UPDATE 2:

For those who missed last night's event at Alki Tavern, and for those fans who attended, here is a heads-up on CatchCon 2011, April 9 downtown. Discovery Channel reports there is a waiting list:

CatchCon, the ultimate DEADLIEST CATCH fan festival drops anchor Saturday, April 9, 2011 at Seattle's Bell Harbor Conference Center from 12 noon – 6pm. Fans will have the chance to meet the captains, tour the actual boats that brave the frigid Bering Sea, go behind-the-scenes into the extreme lives of Alaskan crab fishermen and catch an advanced preview of the new season of DEADLIEST CATCH premiering Tuesday, April 12 at 9pm e/p on Discovery Channel. This is the first time CatchCon falls before the premiere of the new season, giving the event added exclusivity for fans attending. CatchCon 2011 also marks the public debut of the series’ newest captains: Scott Campbell Jr. (F/V Seabrooke) and Elliot Neese (F/V Ramblin’ Rose).

The initial 1500 tickets made available to the public on March 10 have all been claimed, but there's a wait list that offers the best chance of still getting a spot.

For more information:

http://blogs.discovery.com/discovery-insider/2011/03/catchcon-tickets-a…

The Discovery Channel's hit series Deadliest Catch launches its new season April 12, and cast and crew members Scotty Hillstrand and Jake Anderson appeared tonight at Alki Tavern, 1321 Harbor Ave. SW, for a meet-and-greet, signed photos, and chatted with fans.

"We're huge fans down here," said Alki Tavern's Gill McLynne. West Seattle's Tami Denton and Kevin Doyle of www.BeringSeaBadBoyz.com are promoting the show as they take Hillstrand and Anderson around the country.

The Hillstrand family, Andy, Neal, and Scotty, and, Johnathan, crew the legendary Time Bandit. Jake Anderson is on the Northwestern. Two new ships will be introduced this season, the Seabrook and the Ramblin' Rose.

Scotty and Jake took some time to talk to the West Seattle Herald about the business and drama of being stars on the Deadliest Catch.

Jake said half- jokingly, "I'm awesome, but when you watch the show you never see that (...) You make a mistake and you'll be seen on the show. Discovery documents the errors and those always air because it's drama."

Scotty agreed, "They get 60,000 hours of footage, then they air the two minutes that you were running across the deck in your underwear."

"Nobody wants to see everybody high-fiving each other, having a good time," said Jake. "I make a mistake, and I'll say, 'G*d damn it! Now I got to tell the skipper what I just did wrong because I was just busted on film.' When you see waves, ice, and cold, and no sleep, the viewer can identify with that, and think, 'Man, work does suck, but at least I'm not them.'"

Added Jake, "You get a lot of crabbers in Dutch Harbor who want to step up and do (what we do). They say, 'If that was me on the show I'd do this, this and this.' It doesn't work like that. Discovery is going to have you do something and whether you comply or not is how well you work. You are making TV, and people forget that. You have to get the pots on safely as well as fullfill the cameraman's obligation. So you have two bosses."

As those who follow the show know, The Deadliest Catch chronicled last year's death of Phil Harris, who died in an Anchorage hospital after falling victim to a stroke. Harris was captain of the Cornelia Marie. Another crew member died last month. Justin Tennison was found dead of unknown causes in a hotel room in his hometown of Homer, Alaska. The Hillstrands were close to Tennison.

Scotty shared his feelings about his losing his buddy.

"We lost a really good friend and crew mate right after the season ended. I've known him for over 15 years. The way that he had humbled and completely changed his whole aspect of life, and for us to all see that, and to see how much he appreciated life really affected us deeply. He got a job and survived the Bering Sea, and goes home and goes to sleep and doesn't wake up. It's mind throbbing how that works out, so it will be hard to watch this season and relive that.

"He'll be remembered forever. His family will get to see what he worked for when they watch the show, and everyone else will get to see that too, and know the person that he was. His son was only 6 years old and didn't really know his dad but it's something he will be able to take and hold forever."