The Skagit is well-known for the big Chinook and King salmon but for the past 16 years, there wasn't enough of a run to open a season.

But the tide turned this year, thanks to effective fish management along the coastal waters, according to experts. And on Thursday, a school of fishermen had their lines in the water when the season opened at noon.

With Jesse the fish dog pointing our way, I joined Tom Nelson, ESPN radio host of the show "Outdoor Line," for a little trip. It was part fishing, part nostalgia.

We passed dozens of other anglers doing the same thing. They'd been itching for the past 16 years.

Nelson had a spot in mind.

"I'm really glad to see that nobody is in my hole," Nelson said. "They're close. They're close."

And there's a reason he has a favorite spot. A little more than 16 years ago, Nelson and his dad caught a number of Kings in roughly the same spot.

"In this spot right here, in one morning, we took Kings of 52, 42, and 35 pounds just in a morning," he said.

Nelson had brought along his special Skagit golf-tee spinner. And as he cast his line, nostalgia and emotions ran deep. For the first time, the veteran showed his 16-year-old son, Matt, just how it's done. It was the boy's first time on the river.

"We are just going to bounce it on the bottom," the father said.

The boy soaked in his father's instructions.

"I guess I was good luck, because I was born the year this river closed," Matt Nelson said.

A joint effort made this year's season possible. Because Canada and Washington state agreed to put limits on fishing the coastal runs, the big Kings the Skagit is known for are back in sufficient numbers. Tom Nelson calls that a great PR move for the Northwest.

"If you keep fisheries closed for so long people lose interest, then people lose interest in the salmon. And if there is an iconic critter in this part of the world, it's the salmon," he said.

But despite the good feelings and memories, we couldn't repeat Tom Nelson's big catch 16 years ago. Just wait, he said. Come back during the peak of the season. That's when we are going to catch them.

The fish took not even a nibble on our lines. But the old pro didn't appear to mind the wait. Just being back on the river was a long-awaited homecoming for Tom Nelson.

"For somebody who grew up doing it and to do it again is like seeing a long lost friend for the first time," he said. "Nothing like taking 16 years to actually go fishin' in your favorite creek."

You can fish the lower Skagit from noon on Thursday to noon on Sunday for the next four weeks. The limit is two Chinooks a day.