Junior plans wet summer

Matt Wilson hopes to catch a little excitement this summer.

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The Evans resident and junior at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville will do just that with a two-month trip to Alaska working on a salmon fishing boat.

"I don't know what to expect. I've never done anything like this," the 21-year-old former Lakeside High School student said before leaving on his trip.

Wilson was to arrive Saturday in Kenai, Alaska, where he'll work on a boat owned by Fred's Alaska Seafood.

Wilson said he'll be working with his former military school roommate doing what he most closely equates to the television show The Deadliest Catch, which airs on the Discovery Channel.

Wilson said he doesn't expect his fishing expeditions to be as life-threatening as those on the show, which documents such things as crab boats in the Bering Sea during crab season. Instead, he'll be working close to the shore of the Kenai Peninsula in the Cook Inlet, where it is daylight for 21 hours a day, Wilson said.

Though the details still aren't clear to Wilson, he said he'll be briefed on safety procedures when he arrives in Kenai. He'll be working 12-hour shifts, six days a week to catch, ice and pack the salmon.

"This is a big change," said Wilson, who has spent recent summers working at camps in North Carolina and Daytona Beach, Fla. He said he was told he'll likely earn $5,000 to $6,000 for the two months of work.

Wilson said his older brother, Jonathan, recently traveled the world, visiting such places as Hungary, Kenya, Switzerland and Bulgaria.

"So, I've gotten this bug to travel," Wilson said. "I'm just looking for adventure."

Wilson said he plans to take a fishing pole for him and his friend to give them something to do on their days off. He also hopes to swim in the ocean or inlet while there.

"I hope it is not too cold," said Wilson, who was told to bring warm clothes.

Readers can keep track of his adventures aboard the boat with blogs and videos at www.fredsalaskaseafood.com.