Raves:
--Montana/Idaho trout fishing--never tried it before, but after a week on those beautiful fish-filled streams I know I'll be back...
--Steelhead on the Stilly...caught my first half dozen steelies on the fly, though I lost easily three times that amount...my buddy also caught his first on the fly.
--Silvers on the Nooksack...haven't been much of a float fisherman before, but now I'm a convert...landing a dozen fish in a couple of hours does something to a guy!
--Kalama steelies...like, duh! (And on the fly, too!)Had luck in the SW area in Feb, June, August, Sept...hmmm...think I'll be back!
--Silvers off the beach in my backyard.
--Working the lakes on the island with muddlers boated me a 20", 2-18's, 2-16's, and quite a few 15" cutts. This year I want to catch a cutt on a dry fly in February!

Rants:
--Finding out my fishing buddy is moving to Eugene next spring...sometimes the company beats the catching. What will I do without him?
--Low water...the chum I saw were beat up and spawning low in the rivers...ditto the silvers in some places. All I want for Christmas is a good, long, rain...
--October/November on the Stilly gave up no steelies for fishkisser...despite upteen hours flailing away...
--Finding out the Skagit/Stilly/Sauk would be closed put a pause on my plans to buy a two-hander spey rod.
--And my biggest rant of all: There aren't any rivers on this island!