As the sun broke over the tree line and water from the Columbia River lapped the side of the boat, a group of men shared stories while waiting for the fish to bite.
“It’s beautiful up here,” said Taylor Giroir. Fishing, he said, “is just relaxing. It takes your mind off everything else.”
Giroir, a police officer for the Baton Rouge, La., Police Department, was one of about 50 officers who met at McCuddy’s Ridgefield Marina on Monday and baited their lines in the pre-dawn hours in hopes to hook a salmon.
Eight officers from the Baton Rouge Police Department and eight officers from the Dallas, Texas Police Department are visiting the area for the fishing excursion. Over the course of four days, they will be joined by more than 100 local police officers.
The event is a way to thank the men and women for their service. It was organized by Dion Hess, who has put on Operation Salmon Salute, a veterans-appreciation fishing outing, for the past five years.
The idea came to him when he saw news of police officers around the country falling victim to acts of violence.
“With everything we have going on in the world, it’s important to show appreciation for law enforcement,” Hess said.
Following a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest on July 7, officers in Dallas were ambushed by gunman Micah Xavier Johnson, leaving five officers dead and nine others injured. Ten days later, a similar horrific scene played out in Baton Rouge. Gavin Eugene Long ambushed officers, shooting and killing two police officers and a sheriff’s deputy.
Hess said that he helped raised money to fly the out-of-state officers to the area and accepted in-kind donations, such as a fishing guide’s time, to make the event happen.
“These guys need a break,” said Mike Salazar, owner of Salt 2 Summit Guide Service in Woodland.
Floods, alligators
Even though he could be earning $200 per person for the day, Salazar donated his time to take some officers on his boat each day of the event.
“I’m mad about how the world is turning out, how everyone is starting to turn against law enforcement,” he said. “When I hear about what happened over there, I think it’s total bull crap.”
Salazar said that while leading a group of officers fishing on Sunday, the atmosphere was mostly jovial, though he would occasionally see sadness or anger flash across an officer’s face. When that happened, he’d turn the topic back to fishing and the good time would continue.
“It’s pretty awesome to see all these guys having a good time,” he said. “It seems like they’ve known each other for a long time and we just met. … It’s like a fishing trip with buddies.”
The conversation on Giroir’s boat Monday bounced from asking about Northwest volcanoes and marijuana dispensaries to tales of Louisiana’s recent floods and catching alligators.
“It’s fun to talk to cops in other areas,” said Jared Stevens, deputy at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. “The basics are pretty much the same no matter where you go, but each area has its own unique problems.”
Baton Rouge police Cpl. Britt Jones said that he enjoyed visiting Washington, which was the farthest west he’d ever been. Jones and a group of four other officers regularly take trips across the country to hunt and fish, so he said the gesture of support and gratitude was especially appreciated.
“We pull extra duty to pay for the trips,” he said. “I love being outdoors, and I love the excitement. You never know what you’re going to catch.”
