Ready to get outside

The ice fishing season is winding down. I suspect there are a few lakes around where the ice on the edges is thinning to where accessing the lake with a highway vehicle could be “interesting.” If you have any doubts, don’t go out. There are several lakes a little further north where the ice is still adequate to drive out on. Go to one of those lakes or plan on using either an ATV or a snowmachine for local access.

Now that the snow is disappearing at a rapid rate, I’m antsy to get working on my riverboat and the RV. I mentioned in an earlier column that I’m planning to install a built-in battery recharging system in the riverboat to mind the batteries over our long winter season. I also need to do routine spring maintenance consisting of an oil and oil filter change, a new fuel filter, check lights, radios and other electronics for proper function and just a general cleanup of the boat’s interior.

I will also go over the boat trailer by checking tire pressures and lubing the hubs, making sure the lights function correctly and checking various nuts and bolts for correct tightness. I’m planning to replace the winch strap with a really heavy-duty strap that will require some custom fitting and stitching to adjust the strap length. The boat is heavy for its length and I’ve learned that overkill on strap and winch capabilities and trailer jack lift capacity is the way to go. The heavy-duty items make winching and lifting the trailer tongue easier and put less strain on the equipment itself.

The big thing I plan to do to the RV is a good exterior wash. I found a good adjustable brush at Costco a while back and a bottle of RV soap on sale at one of the local outdoor shops. Once I can move the vehicle out of the storage building and up near a hose outlet, I’ll give it a good washing. I probably should do my truck while I’m at it too.

The RV is still under a warrantee, of sorts, from where we purchased it, so I’ll take it in to the dealer for de-winterization. They’re recommending getting all the fluids serviced this time around, including the generator, and they know how to do that. I am not a mechanic — never have been, never will be — so it’s easier to let them do what needs to be done. I also want to get some fittings on the inside dually tires so I can more easily check tire pressures.

I know — I could save some money if I did all this RV stuff myself. However, I’ve learned over the years, often the hard way, that a person with my lack of mechanical ability is much better off having somebody who knows what they’re doing service my equipment. Trust me, in the long run, it’s cheaper than paying for a major repair because I screwed something up by not knowing what I was doing.

I’ve started going through my king salmon and lake fishing gear. I’ve taken advantage of some clearance sales on lures to restock the tackle boxes, but I still need to go over the rods, reels and lines before I can pronounce things ready for another season.

Speaking of king salmon fishing, I spoke recently with Dave Rutz, the Northern Cook Inlet Area Management Biologist for the Sport Fish Division of Fish and Game. I asked how the king runs were looking for the Northern District this year. His response wasn’t real encouraging.

Rutz stated that the king runs were expected to be a little better than last year. Remember, in 2009, the Deshka River failed to make its escapement of kings even with preseason announcements of severe restrictions on the in-river fishermen, a partial closure of the commercial fishery and a two-week early total closure of the river to sports fishing.

Of the fish returning to the Deshka, Fish and Game saw good numbers of 4-year-old fish last year. That is the only encouraging thing about this year — they hope to see a strong showing of 5-year-old kings. However, it appears that one broodyear of fish is what will carry this season’s potential success.

The 2006 flood is expected to really have an impact in next year’s returning fish numbers and will continue to have an effect through the 2013 season. The fish that are 5-year-olds this year will trickle in as they age each year, but the strongest showing of returns for a broodyear of king salmon usually occurs for the 4- and 5-year-olds. After that, in the 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds, the returners usually only make up a small percentage of the total number of returning fish.

Last year, my wife and I never even wet a line for king salmon. In my opinion, it just wasn’t worth the cost. This year may not be much better, but I think we’ll get out a time or two to find out for ourselves. Besides, with the probable forecasts for the near future not looking all that great and the fact that I’m not getting any younger means I need to get out while I still can.

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