B.Gray,
Congratulations!!!!! It only gets better from here on out. It seems that first one is always the toughest and when you get your first one by yourself it will be the next step. You should feel very fortunate to get such a beauty for your first ever!!! Also, boats are great, but they are not a necessity! As a matter of fact most of my favorite summer run holes are not even accessible by boat, so you might want to hold off till fall (boats are wonderful if you are a fall salmon fan!). Again, congrats and good luck!
Canyon Man