The crew of The Wizard wakes up from their first full night of sleep since leaving port. Captain Keith reflects on the rough start of the season. “I need to get this gear on some crabs so these guys will at least regain some faith in the whole crab fishing experience, and regain some faith in me,” he says. Two weeks of poor fishing have drained the crew’s morale. “I’m so tired of this; every day has worn away at our spirits,” Keith admits.
The crew has been struggling with a bad run of luck, and Captain Keith knows it’s starting to show. “If we keep dropping blanks all day long for a week or two straight, pretty soon the crew is going to start wondering if I’ve lost my edge,” he says. Even Keith himself begins to question his decisions. With no other boats in sight and gear failing to deliver, he’s down to his riskiest gamble of the season.
“We’re shooting at a really narrow little canyon here,” he explains, focusing on the new hunting grounds, Black Canyon. Known for its fat king crabs, this spot demands precision fishing. “We’ve got to hit a thin sliver of land 7 down on the canyon’s floor,” Keith adds. “If my aim’s off by just a meter, the pots will slam into the rocky sides and miss the crab completely.”
“Paul, make sure you get your act together. Every pot counts, no mistakes,” Keith commands. The pressure’s on.
With every pot vital to the Wizard’s success, they are counting on this risky spot to turn their season around. Keith puts out a call to his 9-year-old daughter for good luck, a personal superstition: “You have to pull on a hair and hold it right under your nostrils. Say what you need. Every time. I love you, Bug.”
As the crew sets to work, they realize how crucial these pots are. “This will solve any problem you have,” Keith says, guiding Paul, the greenhorn, as he relieves Lyard at the rail.
Paul’s tasked with setting fast, but it’s a steep learning curve. “Keep up, Paul. We’re setting at full speed today,” Keith directs. Suddenly, disaster strikes.
“Hold on!” someone shouts. The line snags around Paul’s leg, and for a second, it looks like he’s going overboard. “Everybody okay?” Keith calls out, his voice tense.
Paul was mere seconds from being dragged overboard by a 360-kilo anchor, but his crewmates manage to pull him back from the brink of disaster. “That was close,” Paul says, shaken. “I just got my leg caught around the line, but they got it off of me.”
It’s a stark reminder of how quickly danger can strike. “You’ve got to keep an eye on each other out here,” Keith reminds his crew.
As they continue hauling, Keith’s frustrations mount. “This is the worst luck I’ve had, ever,” he confesses. “But we’ve got to make this hole pay off. Something’s got to give.”
Finally, after hours of grueling work, the crew starts pulling in pots. But the haul is disappointing. “Not good,” Keith mutters. “This is looking a little sparse.”
The reality sets in. With only eight crabs in the pot, they’re running out of time and options. Keith’s nerves are frayed. “I just want to fill the tanks,” he says, desperate to turn things around.
The crew is worn down, but Keith’s not ready to throw in the towel. “This is it. We’re going beyond worried now. We’re in full panic mode.”
Desperate, Keith considers a controversial move. “I just don’t want to set on somebody else’s crabs,” he admits to his brother, Monte. “But the guys are getting worn out. Something’s got to give.”
Keith’s reluctance to fish in another boat’s territory goes against his principles, but when the situation gets dire, he has no choice but to reconsider. “The crew’s beaten down. We’ve got to move,” he says, before finally deciding to chart a new course. The desperation is evident in his voice.
But when Keith heads to a new area, he notices an old nemesis, John Hillstrand, already there. “He’s heading straight for our crab,” Keith notes, a touch of irritation in his tone. “The guy’s territorial. He always thinks any spot in the Bearing Sea is his.”
Tensions flare as Keith and Hillstrand’s rivalry intensifies, but for now, Keith has to keep his eyes on the bigger picture. “Alright, let’s go,” Keith sighs, trying to push aside the drama as he focuses on getting the boat back on track.
