The adventure of a lifetime!

What I found was adventure. My experience in Alaska was something I relate to people often, and reflect on regularly. I got to see things that you would never see anywhere else on earth. The feeling you get when being there, to me, was truly "the last frontier". If you like the wilderness and outdoors, you will fall in love with Alaska.

The fishing boat work gives you the oppurtunity to make some good money and also see the sights. Now with that said it depends on what kind of boat you work on. I worked on a 48 foot salmon seiner (looks kind of like the boat in the movie 'The Perfect Storm'. This movie I found, shows some of the things we went through, as far as being wet often, wearing rain gear every day, and yes, possible risk of going overboard, and the dismay of working hard on days that resulted in few fish caught, meaning minimal monetary gain.

The good, the bad, and the truth

There are many preconceived notions about working on a boat. I'm going to give it to you straight. You will have to work long hours, but sometimes there will be times you won't be working. However, during those times you will still be on the boat and may be doing maintenance like repairing nets or cooking breakfast etc. My suggestion is to go on a salmon seiner first, that way you are getting experience and can see if you like it or not. I have not worked on a crab boat (one of the most dangerous) so I will not go into that, but I will provide some books or movies to look at like 'Working on the Edge: Surviving In the World's Most Dangerous Profession: King Crab Fishing on Alaska's HighSeas'.

A small boat with less people is a little more of a family environment compared to a processing boat which is basically an assembly line on the water.
'Highliners: The Classic Novel about the Commercial Fishermen of Alaska' is another excellent book to read to get more of an idea of what you are getting into. Another great book from him is 'Breakers: A Novel about the Commercial Fishermen of Alaska'.

What I saw in Prince William Sound and the Valdez area

I saw glaciers and icebergs, waterfalls galore, caribou, sea lions, bears, baby deer, Manta Rays and other various sea life, and whales and sharks! I also saw something that took my breath away...literally thousands of bald eagles! Where here in the states they are few and far between, they are very plentiful in Alaska. I got to see old mining camps and villages. I got to experience it being "light" nearly all the time. I got to catch halibut that weighed 200-300lbs. at my leiser over the side of the boat. I got to steer the boat around various islands and icebergs while reading the charts by fathom count (1 fathom is equal to 6 feet). And meet people from all over the world that I would never forget! Yes I also got to see where the EXXON Valdez oil tanker spill was (actually reached out and touched the pole they now have signalling the spot of the infamous spill). Wherever you are going you should pick up a book of your area so you can be more familiar with it and also have an idea of what you might want to go see in your offtime when the boat is at the docks. 'Frommer's^® Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2005 (Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call)' or 'Alaska Atlas and Gazetteer (Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer)' are just examples.
...now, on to what you need to take with you...this is stuff aside from normal things like t-shirts, pants etc.

You're list of supplies to take on your adventure on the Alaska fishing boat

1) Lots of 'Gold Toe Men's Cotton Fluffies Casual Sock, 3-Pack'. When you get busy out on the water you only get to do your laundry once in a while, so take as many as you can take within reason. Speaking of laundry, you must bring a 'Cotton Laundry Bag' as well.

2) 'Russell Athletic Men's NuBlend Pullover Hood' are a must. Might have some windy and rainy days and a T-shirt is not going to cut it! I would recommend at least 3.

3) 'Rugged Rain Suit' and 'Helly Hansen Tvedestrand Bib Mens'. This will be your lifesaver as you may be stacking nets/lead line/cork line as I did as it comes over the hyrdraulic powered boom and down in front of you, throwing ocean water everywhere. A dry fisherman is a happy one!

4) 'Proline Men's Waterproof Non-Ins. Rubber Hunting Boot' 'Nuff said!

5) 'MaxamLockback Knife With half serrated blade' or '5 1/4 in Knife Stainless Bolsters' besides a regular pocketknife or leatherman. Have one in a scabbard in case you can reach it for an extreme situation (like being drug off the back of the boat by the nets being pulled back out to sea by the smaller skiff boat) That way you could cut yourself out of a sticky situation.

6) 'Men's Polartec Aircore-200 Gloves' for warmth on days your hanging out and 'Aqua Gloves 28" 1 Pair' for your working days when you are slinging salmon.

7) 'Flying Fisherman Action Angler Viper sunglass plastic lens Blk/Green Mirror' and 'Foamerz, Amber Lens'. A couple of pairs of sunglasses are a must. Don't take your 134 dollar Oakleys or whatever, take something that costs 20 dollars or less so if it gets trashed or lost you don't write home crying about it.

8) 'Turtlefur Windtech Maskot Face Mask' I found a ski mask later on to be very beneficial when working on the deck. The more skin you conceal, the better. Why? Well, ever had jellyfish dumped on you for several hours at a time? They sting! Plus the seawater tends to keep your skin fresh so misquito bites stay tender and take longer to heal up!

9) '10 Hour Insect Repellent' for obvious reason, especially if you leave the boat to go do some hiking around the mountains and lakes. Also a 'Mead(R) Grad(R) Recycled Wirebound Notebook, 3 Subjects, 138 Pages, 6in. x 9 1/2in.' so that you can write home to mom and dad and 6 or 7 of your favorite books. Sometimes the boats have books but when I went I had some Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Clive Cussler novels to read. Perhaps a 'Game Boy Advance SP - Cobalt' and some games will provide ample entertainment if you like those. There was no such thing as an 'Apple 4 GB iPod Mini Blue M9436LL/A' in 1995 when I went but now with this technology you can literally take 50 CD's along with you and not take up any storage space in your luggage or on the boat!

You are making memories that will last a lifetime, so preserve them in any way possible!

Despite you city folk thinking "bug bites?" "jelly fish?" "cold weather on a boat on the ocean?"...This is not forever and it will be one of the most fun things you will ever get to do aside from maybe being in the Marine Corps or something. You definitley want to take a 'Olympus Stylus 80 QD 35mm Camera w/ 38-80mm Zoom' with lots of film. If you prefer 'Canon PowerShot S500 5MP Digital Elph with 3x Optical Zoom' I would suggest taking one of those as well. I would also suggest a 'Handstitched Tao Bamboo Lined' to keep a personal record of your day to day experiences in Alaska.