“Deadliest Catch” crews know that competition out on the open sea is everything. They are constantly battling it out to see which fishing vessel can reel in the most Alaskan King Crab. This is not always done in the nicest of ways. And secretive fishing spots can quickly become public if the captains don’t play their game right. Relief Captain Monte Colburn of the Wizard found this out.
During a recent episode, Colburn and his crew lose a vital piece of their machinery that helps sort crab once it’s pulled in from the pots. He quickly radios Captain Jonathan Hillstrand of the Time Bandit to see if he has any suggestions. It turns out that Hillstrand is able to lend Colburn the part – saving his crew a lot of time and extra effort.
However, it doesn’t take long for “Deadliest Catch’s” Hillstrand to notice that the Wizard’s crew is acting a bit funny. At one point he notices their gear isn’t down – a sure sign that the fishing is hot, Hillstrand says.
At this point, Colburn accepts the help and repairs the fishing vessel. With everything working, he decides to not give the Time Bandit information about how fishing has been in the area. This isn’t uncommon. The “Deadliest Catch” crews are experts when it comes to throwing off another crew on a hot fishing trail.
“Deadliest Catch” Crew Surprised at Being Trailed
Despite this, however, Hillstrand is already one step ahead. The fishing captain turns off his automatic identification system, (AIS) which lets other shipping vessels see your location. What Hillstrand does do is track the Wizard as it moves further out to sea.
Colburn, on the other hand, believes he’s just gotten away with his secret. He doesn’t realize that the Time Bandit is hot on their trail. Additionally, the fishing captain is just excited at how the crew is getting closer to their 1.7 million pounds of crab they are allotted.
Shortly, however, Hillstrand and the rest of the “Deadliest Catch” Time Bandit crew are in the same waters as they sneak up and begin to fish the hot spots.
It doesn’t take long for Colburn to become annoyed at the move, dubbing the Time Bandit as “public enemy number one.”
The popular Discovery Channel show surrounds crews as they get into hairy situations on the Bering Sea. Each team works from fall throughout the winter, braving harsh waves and bad weather. They do this in hopes that the fishing will pay off – as well as payout.
Each team is captained by a seasoned fisherman. They work diligently and hard throughout the season in order to fill large quotas of Alaskan King Crab and other fish. The journey follows the crews’ personal lives and their daily struggles out at sea.
