This time of year I tend to reflect on the last 365-days with gratitude for enriching my life.

Here’s my top ten for 2009.

10. Making new friends from the board and sharing time on the water with them.

10. Steve Santucci w/ a double digit topwater striper

9. Sight fishing for reds in the Rockport, Texas gulf with Captain Knipling.

9. Sight fishing redfish

8. Experiencing good mat fishing for black bass in the delta.

8. Mat fishing

7. Striper fishing in the SF Bay 15-min from home.

7. Topwater fish in SF Bay

6. Trolling the delta shallows, spotting a monster striper and following it to a nice school of double digit stripers in clear shallow water.

6. Seeing stripers doing what they do, unmolested

5. Donating for the first time to 2009 Striperfest and seeing record breaking proceeds ear-marked for conservation efforts.

5. 2009 Striperfest was a record breaking event

4. Catching a monster 25-lb striper with my NPD Diver and a 2-handed rod.

4. Monster striper on top with a 2-hander

3. Returning to SE Alaska for the silver salmon run and successfully field testing new flies.

3. Alaskan silver salmon. I love silvers.

2. Being mentioned in the book Fly Fishing the California Delta (Costello & Sherman).

2. New book release Fly Fishing the California Delta (Costello, Sherman)

1. Helping put together SaveOurStripers.Org and seeing a broad-based community of concerned businesses, organizations and individuals join forces to protect the delta and its fishery.

1. Businesses voiced their protest against the proposed AB1253

Bonus: Finally getting my new tooth put in.

Bonus: Dental work in 2009 leaves toothless photo ops behind

I hope everyone here has a banner 2010. Happy new year.