According to a later news item in Hollywood Reporter, Paramount sent a camera crew headed by Richard Talmadge to Ketchikan, Alaska to film the opening scenes of a salmon run. In a contemporary educational supplement to the film, Henry Hathaway stated that the expedition to Alaska lasted fourteen weeks and resulted in 80,000 ft. of film shot.
Paramount constructed a steel and concrete tank on the studio lot which held 375,000 gallons of water, in which fishing boats and power cruisers were launched for close range shots. In addition, some scenes were filmed on location at Lake Arrowhead, Lake Tahoe, Balboa Island and the coast of Southern California where a fishing village was built.
This movie was loosely based on Heino Timmerman's fishing experiences in Alaska. He was a good friend of director Henry Hathaway and worked with him on several of his movies - mainly when out boating.
Through his appearance in this movie, Slicker the seal became the highest paid member of Hollywood's animal kingdom. Slicker was engaged at 200 pounds a week for his next picture Fisherman's Wharf, unheard-of money for fish, animal or bird in picture making.
Carole Lombard was originally signed to do this film in 1936, but by the time production started two years later she had taken ill and Dorothy Lamour was assigned to star.
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