Captain Wild Bill Delivers A MASSIVE $230,000 Crab Haul! | Deadliest Catch

Down to the Wire: A Race Against Time on the Summer Bay

“All right, guys, down to the wire! Every second counts, every pot matters!” Captain Wild Bill’s voice rang out over the deck as the crew sprang into action. Every move was calculated as they worked to haul and reset 160 pots in the final 48 hours of the Cod Derby.

The stakes were high. With their sights set on bringing in an additional 150,000 pounds of cod before the clock ran out, Bill pushed his crew to the limit. “Nice hustle, Austin! Let’s put the icing on the cake!” he shouted as the team worked tirelessly, adrenaline keeping fatigue at bay.

Tangled Lines

But as the hours ticked down, trouble loomed. Austin misjudged a throw, and a line tangled in the wheel. “Damn it!” a deckhand yelled, rushing to grab the nylon line.

Bill quickly took charge. “I’m handing you this down—cleat it off on the side,” he ordered. The crew coordinated, pulling on the line and attempting to free it. “Tight and steady. Come on, baby, we got this!”

Finally, after tense moments of effort, the line came loose. A collective sigh of relief swept across the deck. “All right, we’re back on track. Get that cleared up and get the block over the side,” Bill instructed.

Delivery Drama

Loaded with over 230,000 pounds of cod, the Summer Bay set course for the tender vessel Deception to offload their haul. The crew, confident the hard part was behind them, prepared for a smooth finish.

But as they neared their destination, the boat shuddered to a halt. “Why aren’t we turning? What’s going on?” Bill questioned, alarmed.

The answer came quickly: they had run aground on a sandbar. “We should be in nine fathoms of water here!” Bill exclaimed, checking the charts.

The crew acted fast, pumping water out of the tanks and forcing air in to create buoyancy. “Come on, reverse! Let’s get moving!” Bill shouted. The engine groaned as the boat strained against the sand.

With one final push, the Summer Bay broke free. “That was too close,” Bill muttered. “Let’s get this over with.”

Transitioning to the Next Season

The Summer Bay finally delivered its cod haul, totaling over 230,000 pounds—a successful end to a challenging derby. But there was no time to celebrate.

As soon as the cod was offloaded, the crew began prepping pots for the upcoming bairdi crab season. “Rig them up and get them ready,” Bill ordered. “We start pulling pots at 0500.”

Despite the setbacks, the crew of the Summer Bay pushed forward, driven by determination and the promise of another grueling but rewarding season ahead. On the Bering Sea, every moment counts, and every challenge is just one more wave to conquer.