Part of the mystique of fly-fishing, in addition to all of the graceful casting, is the preparation of the flies themselves.

If you took up the sport before the days when instructional DVDs were widely available, you pretty much were on your own. Either you figured out how to tie them yourself, or you had to buy all of your flies.

Every two years the state modifies its fishing regulations and proposes new ones, then offers them to the Great Unwashed Masses for comment before they are instituted.

It's that time again. The Department of Environmental Conservation will accept public comment on the proposals until April 4.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced proposed changes to freshwater fishing regulations to enhance fishing opportunities and protect fisheries resources statewide. DEC will be accepting public comments on the proposals until April 4, 2008.

To the Editor:

I have no stake in the Will Barclay/Darrel Aubertine election due to my residency. As an ardent fly fisher, I rarely fish the Salmon River due to its obnoxious and circus-like atmosphere.

Empire State anglers have so many choices of where to fish and what to fish for, it would take several lifetimes to visit them all! Deep, cold mountain lakes offer good trout fishing, while the state’s mighty rivers offer up pole-bending action for bass, pike and other warmwater species.

1. Lake Ontario and tributaries

The topsy-turvy weather patterns have kept anglers guessing as to what to expect on any given day along lake tributaries or hard water angling in harbors, embayments and ponds. Down below Burt Dam, Ken Jackson of Sanborn had to battle icy conditions on Tuesday to take one steelhead on his standard jig tipped with a wax worm and fished under a float. Egg sacks or egg pattern flies will also work for you. The pool below the dam was almost frozen over and the water was still a bit high and stained, but very fishable if you can locate some open water. It’s supposed to be cold again this weekend, posing another ice problem for waders. However, if you’re fishing the Niagara River Anglers’ steelhead contest on Saturday, this could be a sleeper spot should the river continue to be too muddy to fish. Over in Wilson, there was some ice fishing going on according to Terry Swann, but he hasn’t seen very much catching. The occasional northern pike has been coming through the ice by using tip-ups. Braddocks Bay, Cranberry Pond and the northeast corner of Irondequoit Bay are all good hard water spots producing perch right now. Over at Oak Orchard, Ron Bierstine at Orleans Outdoor reports that not too many fishermen have been braving the cold of late, but conditions are decent as far as water and fish numbers. He caught a few trout the other day using egg pattern flies. Don’t forget the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association’s Fishing Expo and Flea market set for Feb. 24 at the 4-H Building of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Lockport from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit www.lotsa.org for more details.

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I have the opportunity to present the inaugural issue of MARLIN WORLD.

LINK TO MAGAZINE: http://viewer.zmags.com/showmag.php?mid=pgptf

1. Click anywhere on the screen to ZOOM in and read.

The idea for Outdoorsman Exchange came about in an instant, but in a way it was sometime in the making – we just didn’t realize it at the time.

For years my husband, Paul, has wanted to go on an elk hunt. I’ve encouraged him many times. He and his brothers talk how they should all go elk hunting out west with their Dad before age took its toll on him. Pursuit of that dream sounded good but there was always the financial reality check that held my husband back. He couldn’t justify spending money on a guided hunting trip and felt a guided trip was the only way to go for a successful hunt. This voice inside kept telling him - we need to save money for more sensible things like kids braces, college funds, etc. Most everyone can relate to these thoughts, unless you’re an heir to a fortune.