On Wednesday July 22, Gary Brell, Frede (my wife), Chuck Ashmun and I boated from Deshka Landing to the Lower Susitna River Personal Use Salmon FIshery. Our boat ride down the Susitna River went smoothly, however, I have boated this stretch of river several times and am familiar with it. Three comments I would make concerning the river:
One: Wear Your PFD
I wore a life vest the entire time — both while we were traveling and while we were fishing — I removed it only while filleting fish. The lower Susitna River is a cold deceptively fast moving glacial river. If a person should fall in the river, wearing a Personal Floatation Device could easily save a life.
Two: Learn to Operate Your Boat Somewhere Else
With that thought in mind I would also say be sure you have all of your boating safety gear with you and know how to use it. It is always better to bring more than enough fuel. For my open guide boat with a 90 horse outboard jet I brought 27 gallons of fuel and had over 6 gallons in reserve after making the round trip and fishing from the boat for several hours. For an experienced boater the route is not all that difficult, however, you should know what to do if at some point you loose power.
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