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From captain to cabin boy: Fisherman ends 74-year run in Bristol Bay

Austin Fast
/
KDLG

It's Charley Wren's 74th summer fishing in Bristol Bay and time, he says, for his demotion from captain to cabin boy. His son Travis Wren is taking over the F/V Wrangler and the family business.

Wren's father was a pilot, trapper and fisherman who moved to Aleknagik in the 1930s, where Charley was born. Talking with KDLG’s Austin Fast at Wahl’s Boatyard in Dillingham, Wren describes the Bristol Bay of his childhood and how fishing here has changed over the past six decades.

He's looking forward to spending more time at home in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, living the good life of retirement.

Contact the author at austin@kdlg.org or 907-842-5281.