It was August 1988, and I was aboard a leaky and mechanically challenged vessel known as the "Rolling Nowhere".

We bobbed upon the waves of Lake Washington somewhere south of Mercer Island. The temperature lolled somewhere in the 80's, and the afternoon sun, and maybe a Red Hook or two, had us feeling a bit rummy. The skipper of the "Rolling Nowhere" was Blue Duck, and the first mate was about to be dubbed "Sockeye Slim".

Suddenly, one of the rods in the holder slammed down, and the soon to be "Sockeye Slim" damn near fell out of the boat in his excitement to get the rod out of the holder and into his hands. "How do I reel this thing'? yelled SS as he demonstrated his angling prowess and outdoor skills all at once. Despite the best efforts of SS, the bewildered salmon somehow made it into the net and thus began flopping about the leaky floorboards as we began a round of high fivin' white guys.

We grinned at each other, and the legend of Sockeye Slim was born. Little did we know, that after a few more outings, we, nor anyone else, would be able to fish for Sockeye in Lake Washington again for 8 more years.

Thus began an eight-year cycle of vicious floods on the Cedar River, wiping out spawning beds and wreaking havoc with habitat. The Sockeye run into the Lake began to fall on tough times. Biologists also began to identify predators of young Sockeye smolts that ambushed the young salmon as they entered the lake. But along came 1996, and the run was proclaimed big enough to fish. Alas, red-hot Chinook fishing in Puget Sound that year tempered my Sockeye fever, and I was only able to get out on the Lake once, with nary a fish to show for my efforts. Blue Duck did, though, and he did quite well, although the "Rolling Nowhere" had long since rolled god knows where.

This brings us to the year 2000, and happily, one is being predicted as one of the largest Sockeye runs through Lake Washington in history.

On the third day of this year's opening, my rod tip slammed down into the water, and as I gleefully grabbed the rod I felt like shouting "How do I reel this thing?!" to the sky, and to the salmon gods.

To fish for salmon with skyscrapers on the horizon is a gift few cities in this world could ever realize, a meeting of the old ways with the new, and a gift to be appreciated until August 15.

After that, if history dictates correctly, it will be at least four more years until Blue Duck, Sockeye Slim and all other sketchy fishermen get to ply their wares on Lake Washington for the mighty "Red" salmon.