Keeping an eye on ADF&G

We’ll touch on several topics this week. Everything is related to fishing, camping or boating. You may need to read the whole column to find the topic you’re interested in, but I’ll try to make it worth your time.

I said last week I’d let you know if Fish and Game was going to honestly try to correct the Cook Inlet fisheries management mess it made with improperly worded regulations. The commissioner of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has issued the proposed changes in regulations the Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) voted for twice and which the BOF voted a third time to have the commissioner handle under her authority to correct errors in regulation. This time, ADF&G appears to have the correct language. This wording is available for public comment. Your written comments must be received by end of business Sept. 12 by Kerri Tonkin, Regulations Program coordinator, Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 115526 Juneau, AK 99811-5526.

For a copy of the proposed regulation changes, contact Tonkin at the above address or by phone at (907) 465-6124 or e-mail at kerri.tonkin@alaska.gov.

The irony of this whole situation is that only six words contained in the messed up regulations need to be changed to have the correct version the BOF voted to adopt. Four of those words need to be erased and the last two-word phrase needs to be moved to its proper location in the sentence. That has been done in the proposed corrections. Now we’ll see if that corrected version is finally adopted.

Last week, my wife and I took the motorhome and the riverboat up to Susitna Landing, Mile 82 Parks Highway, to see if any cohos had found their way into the Kashwitna drainage yet. We found fish available, and it wasn’t too crowded either. The fishing was not what I would call hot, but it was fairly steady.

We fished for about three hours the first evening and caught two coho and a longnose sucker. We fished the next morning for about four hours and landed four coho and one chum salmon. The other boats fishing were doing about as well. Folks fishing along the bank of the Kashwitna River were also catching occasional fish.

This was our first trip to Susitna Landing this year. This is also the first year a new private concession operator is running the facility. The business name is JB’s Bear Cache. The folks, who introduced themselves to me, were friendly and quite helpful and eager to answer questions. It takes me a while to remember names, so I can’t pass any along at the moment, but I will learn them and let you know.

Both the boat launch and boat mooring lagoon have been dredged — something that has needed to be done for a couple of years. The concession folks have lots of plans on how to further improve facility operations, which declined some over the last two years when the state was operating the facility. But improvements cost money.

They hope to have boat gas available next year, along with a more complete convenience store with ice and possibly a latté machine with snacks. Other things like covered winter boat storage and winter snowmachine trail maintenance might be options as time progresses. I’ve had a little experience with this facility from my time with Fish and Game and I chatted with folks there about some of these items. They want to make the improvements but, like all of us in this economy, have to be careful about overspending and growing too fast. I applaud their business sense here.

We had an enjoyable stay and plan to return this week for more fishing. Maybe we’ll see you there.

Now that I finally made it back out on the water again, I noticed a few things boaters need to be aware of. First, when passing through an area with shore anglers and other boats anchored up, be considerate and leave as small a wake as possible as you pass through. We experienced a few totally inconsiderate boaters and a couple of folks who were careful about the impact their boat wakes made. You are liable for any damage caused by your boat wake.

I noticed that few people were wearing their personal floatation devices while boating. I wouldn’t expect to see those with a cabin on the boat wearing the preserver — I don’t in my boat cabin. However, lots of folks run an open skiff. Wearing a PFD in that type vessel could very easily save your life someday. It did mine about six years ago when I was thrown out of my open boat on a wild turn. Oh, and for the record, my wife dons her PFD every time she goes out on the bow to set or retrieve the anchor, just in case a slip or unexpected wave causes her to lose her balance.

If you are a bank fisher, there are a few things you can do to respect your fellow anglers. If you are fishing near a boat launch or in a channel being used by boaters, retrieve your line before a passing boat comes near. If a jet unit sucks up fishing line, bad things can happen, not only to the boat, but to the rod and reel as well. If everybody makes an effort to be courteous to the other guy, we’ll all have a more enjoyable fishing experience.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.