Fly Rod & Reel

When The American Museum of Fly Fishing (www.amff.com) decides to honor a national non-profit breast cancer support organization, there’s an obvious question – what’s the connection? The connection is about helping survivors--one woman at a time. It’s about the importance of volunteer service and of the “human conservation” that Casting for Recovery’s mission espouses.

That is why the Board of Trustees at the American Museum of Fly Fishing has announced that Casting for Recovery (CFR) and its volunteers will be the recipient of the 2010 Heritage Award, an award honoring those whose commitment to the sport of fly-fishing sets a standard to which all should aspire.

“Since 1997, the Museum regularly recognizes an individual or organization that, through fly fishing, has made a difference in peoples’ lives, and there could be no better qualified candidate than Casting for Recovery,” said Jim Heckman, President, AMFF Board of Trustees. Supporting breast cancer survivors through a program that combines fly-fishing, counseling, and medical information, Casting for Recovery’s two-and-a-half day retreats are offered at no cost to women at any stage and age of breast cancer treatment and recovery. Since 1996 CFR has served more than 4,000 women with the help of 1,500 volunteers who serve as instructors, counselors, and medical personnel. Fly-fishing may appear to be the topic of the day, but helping survivors is the underlying focus.

On April 29, 2010, Museum trustees, members, and guests will gather with Casting for Recovery staff, trustees, and volunteers at the Yale Club in New York City to celebrate the past fourteen years of a program which provides a “life-changing” experience and offers the opportunity for the many participants – and their families – to learn about the special heritage and giving spirit of a great American sport. “Every day we get notes, emails, and letters from women who tell us that their CFR weekend was life-changing in many ways,” states Lori Simon, CFR Executive Director. “They talk about sharing stories with long-time survivors and ladies still in treatment, being cared for by amazing volunteers, the incredible fun of learning to fly fish and having anxieties and everyday stresses fade away in the roar of the river. Beyond the fun of the fishing itself, the weekend teaches women that they are stronger than they thought.

One recent participant said it best: ‘I will always be grateful to CFR for that weekend and for the lessons learned, not just in fly-fishing but in life.’”

Casting for Recovery will schedule 45 retreats in 30 states in 2010, serving women across the country. Numerous medical and psychosocial professionals and institutions consider Casting for Recovery one of the leading programs providing support for women with breast cancer. Sister organizations operate programs in Canada, the U.K./Ireland, and New Zealand. Their leading national supporter is The Hartford (www.thehartford.com), a Fortune 100 company that is one of the nation’s largest financial services and insurance companies and a leading provider of investment products, life insurance and group benefits; automobile and homeowners products, and business property and casualty insurance; national supporters include Brookdale Senior Living – West Division (www.brookdaleliving.com), whose mission of enriching the lives of those they serve with compassion, respect, excellence, and integrity is the source of their strong support; and Under Armour® (www.underarmour.com), a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories, whose “Power In Pink” program is an effort to help educate women about the important link between physical activity and winning the battle against breast cancer.

Casting for Recovery is supported by generous donations from many other individuals, foundations, and corporations. Casting for Recovery is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. For more information about the program, please visit www.castingforrecovery.org or call 802.362.9181.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has issued executive orders to protect Florida’s snook, bonefish and tarpon fisheries from further harm caused by the recent prolonged cold weather in the state, which has caused widespread saltwater fish kills. The FWC has received numerous reports from the public and is taking action to address the conservation needs of affected marine fisheries. The orders also will allow people to legally dispose of dead fish in the water and on the shore. One of the executive orders temporarily extends closed fishing seasons for snook statewide until September. It also establishes temporary statewide closed seasons for bonefish and tarpon until April because of the prolonged natural cold weather event that caused significant, widespread mortality of saltwater fish in Florida. The other order temporarily suspends certain saltwater fishing regulations to allow people to collect and dispose of dead fish killed by the cold weather.

“A proactive, precautionary approach is warranted to preserve our valuable snook, bonefish and tarpon resources, which are among Florida’s premier game fish species,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “Extending the snook closed season and temporarily closing bonefish and tarpon fishing will protect surviving snook that spawn in the spring and will give our research scientists time to evaluate the extent of damage that was done to snook, bonefish and tarpon stocks during the unusual cold-weather period we recently experienced in Florida.” Snook season currently is closed in Florida under regular FWC rules, and there are also regular closed snook seasons that occur in the summer.

However, the FWC executive order extends the statewide snook closed seasons continuously through Aug. 31 and provides that no person may harvest or possess snook in state and federal waters off Florida during this period unless the fishery is opened sooner or the closure is extended by subsequent order. The order also establishes a temporary prohibition on the harvest and possession of bonefish and tarpon from state and federal waters off Florida through March 31, unless these fisheries are opened sooner or the closures are extended by subsequent order. The FWC executive order for the snook, bonefish and tarpon closed seasons takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 16.

The other FWC executive order temporarily removes specific harvest regulations for all dead saltwater fish of any species that have died as a result of prolonged exposure to cold weather in Florida waters. It also modifies general methods of taking dead saltwater fish from Florida’s shoreline and from the water to allow the collection of saltwater fish by hand, cast net, dip net or seine. All people taking dead saltwater fish under the provisions of this order may not sell, trade or consume such fish, and the dead fish must immediately be disposed of in compliance with local safety, health and sanitation requirements for such disposal. In addition, all people taking dead fish under the provisions of this order are not required to possess a saltwater fishing license, and all fish taken under the provisions of this executive order shall be those that have died as a result of prolonged exposure to cold weather.

This FWC executive order takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 16 and will expire at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 1, unless it is repealed sooner or extended by subsequent order. -30-

Dr. Slick Instruments for Anglers has been transitioned from founder Dr. Kenneth A. High to a group of his employees headed by general manager Steve Fournier. The sale is effective immediately and includes the firm’s headquarters and production building, all products, logos and intellectual property. High, who founded the fly-fishing and fly-tying tool company in 1989, will serve as a product design consultant. Day-to-day operations will continue much as they have for the past 15 years under Fournier’s direction and supervision.

The sale follows High’s retirement from his urological medical practice. Terms and conditions of the sale were not made public. According to Fournier, Dr. Slick produces some 300+ fishing- and fly tying-related products including various models and sizes of scissors, pliers, clamps (hemostats), retractors, nippers, hook files, necklaces, fly floatant, hair stackers, titanium and ceramic fly-tying bobbins, hackle pliers, tweezers, whip finishers and dubbing tools, as well as a growing OEM and custom manufacturing division.

In coming to a mutual agreement on the sale to Fournier and other employees, High noted, “I cannot see any other outfit that would uphold the Dr. Slick tradition of quality and innovation other than the current staff and employees . . . I had the idea, but he built the company and should continue with it.”

Over the next week, looks like at least through the end of the month, Scientific Anglers is testing a new feature to its Web site—providing visitors $15 off any purchase over $75, when you order direct from the Web site. Fly anglers can purchase products directly through fly shops set up with this special buying option. See the 'button' on the bottom left of SA's landing page. CLICK HERE