George W. Harvey, 96, of State College, PA, passed away at the Mount Nittany Medical Center on Monday, March 24, 2008. In 1934, as an undergraduate student, Harvey organized and taught the first angling and fly tying class at Penn State, the first of its kind in the United States.

From 1935-1942 he was an instructor of physical education at the Mont Alto Campus (Forestry School) were he coached every sports team. From 1943-1973 he was an Associate Professor of Physical Education at the main campus of the Pennsylvania State University. During his tenure at Penn State he coached freshman and varsity cross country and track, taught 72 extension classes on angling and fly tying in 68 cities …

One of the most common questions for flyfishers this time of year is whether or not it’s too early to hit the local lake for largemouth. Sure, some of you Southern boys have already been getting after it, but for those of us living north of the Mason-Dixon line, March still means near-frozen surface temps and super-sluggish fish.

Nevertheless, there are some ways to increase your odds of finding a few hungry ones.

Temperature is everything.

In the winter, the bottom of most bass lakes hovers around 39 degrees, while the surface–just below the ice–is around 33. But as the ice melts, winds start mixing the warmer water below with the colder water up top, and a magical sort …

Opening day of trout season often falls on the first Saturday of April for many states. And even if you are lucky enough to live in an area where trout fishing is available year-round, April often marks the symbolic beginning to trout-chasing, that glorious seven-month stretch from now til October, when you learn or re-learn the joys and frustrations of tossing tiny flies to feeding browns, rainbows or brookies.

If you’re new to the sport, or if your skill set became a little rusty over the winter, here’s five trouty tips for the opening-day onslaught.

1) Fish upstream, not downstream, to feeding trout.

Early April remains pre-runoff for most major trout fishing rivers, so the water is often …

Ahhh… March in the Florida Keys. When permit come up onto the flats before heading offshore to spawn. Spring is one of the best times to chase this most sought-after species, and March is traditionally one of the hottest months to catch them. Do your research before heading down, book a reputable guide, have the kinks in your cast worked out, pray for your shot at a tailing 20-pounder, don’t screw up the presentation or the strip or the hook-set, and maybe, just maybe, you’re day will end up like this:

If there’s a better tailwater fishery in the country during February and March than Northern Utah’s Green River, I sure don’t know what it would be. Sure it can be cold. And windy. And snowy. But hey, isn’t that part of the fun?

Located in Northeastern Utah, near the intersection with Colorado and Wyoming at the tiny trout town of Dutch John, the Green River flows from beneath Flaming Gorge Dame at a near perfect 45- to 55-degrees. This provides great conditions for going after the Green’s many rainbows and browns swimming in the 8-mile “A section” just below the dam, from the put-in down to Little Hole.

There is …

 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com
By COLLEEN SLEVIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

January 30, 2008
DENVER — Colorado lawmakers are looking at ways to encourage people to donate or lease water rights they’re not using to increase the amount of water in the state’s rivers. The aim is to make rivers and their fish healthier and support the state’s recreation industry.
The current law isn’t clear on whether people would forfeit their water rights by leasing extra water to the state so it can flow downstream when they don’t need it. To encourage leases, Rep. Randy Fischer introduced a bill Wednesday to clarify that they won’t give up their rights.
Lawmakers are also working on bills that would give tax credits to people who let their …

www.rockymountainnews.com

Jeff Hatton, who owns an impressive collection of historic fly rods, discusses particulars with Hugh Gardner, of Morrison. “Even though I own this stuff, it’s every angler’s heritage,” said Hatton, of Paonia. “It needs to be shared.”
Jeff Hatton is no simple maker of fine fly rods. He also is a historian and guardian of the old ways. To wit: He believes natural materials are unmatched as instruments that breathe life, grace and meaning into a pastime that otherwise is simply about fish. He speaks of the fine old woods - and some new ones - with reverence. The old rods were made of greenheart, ash, Cuban lancewood, snakewood from French Guiana, old Calcutta cane and Tonkin cane.
Hatton, 46, builds …

The 2008 Fly Fishing Film Tour kicks off this Wednesday night, January 30th at Patagonia World Headquarters in Ventura, California.

If you missed the tour last year, here’s what to expect: a collection of several short flyfishing videos that highlights the lifestyle and spirit of the sport, instead of just the instructional aspect.

Tour attendees this year can expect to see films highlighting the threat to Bristol Bay, Alaska, as well as AEG’s own latest film on their recent trip to Mongolia

Be sure and check www.flyfishingfilmtour.com to see when the tour will be coming to your town.

BY MIKE STAHLBERG

The Eugene Register Guard

Steelhead appear to be returning to Oregon coastal streams early and in above-average numbers this winter, which is good news for anglers — and something of a “relief” for fishery biologists.

The latter entered the winter season with trepidation, given that chinook salmon returns last fall were “the lowest we’ve seen in two decades,” as biologist Bob Buckman of Newport put it.

“So far it seems like a pretty good year for winter steelhead, which is certainly a welcome relief after the poor salmon return,” said Buckman, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife district fish biologist on the mid-coast.

Buckman said there are encouraging reports and/or data from all the major watersheds in his …

Cold Weather Snook Kill From the Maverick Boat Company forum: Thousands of Snook were affected by the extreme cold weather these past weeks; some areas were hit harder than others. Many dead snook have been observed and the worst might be yet to come. Larger Snook are hardier but may still succumb to cold. For the first time in a while, we were reminded that the Snook are limited in their range by water temperature. Snook are rarely found in great …