Chitina Dipnetters Association Members:
I hope you had a successful Chitina dipnetting experience this year even though the sockeye salmon run numbers were low and the run was very late. That and the frequent high water episodes on the Copper River coupled with reduced weekly fishing time periods made for a challenging dip net harvest. In the positive, there were some large sockeyes this year.
Several of you have asked about progress on trail improvements between O'Brien and Haley Creeks using part of the monies from the $15 Chitina dip net permit fee. This spring before dip net season opened, manual brushing was completed all the way to Haley Creek. This October, the DOT Tazlina crew brought an excavator and a small dozer in to deal with trouble spots up to mile 5.13. I have attached several example pictures of the work they completed. Picture 1 shows before their work on one of the worst spots (mile 5.13), where ATV riders were forced to winch up over large sloping slabs of rock. Picture 2 shows the area after the DOT work. Quite a change. I was told they used some very large rock underneath the fill to stabilize the trail bed. Pictures 3 and 4 are examples of their dozer work smoothing out the trail prior to mile 5.13. They made the trail double wide to that point. More pictures of their work are available for viewing on our website, http://chitinadipnetters.com.
In anticipation of continuing work next summer, DOT will be working this winter to obtain the permits for the remainder of the trail to Haley Creek. DOT asked me to request our members' feedback or suggestions on their work. If you have any, email them to me and I will forward your comments to the Tazlina crew.
I am happy to report that Reed Morisky, the interior Alaska representative on the Board of Fisheries, was elected as chairman of the Board by his fellow members. This is great news for us! Reed has been a strong advocate of dipnetting and sport fishing. Thank you, Reed, for taking on this responsibility.
Christmas will be upon us before you know it! The CDA website store has some awesome CDA apparel that makes great Christmas gifts for the dipnetters on your list. Or, how about a CDA membership? It's only a couple clicks away.
Here's hoping you are enjoying the fruits of your dipnetting efforts and that you have a fun time during the upcoming holidays.
Chuck Derrick, president
The Chitina Dipnetters Association
cderrick@chitinadipnetters.com