.
-Yeah.
-Come on!
Oh, yeah,
baby, baby, baby.
There's a little volume there,
a little volume.
Oh, yeah.
Thank you.
Two-five-eight.
Captain wild bill
strikes again.
We could be in pretty fair shape
but another little weather
change here.
We'll know more later today.
We get those big seas,
this place is gonna
shut down
even more than it is already.
Narrator: The good news --
bill finally hit the jackpot.
The bad -- he's in the path
of a boat-crushing storm.
[ crew cheering ]
bill: And now I'm gonna work
as long and hard as I can.
Keep digging.
♪
narrator: 314 miles
to the south...
...Aboard the saga...
This is why mama
doesn't ever want you
to be a fisherman.
...Captain jake anderson
prepares to navigate
the ripping tides
and 20-foot breakers
of the st. Paul inland.
Just got to st. Paul.
As you can see, the weather
right now is terrible.
Before attempting, the young
skipper gets a quick reminder
of who he's fighting for.
I'm hurrying, buddy.
I'm going as fast as I can.
I'm hurrying, aiden.
I'm hurrying.
I love you.
Bye.
Nothing better than going
through days like this
with your family.
♪
narrator: After stuffing
his tanks in the face
of towering 30-feet seas...
Jake: I always take tying up
in st. Paul serious.
I get nervous even when
it's flat column.
Narrator:
...Jake makes his approach
to the rocky entrance
of st. Paul harbor.
Jake: See that little spot
right there?
That's the hole
we got to go into.
So I got to get into there,
take a right,
and here's the waves.
They're coming in like that.
Narrator: Made hostile by
the southerly swell...
And the tide is probably
gonna be pushing me
against the rocks.
Narrator: ...Jake must time
the curlers to thread the saga
through the mouth
of the jagged jetty.
Jake: See, here's a big swell
right here.
As we get shallower,
these sets are gonna come in.
Narrator:
If too late or too early,
whitecaps will broadside
the 198-ton schooner.
It's not just driving
your boat in
and trying to keep it straight.
You have to time the waves out.
You have to look at the current
and see which way
it's pushing you.
Worst-case scenario --
we put the bow on the rocks,
and we all die.
♪
♪
there's the swell right there.
Man #5: Oh, my god!
Get down!
Oh, my god!
Narrator: On the saga...
-Oh, my god.
-Get down!
Man #5: Oh, my god!
Oh [bleep]!
♪
narrator:
...Captain jake anderson
navigates st. Paul inlet...
[bleep] [bleep]
narrator: ...In the throes
of a hulking
low-pressure system.
♪
♪
jake: We're good now.
-Whoo!
-Yeah!
[bleep]
oh [bleep]
[bleep] dude.
[bleep] me, dude.
[bleep] me running, dude.
Hard to get in there
when you got [bleep] tide
ripping you around.
Narrator: Past the jagged jetty
and the safety of the harbor,
jake heads for dock,
on time
and ready for off-load.
Well, now I'm hoping
that we can be back up
to the fishing grounds
in two days.
We're getting close
to the end of the season.
I'm a little bit nervous,
so I just got to stay focused
and not let anything
get inside my head.
This job is...
This job
can be tough sometimes.
♪
♪
narrator:
282 miles from st. Paul,
a 200-mile-wide northbound
low-pressure system
collides with the bering sea's
arctic freeze.
Caught between these
two weather titans
is the 155-foot wizard.
Keith: Here's the plan --
you have 22 pots.
Monte: Okay.
We're gonna make us
a 3-mile long string.
It says straight south,
right through the meat
of everything we've seen.
Okay, rog.
Narrator:
140,000 pounds of opilio crab
in his tanks
and in need of rest...
Um...
Yeah, well,
we have our best fishing
through that vein.
So, yeah,
it's just what it is.
...Captain keith colburn
relinquishes the helm
to brother monte during
a pitch black and angry sea.
We got all southerlies.
You know, we're gonna have
four good sets
of hands
out there on this shift.
Just keep
an eye on these guys.
Roger that.
Narrator: Monte's mission --
set back 22 pots
directly into the weather.
[ sighs ]
as much as I don't like
working outside,
this is...
Kind of sucked.
♪
I don't know how long
it's gonna blow like this,
but I hope it's not long.
Dump it when you're ready.
Here we go.
[ man
yelling indistinctly ]
♪
♪
I got to really just lean
on this throttle
to get the boat to even
push into this weather.
It's not normal.
♪
narrator: Using more power
to stabilize the boat,
monte is banking
on the extra thrust
to help pilot through
the cresting whitecaps.
♪
this isn't the ideal
first shift at the wheel
I was hoping for here.
The weather is up dramatically,
and now we're setting into it.
It's a little dicey.
A little more challenging
in the dark
when you're in this weather,
really hard to see much
of what's out there.
