This is me!

[arcticsid]

Snow crab ( opilio or baradai) on a good day about 6 skins a pound, last summer, my buddies brother came up from Boston and we were able to get them for $4/lb and we ate like pigs. King Crab. Thats different. There are 5 types of King Crab, Red, Brown whatever. What you see is RED, it has to do with the oil content of the crab, the higher the oil the "richer" in taste. Almost everything you see in the restaurants are brown King Crab, mostly, even here brown King is around 12-14 dollars a pound those Reds like in that picture are like 20 ish, if you can get them.

Price is based on a lot of things. As a comercial fisherman, you and the fleet as a total can only catch so many and the season ends. It is NOW a highly regulated fisherie, long story to explain, but that crab in the picture is probably close to 75 skins at the dock, after you remove the legs, clean it, cook it, freeze it and get it to market is probably well over 100 dollars.

Crab must be alive and cooked. Dead crab will secrete a poison that will ruin the whole boat load. have you ever seen "Americas Deadliest Catch"? Crab holds( where you put the crab as you catch them are full of sea water), these tanks are constantly circulating water. When you get to the dock, those crabs have to be swimming. If you have one or two dead crab in that tank of thousands, you could be suspect and the cannery may not buy them. Take into account the conditions to catch them and you now will see the justification in the price.

A couple dead crab in the hold worth 100 thousand dollars could be jeapordized by one or two dead crab. And the conditions of the sea during their season is a story in itself. Been there done that. Not a damn thing fun about it.

 

[arcticsid]

There is no such thing as "fresh" crab. Unless it is wiggling around it is not fresh. When crab, ANY crab gets to the dock the legs are ripped off(sounds harsh, but thats the way it is), and it is immediately steamed and then flash froze.

I was in Siberia fishing and we came up with a bunch of Red King Crab and the legs were as big around as a mans arm. I have a picture somewhere where lifting it from the end of one leg as high as you could lift and the other leg was still dagging the deck!!!! Holy sheet, that was a good week of eating there. We couldn't keep them because there it wasn't the season, so we had to toss em back, of course we kept enough.

 

[whine4wine]

There is no such thing as "fresh" crab. Unless it is wiggling around it is not fresh. When crab, ANY crab gets to the dock the legs are ripped off(sounds harsh, but thats the way it is), and it is immediately steamed and then flash froze.

I was in Siberia fishing and we came up with a bunch of Red King Crab and the legs were as big around as a mans arm. I have a picture somewhere where lifting it from the end of one leg as high as you could lift and the other leg was still dagging the deck!!!! Holy sheet, that was a good week of eating there. We couldn't keep them because there it wasn't the season, so we had to toss em back, of course we kept enough.

Somehow as I sit hear eating my chicken sandwich for lunch, it doesn't taste nearly as good any more as I read about giant crab legs, and I think of pots of melted butter to dip them in.

 

[arcticsid]

Sorry to ruin your san-ich bro, but the butter dripping off your chin is even better sometimes than the crab!! LOL
No, ROTFLMAO now!

Those crab in Russia were unbelievable, we had 99 guys on that boat and we ate crab until we literally got sick, high iron I think. We had as much as we could eat for like a week! Some of those legs were as big around as a beer can. And these were Red Kings, so it was quite rich! Pretty rough out there, I am surprised it isn't 40 dollars a pound! Most of those guys(crab fisherman) are 5 or 6 per boat in a hundred foot boat. I was in a 256" boat and it was "narly"! Came back from Russia on New years Eve and we got into 45 foot seas(45 feet is about the height of a telephone pole, imagine free falling and crashing into the next wave. It's pretty loud and a little violent), just gotta love it.
in a 90Knot wind about halfway back(5 days to get there). have that on video. Made me wonder what a Pollack from Wisconsin was doing out there.

Truth is to have that butter dripping off my chin again, I might, I said might do it again.

Pretty rough life out there. Only a soldier can relate to the "jazz".

Just remeber thatt next time you question the cost of seafood.

Troy

 

[Runningwolf]

Troy , My sister inlaw Lives up there by you. Moved from North Pole to Fairbanks a few years ago. About five years ago when she came back here she brought a case of crab legs she got just before boarding the plane. Wholly smokes they barely fit in the oven and boy were they good!

