First off, I can't believe it is eight years already. Northerly Island has been open to the public longer than I tend to think. It is becoming a part of the fabric of Chicago outdoors, a fixture on the lakefront.

Sunday night, easterly, southereasterly winds drove waves into the mouth of Burnham Harbor, making the harbor mouth and the tip of Northerly Island unfishable.

And it was a tough bite inside the harbor, but one salmon, a 5-9 coho, was caught by Dr. Adam Isadore minutes after the starting horn.

Showers and rain came and went, then came back again.

It was a night to remember other times and other catches. as I chatted with many familar fishermen, a public gathering at a formerly exclusive club of a tiny airport.