Is getting up at 2 a.m. to go fishing worth it? When it’s the opening day of salmon season on the Columbia River in our region—you bet! I had to be up that early to finish loading the boat in the morning, rather than in 100+ degree heat the night before. Brian Anantatmula, his son Josh, and daughter Avary met me in Wenatchee at 3:30 and we headed out. We arrived at the earliest time ever since I have been fishing Chelan Falls, and we were astonished at the light show on the river as we approached the Bebee Bridge. Trucks and trailers were parked all along the road by the launch. No problem, though, we were on the water and fishing by 5. At about 5:20 Brian’s rear rod went off and he landed a nice big king. A few minutes later my side rod bent over, but we lost the fish. Not long after Brian’s other rod buckled, and Josh reeled in another king. This all happened pretty fast, emphasizing how important it is to be on the water at first light. We trolled for another couple of hours without another sniff. Brian’s fish both hit Spin Fish.