 

[arcticsid]

Dan, it would be a pleasure to meet her for a coffee or whatever, after the holidays PM me and we can trade numbers. We are Alaskans and none of us go through this alone. if she is a friend or related to you, than she is a friend of mine. But more importantly she is my neighbor! None of us gets through this alone!!

 

[whine4wine]

Just gotta do it. Sorry Fellas. Heres a halibut. 266#, sometimes you just gotta do it! Like Upper would say, "Dig it!"

This is a "yope ah Doe" on the go-go!
Troy

You and the girls could eat all winter off one of those.

And "yope ah Doe on the go-go" what language do you guys speak up there in the woods?..........Or is this a secret code for you and the cats?

 

[arcticsid]

Whine that is UPPER. LOL, he always says "go-go" and it just cracks me up. I kind of adapted his phrase, without his permission or approval! And the dig it, thats brother Upper too! I go back to Wisconsin and they tell ME, I have an accent, nothing like them though. About the only thing I still have is refering to a group of people as "you guyses"

Dig IT!

LOL

Troy
(PS yope a doe is a secret code for utilizing natural tea in a smoking device used in conjunction with an ignition device to create combustion) just don't tell anyone. It's not illegal here but I don't bring it up. Allie lives in NZ where it is legal to distill alcohol, but yet it is illegal to sell Everclear, go figure. Some things we don't discuss in here.

 

[whine4wine]

Being from Mich "you guys" is better for me too.
But I know for a lot of folks out there its "all ya all"
Do you know the upper peninsula talk? Kind of Canadian- Minnisotta accent

 

[arcticsid]

I say "ya'll" alot don't know why. Somethings perhaps are better left un explained! LOL

Just buried a good friend not long ago, he was from the UP. he had his own talk that I will recognize for ever! (heres one high in the air for my buddy Gary)

 

[whine4wine]

Do you guys say "aboot" for about as in Canada?

 

[arcticsid]

nah, but this is such a meltingpot that if anyone yelled "aboot", depending on the alcohol level I would either remove my boot and offer it to you or I would duck thinking a Moose was coming through the door!

 

[Runningwolf]

I say "ya'll" alot don't know why. Somethings perhaps are better left un explained! LOL

Just buried a good friend not long ago, he was from the UP. he had his own talk that I will recognize for ever! (heres one high in the air for my buddy Gary)

or if you're from Pittsburgh they say "yins" instead of You all

 

[diggerdan17]

Here is a pic of me and one of my 4 kids. It's been -30 here latley, how i wish for summer to come back!

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd312/diggerdan17/houseboat2009162.jpg

 

[Runningwolf]

Very nice picture. Makes me wish for warm weather also except for the fact that it's Christmas.

 

[arcticsid]

My Gramps always took me fishing, and he tried to expalian how to catch fish, and I listened, but I am pretty sure these aren't the crustacaens he warned me about.! ( yeah I was going to say crabs). When I told him i was on one of these boats I think he cried, and so did I, Crappie fishing worked just fine for me. I made it home every trip but some of my budddies didn't.!

I once made almost 5000 g's in one day! Worth it? Not sure, just likiing living a whole lot more!!!!

Would I trade it or do it again? Probably not. Would I help you get onto a boat up here? No flippin way, I would never have to want to explain this to your Ma!!!!

(ps if shes not looking I might have some info)

 

[Wade E]

Those are some goo looking youngens!

 

[arcticsid]

Had a bonfire the other night and lost my lighter. Gotta light what you have with what you got. Decent idea unless you have a beard and moustache, had to shave the moustache the next day. LOL

Lots of new members in here. It is always neat to place a face with a name. If you want show us who you are post a pic, if not, we respect that as well.





Troy

 

[Wade E]

Ummm, that does not look like a cigarette!

 

[NSwiner]

Do you guys say "aboot" for about as in Canada?

I don't know who you were talking to in Canada that says aboot I have never heard that ,not even from the Newfies or Cape Bretoners that have some unique ways of saying some words .