It's kind of unfortunate,
but that's what I do.
I drive at night,
so it's going to take
a little getting used to,
you know?
♪
get these guys back in the house
where they belong.
♪
yeah, this is not cool, man.
This is not cool.
♪
♪
watch out.
Watch out.
♪
♪
narrator:
On this week's "salty takes"...
Bill:
I just had a crown break.
Man #6: Oh, no.
Narrator: ...The deckhands
aren't the only ones
falling apart this season.
Oh, my god.
Hey, it's bill.
I can't find the crab.
Make sure you put that
under your pillow, boss.
It's high-dollar dental work
that failed.
What a difference that makes
in a person, huh?
Wild bill...
Hillbilly bill.
This sucks.
Paid all that money
for that tooth.
There's a dentist in mexico
that's gonna pay.
Narrator: Unfortunately for
bill, the tooth fairy brings
not only crab but a storm.
Narrator: On the wizard...
A little more challenging
in the dark
when you're in this weather.
It's gonna take a little
getting used to, you know.
Narrator: ...Caught in
an unrelenting
low-pressure system...
Monte: This is not cool, man.
This is not cool.
Narrator: ...Co-captain monte
colburn sets into the weather,
throttling to stabilize
the boat...
♪
watch out.
Watch out.
Heads up!
Heads up!
Narrator: ...Inadvertently
powering into the face
of a 40-foot rogue wave.
♪
-whoa.
-Oh [bleep]
[bleep] kidding me, right?
Everybody okay?
[bleep]
everybody's okay.
Hey, we're obviously
gonna be slowing her
down here a notch.
We just took a big one over the
bow while we were setting here.
I think it took just about
everybody off their feet.
Narrator: A curling swell the
size of an apartment building
breaks over the wizard's bow,
pounding the deck with 30,000
gallons of arctic-sea water,
nearly washing 22-year-old
greenhorn
todd gateman overboard.
Probably the closest
I've been to going overboard.
It was a little scary.
What was that?
What happened there?
Monte: [bleep] one
just tried to come
over the nose on us there.
It's...
Big green one?
Yeah, just...
Thing just kind of stood up.
I think a couple guys ended up
down by the table there.
It kind of exploded
on the bow.
Not very cool.
Didn't really see the son
of a bitch coming in the dark.
It's tough. I, obviously,
need to slow down.
Alright.
Yeah.
I mean, you can angle it
a little bit.
You don't have to go
straight south.
Okay.
It's stacking up.
Yeah, no doubt.
Alright.
Welcome back.
Oh, yeah.
♪
narrator: While life
on the bering sea isn't warm,
soft or fuzzy...
I'm really happy to be back
because at home, you know,
all I was doing was dealing
with my father's passing.
You know, to get to think about
something different here...
Narrator: ...The 40-foot waves
and 55-knot winds
could be just
the respite monte needs.
Monte: Get through them here.
I don't know what this weather
is gonna do.
It's...I don't even think
it's gotten going yet.
I think it's gonna get worse
as the night goes on.
Man, what a night.
♪
♪
narrator:
65 miles northeast...
[ indistinct conversations ]
...On the summer bay...
Got it right here!
Now the pots are
just coming up huge.
We're on the meat pile,
for sure.
Bill: [bleep] gangbusters.
These are the full-size mongos.
Narrator: ...Captain wild bill's
arctic expedition
yields pot after pot
of opilio prey.
Man #7: 6-21, high pot.
Whoo!
Woo-hoo!
[ speaks indistinctly ]
bill: We're doing just fine,
but, you know,
they come out with a forecast,
and it updates every day.
We got a --
so a weather pattern
coming that sounds
downright ugly.
Narrator: In the path of the
storm system's northern March,
captain wild bill's arctic safe
haven is soon to be under fire.
That's what dreams
are made of.
If you live in a condo building,
look up at the fifth floor.
That's how high these waves are.
I'll fish in most anything,
but I'm not fishing
in 35-foot swells.
That ain't the way
I'm gonna die.
Oh, yeah, a beautiful crab.
Probably the best efforts
we'll see
until the end of this thing,
but we got a blow coming.
It's just...
It's not gonna work.
We're getting our asses kicked.
We're gonna have to scurry.
Man.
Narrator: After effectively
outfoxing the storm
for 72 hours,
massive 35-foot seas
push the veteran captain
off his opilio hoard,
sending him tuck-tail
toward town.
Come back out when it's done.
Take what I get out of 'em.
Put me
into a clinical depression.
We ain't gonna see crab
like that again
for a long time,
I feel like.
It sucks.
Bill: It was a pretty grab
and pretty
decent numbers for 24 hours.
It was headed to be epic,
but no!
Can't finish epic.
If the job was easy,
everybody would do it.