Float hunt with a sport boat?

[leahy]

I am contemplating a float hunt with my 15' Achilles on the Little Su. I will either build a rowing frame our use my 5 horse kicker. I was thinking I would just power back up to Burma landing with the 50 horse. Never been down there, I am fairly new to the area, though an experianced outdoorsman. I am wondering if this is ill advized or are thee areas of the river to to look out for? Or are there already a bunch of folks doing this?
Thanks, Rob

 

[Jim Strutz]

If the water isn't too low you can easily power back up to Burma Landing. It doesn't look like there is any chance of low water any time soon, so you shouldn't have any trouble. And since this is for the hunting season instead of the fishing season, there shouldn't be too much traffic on the river.

However, be advised while you are floating downstream there are likely to be other boaters powering back up at a high rate of speed. And while you are powering back up, there will probably be floaters slowly heading downstream. This is a narrow, winding stream with lots of brush on the banks obscuring vision, and there have been *many* mid stream collisions between oncoming boats in the past decade or so. Be very cautious and stay right when possible. My brother-in-law was literally run over twice the last time he drifted down there.

However, as a float hunt, the Little Su is not the easiest/best place to go. There are moose in the area, but the brush on the banks will block your view from seeing any. To make this work, float down to a suitable area, set up camp and hike around. Few Alaskan rivers provide really good wildlife viewing from the boat, but the Little Su is particularly poor in this regard. Also, as soon as you get through the brush on the bank you will find a lot of the area very swampy, and difficult to walk. Sticking to the high ground and swampy edges may be a better idea.

Another option instead of powering back up the river is to just continue out the end and float an incoming tide back to Anchorage's small boat harbor. Some people will think I'm crazy to suggest such a thing, but having done it, I can say, "it's not so crazy at all." Just get a tide book and time your arrival at the mouth to catch the last of an outgoing tide, and then use the 5 horse to steer with the incoming tide. If the weather is particularly blustery you may have to go back upstream a ways to sit until the next tide, so bring extra water, food and fuel.

 

[AKBighorn]

"However, as a float hunt, the Little Su is not the easiest/best place to go. There are moose in the area, but the brush on the banks will block your view from seeing any. To make this work, float down to a suitable area, set up camp and hike around. Few Alaskan rivers provide really good wildlife viewing from the boat, but the Little Su is particularly poor in this regard. Also, as soon as you get through the brush on the bank you will find a lot of the area very swampy, and difficult to walk. Sticking to the high ground and swampy edges may be a better idea."

Jim summed it up for ya. I haven't been there this year but my neighbor told me that right now, due to the high water you can motor on out into those swamps. That can't help the hunting much.

 

[leahy]

The Little Su

The Little Su

Thank you gentelman, that gave me some good info. I too have heard of folks crossing to the small boat harbor on colm water.
The swamps yeah I was wondring about that, too: they are flooded now and they inhibit access when they are not.
I do/did intend to get out and glasss nit just count on bumping inot a moose on the bank. I will probabbly look at some other rivers though.
Thanks,
Rob