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newbedford07: In Georges Bank off the coast of Cape Cod, MA Northeast winds are the worst for fishing. What's the worst wind for fishing there?
Russell Newberry: (laughing) All of them! Anything over 35 knots out of any direction can be fatal 300 miles off shore. Actually, I like the southerly winds because it's raining. When it's blowing out of the north, it's usually snowing which means it's freezing out and the boat freezes sooner. So we're usually hoping the winds are going to blow southerly.
sarahinoc: How many pots on a string?
Russell Newberry: There's no rule book, it depends on how the skipper reads the bottom of the ocean. We've had as many as 80, and we've had as few as 2. It just varies by where you think there's a little school of crab on the bottom.
ChrisSitek: Hi Russell, considering how valuable the crab is, not to mention the expensive pots, is there much of a problem with theft of crab and gear? Thanks for the awesome show!
Russell Newberry: There used to be, 20 years ago. It was so easy to rob other people's pots, but not a lot of it now your boat is posted on the radar. Now with new technology you know where all the boats are at. Unfortunately you can't see what pots they're hauling, but mostly I think people pretty much stick to their own gear.
abner: Do you guys break in greenhorns as hard as some of the other boats we see on the show?
Russell Newberry: You know, every boat's different on how to treat their newcomers. But there's a fine line between riding him like a horse, and treating him like a human being. Nobody's born with experience; it's just who can pick it up fastest. If I tell you something, I don't want to have to tell you 3 or 4 times.
white lion: What is your favorite thing to eat between strings?
Russell Newberry: Whatever is accessible! If I had to say my favorite thing, it would be a steak or chicken dinner. But mostly we're in a hurry, and it ends up being a pocket pizza or something microwaveable.
OUhockeyfan: Russell, thanks for sharing your time with us! Can you tell us a little about your individual initiation experience as a greenhorn? Is there an initiation process for each f/v that you've worked on?
Russell Newberry: There's no actual process. Each boat has their own little pranks that they do to first-timers on the boat. For instance, when I first got on the boat I was told to do an anchor watch. When they tell you to do that, you go up to the bow and watch it, and depending on how naive you are determines how long you actually look at the anchor. But normally, you have a new guy on the boat, and he does all the cleaning, the baiting, all the stuff that nobody else wants to do.
