Chester Allen, former outdoors writer for The Olympian and The News Tribune (and former co-worker) will give a program and do a book signing Sunday at the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.

The program starts at 3 p.m.

Allen’s new book, “Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat,” was recently released.

He will be giving a free seminar, slideshow and book signing. Allen will talk about many aspects of searun cutthroat such as the behavior of the fish, seasons, flies and more. If you are a beginning or intermediate beach angler you will get a ton out of this presentation, said …

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The Outdoor Channel will air a special episode of “Spanish Fly” in tribute to the show’s Jose Wejebe this weekend.

Wejebe was the only victim in a single-engine plane crash in Florida on April 6. His kit airplane crashed and caught fire shortly after taking off from Everglades Airpark.

The Cuban-born Wejebe began doing the show in 1995.

While I’m not a huge fan of warmwater saltwater fishing, I always enjoyed watching Wejebe’s show. His laid back and informative style better reflects the spirit of fishing, at least to me, than those hosts who spend all their time hooting and …

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It is good news for anglers, just not for the right reasons.

Washington and Oregon fishery managers have extended the sport fishery for spring chinook salmon on the lower Columbia River through April 22 to allow anglers to catch more hatchery-reared fish available for harvest.

The eight-day extension was OK’d based on catch reports that show current harvest levels remain well below expectations. The fishery was initially scheduled to close at the end of the day Friday.

During the extended period, the sport fishery will be closed Tuesday, April 17, to accommodate a possible commercial fishery.

Cindy Le Fleur, Columbia …

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From BRETT FRENCH, BillingsGazette.com

A fish survey turned into a more shocking experience for a Fish, Wildlife and Parks crew and their two assistants on Monday when they found a human skull along the Musselshell River.

“You don’t stumble across a human skull every day,” said Kendall Van Dyk, a Billings legislator who was assisting with the work to electro-shock and net trout to estimate their population. “It’s a little surreal when you come across something like that.”

The crew turned the skull over to an FWP warden who passed it on to the Wheatland County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Jim Rosenberg took photos …

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Salmon fishing seasons have been set for the upcoming year as state and tribal co-managers today agreed on a package of fisheries that meets conservation goals for wild salmon populations, while providing fishing opportunities on healthy stocks.

The 2012 salmon fishing seasons, developed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and treaty tribes, were finalized today during the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Seattle. The package sets regulations for salmon fisheries in Puget Sound, Washington’s ocean and coastal areas and the Columbia River.

Here is the rest of the news release:

In developing salmon seasons and catch quotas,

…

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The state a short time ago announced the sport fishery for spring chinook salmon on the lower Columbia River has been extended through April 13.

Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon today approved the six-day extension, based on catch reports that show current harvest levels are well below expectations. The fishery was initially scheduled to close at the end of the day on Friday.

During the extended fishing period, the sport fishery will be closed Tuesday, to accommodate a one-day opening for commercial fishing.

Fishery managers will meet again April 12 to determine whether to allow additional fishing.

With the …

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April 15 is the application deadline for youths wanting to attend this year’s Northwest Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Academy.

The June 24-30 camp exposes participants to the basic skills of fly fishing, but also includes topics such as conservation and natural resource stewardship.

The curriculum is meant to give students a background in fundamental science and includes ecology, hydrology, aquatic entomology, invasive species, watersheds, wildlife management and fish behavior. Participants will also learn the essential fly-fishing skills including fly casting, fly tying, fly selection, streamside ethics and etiquette, knot tying, reading water and water safety.

In addition to classroom …

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I’m starting to work on my preview of the lowland lake trout fishing opener, which will be April 28 this year.

As part of the package, I’m going to look at the popular dough baits on the market, including Berkely’s Power Bait or Gulp Trout Dough and Pautzke’s Fire Bait.

I’d like to talk to South Sound anglers who are a fan of either product, or any other dough baits out there.

You can contact me at 253-597-8640 or jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com.