On Monday I was at 3Rivers Marine, dropping my boat off for some work to be done. Driving from Wenatchee to Woodinville by myself was surreal. I had the radio off, and just enjoyed the dam near 50 years of life/fishing memories flood back as I wound up the Wenatchee and through Tumwater Canyon (CLOSED) where my dad and I spent countless days in the 70's.

As I descended Stevens and I approached Index, I remembered the mid-80's on the South Fork where we would fish the Falls at the boundary line for winter runs (until the State got wise and adjusted it further upstream). There were GIANT fish in there in January that we lost when they decided to leave the pool! Also, the North Fork (snaggy friggin' NF) could be a hidden gem when it ran "gin clear" once the temps and water level dropped from a high water event. We would glow-ball directly above the bridge at Index, after spotting our prey from the bridge by the lone street light at the intersection. Those fish even had sealice on them sometimes. (CLOSED)

All the Upper Sky water I fished from the mid 80's to the early 2000's, mostly as a bank maggot, but some drift boat trips. The people I'd befriend in Big Bend so I could park at their yards so I didn't have to beat the banks (and I could get to the better spots quicker). The reflection I had done with my own life, by standing on rocks in that section of River, thinking and sorting out my own life's problems during my teenage and early 20's while catching fish was my "therapy". High Bridge was my 1st drift boat ride ever! Remembering my dad tell me the story of his 1st "real" steelhead at the mouth of the Wallace the year after I was born (he didn't consider summer runs on the Wenatchee "real" steelhead, too easy to catch). The crowds at Sultan taking out/launching, the picket fence of guys on the cracker bar. Walking over in the middle of the day and being "that guy" by making a half dozen casts and catching 2 fish and being done! Breakfast/dinner at the Sportsman Diner before it burned down. I never really liked fishing from Sultan to 2-Bit, too boring for a kid. Good water just boring to me. 2-bit could be awesome! At Lewis Street, twice I remember waves of winter fish coming in a few hours after a tide change in January. EVERYONE had fish, it was just incredible!! Launching behind the Reformatory in the late 80's-90's(Indian Hole, Hanson Dairy Hole) held big natives, and we'd float all the way to Douglas Bar (had a key). Also the chum were dime bright into early January back then too. Winter quarter was very difficult to keep grades up at the UW back then.

After I dropped my boat off, I decided to drive back on I-90, so I cut across through Lewis Street in Monroe. More memories! Fishing the Lower Snoqualmie behind Carnation Farms...walked in one time with a buddy and got into a mess of fish coming out of the Snohomish (CLOSED) and it was just a really neat experience. Nobody around, we just hooked/lost/broke/landed, and finally killed fish. Globalling big summer runs beneath Snoqualmie Falls in the 80's was quite a thrill, lost alot of them too when they decided to leave the big pool! Winter fishing the Raging (CLOSED). I then drove through TOLT (CLOSED), which I never fished but my dad did as our good family friends had a house right on the river. Pops caught a few fish out of, but Dick knew it really well and at times in the late 70's he would do very well on it. It was really cool!

Most of us could pen the same song with just "a drive around the block", especially you "local" guys that grew up on these rivers. Just a sad state in general that basically, the entire state is fu%&ing closed to steelhead fishing!!!