I put up my profile on the Fishingjobs website after thoroughly reading the handbook. I also sent out about 15 printed resumes to randomly selected skippers provided by Fishingjobs. I got a response to my online posting after about six weeks, which ultimately turned into a job offer. I was hired as a deckhand for the summer aboard the F/V Kendal, based out of Seward. The Kendal is a salmon seine boat. It was a great job. I was actually surprised. I didn't doubt the website, but at the same time, here I was, sitting thousands of miles away, no experience to speak of, and all of a sudden I have a job and a plane ticket to go work on a salmon boat in Alaska! I knew no one who had ever fished in Alaska, and knew no one who was going that summer, so I went in totally blind. I really didn't know what to expect. However, I wasn't let down. The handbook contained everything I needed to know, so I could follow conversations and be of some use, even when I first stepped foot on the boat. The things that I remember the most about fishing are the environment, and the peace I felt. We were fishing in small coves, right next to forests and snow-capped mountains. We saw bears, eagles, and other animals feeding and drinking only a few hundred feet from where we were fishing. And when we'd shut down the engine, everything got quiet. You could hear the birds, the gentle waves lapping against shore, it was a truly peaceful experience. Then you'd bring several hundred fish on deck, and the noise was in such stark contrast to the silence of only a few minutes before. Add in a beautiful sunset or sunrise and you can't imagine a more serene experience. I really enjoyed my time fishing, and wish I could do it again. It is hard work. You do earn your money. But it's an experience that you cannot get anywhere else.

The best ways to start fishing are to either walk the docks, know someone or meet someone. Fishingjobs is like a big harbor side cafe where skippers can meet potential crew in cyberspace, and size them up there. So, signing up with Fishingjobs is like entering a room with however many skippers use the site, and seeing if any of them need crew -- and they all do. That's why they're there! It's certainly less hit-and-miss than walking the docks, where most of the boats are already crewed. I've done both, and Fishingjobs worked every time I've used it. Thank you for your site and service, I couldn't have gone without it.

I was pretty skeptical of Fishingjobs' website, but I wanted to get on a boat this summer without having to "stomp the docks". Two days after signing up I got an email, and I'll be working on a gillnetter in Prince William Sound this season. Before changing my profile to "hired" I received two more offers. The site worked for me!

I’d like to thank Fishingjobs for all the info in the handbook I got last year. I sent out about a hundred letters to skipper’s addresses that I got from Fishingjobs, and I got a job on a salmon gillnetter. I wrote the letter based on the examples in the handbook, and it worked. I worked one season in Bristol Bay, and from there I won a spot on a tender boat and headed to Kodiak. I stayed on that boat for three months and then I won myself a job on a pot fishing boat where I learned some new skills that helped my fishing career. Once you get to Alaska the opportunities are endless. The work is hard, with long hours, but the money is great. One thing I suggest before you head up is to learn some knots. Believe me, it will help you stand out from the rest and help you get more work. This summer, I will be heading back up to Bristol Bay on a tender boat, which off-loads the smaller fishing boats. I will be up there for herring and salmon in Bristol Bay, then to Southeast for more salmon. I will also be working on a crab boat this fall in the Bering Sea. If it were not for Fishingjobs I would never have had the opportunities that I had. I took some great pictures and saw almost all the boats from The Deadliest Catch. Thank you again, Fishingjobs. And for all of you thinking about whether or not to do this, it will be the best thirty-five bucks you ever spend.

I ordered the Alaska Fishing Jobs Handbook last spring. I wanted to get a job on a fishing boat in Alaska, but I had trouble finding one. So, I ordered one of your handbooks and posted a crew profile on your website. Then, one day I got a call from a commercial salmon fisherman and he gave me a job on his commercial fishing boat. It was the best experience I ever had. I really didn't think this would work, but it did. And I just wanted to say, THANK YOU!!!"

My experience in Alaska was one of the best times of my life. I wasn't real confident in Fishingjobs' ability to help me land a spot as a crew member, but I was wrong about that. I had to send out about 30 letters to different skippers, but I received replies, and finally an invitation to come and work on a salmon purse seiner. I made about $10,000 in three months, and that was even after our market fell through, and we experienced some major setbacks. When I finished, I felt like I had lived about three years in three months, simply due to the life experiences which came with the job. I highly recommend Fishingjobs and would encourage anyone who is serious about fishing in Alaska to use their services.