GUEST BLOG: "The Truth" looks ahead to '10; back on former governors
POSTED Jan. 4, 2010 / 7:10 a.m.

The calendar does not lie. It suggests it’s the year 2010 and I’ll spend a significant amount of the month planning and thinking about my outdoor agenda. I know there are invitations on my lap to consider fishing a couple times in SE Alaska, a couple trips to the west coast of Vancouver Island and a trip to River’s Inlet in B.C., home of some of the world’s largest saltwater king salmon. Fifty pounders, and maybe a 60 or bigger.

I dig 60-pounders.

Closing the books on 2009
I feel good about surviving 2009. In the natural world, where I spend a fair amount of my time, on and off the job, it was a good year.

The blackmouth fishing in the San Juan Islands met my expectations last February and March. Spring offered several trips to the ocean to dig razor clams, lingcod and halibut fishing in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the north Sound.

The summer was a blur. King salmon in the San Juans and the Strait, hot coho fishing in the Columbia, more kings in Willapa Bay and jumbo coho salmon in Grays Harbor. And although I did not chase pink salmon this year, it will go down in history as an incredible year for Washington State.

Personally, I closed the year with a blackmouth fishing trip back to the San Juan Islands in December and redefined the 12 Days of Christmas chasing Dungeness crab here in South Puget Sound for the same amount of time. I swear, some of the crab down here qualify, in size, to ride a Harley.

While the natural world was good to many of us in 2009, there was plenty of news about what’s wrong on this planet. It was the economy, lethal attacks on police officers, another assault attempt on the Pope and a failed attempt by a terrorist to blow up a passenger jet liner approaching Detroit. What does all of this have to do with fishing? Everything. I want to go fishing more.

I learned about the Droid, who I originally thought was my weird neighbor who had been bitten by his rabid dog. I learned about Facebook which may be closely related to face plant. And don’t overlook Twitter. I had a tremendous king salmon bite last July that gave me the twitters for about a week. Dude, I just want to go salmon fishing. Not with Droid, face plant or twiddly-dee and his brother twiddly-dumb.

2010 will take me here ...
Yes, January is the first month of the new year. When I am not attempting to sneak up on winter blackmouth in north Sound and the San Juans, I will be drilling down on my fishing plans for a good part of the year. The salmon forecasts are not complete yet, but I know great things are coming for spring chinook salmon destined for the Columbia River. The game will really get going in April and although I believe there are tougher challenges in the fishing world than landing a spring chinook, they represent one of the best eating salmon anywhere, anytime. Rich in Omega-3 oils, bite for bite, they literally melt in your mouth. Sign me up.

Proud to be Norm's wing man
I look forward to a couple of blackmouth fishing trips during the last two weekends in March to the San Juan Islands. The first trip is an annual trip to take Congressman Norm Dicks fishing. The second trip, on the last weekend of March, is the Anacortes Salmon Derby, a great well-run tournament with 800 other anglers and good fishing.

Throughout my fishing career, I have taken a number of politicians fishing. Most politicians are unwilling to make a commitment to get involved in salmon issues. Politically and historically, salmon politics has not paid dividends, unless the cause is to increase commercial fishing.

Congressman Norm Dicks is the exception.

He has spoken publicly about his legacy, which includes flexing his political muscle to benefit northwest salmon issues, and to expand sport salmon fishing opportunities targeting on marked hatchery-produced chinook and coho salmon.

Fishing with Norm is like riding on the space shuttle, from lift off to 100,000 feet. The floating in space part comes at the end of the trip. In order to ride with Norm, I take 10 swigs of Geritol, 14 chocolate bars and hibernate for a week prior to the trip. Following the trip, I hang upside down in the closet for 24 hours inducing a coma reaction for two weeks. He is high energy and the man loves his salmon fishing.

Passionate? Try a positive application of fanatical. Every fish is “I got ‘em boys! It’s the big one!!! Get your gear out of the water!!!” Somebody, help me now.

8CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF TONY'S JANUARY COLUMN and check out the schedule of the 2010 Northwest Salmon Derby Series.

-Tony Floor
Director of Fishing Affairs
Northwest Marine Trade Association