In SFA news...
Jan. 14, 2001 - Shirley Luna
Fishing School To Be Held at Piney Woods Conservation Center
Fishing guide and field reporter Will Kirkpatrick will offer the 14th annual Fishing Schools at Stephen F. Austin State UniversityÕs Piney Woods Conservation Center on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The first session of the school, an advanced maps and electronics class on Feb. 22 Ð 24, incorporates classroom instruction, photographs from KirkpatrickÕs extensive slide program, and hands-on sonar experience including global positioning system units. ÒThis class allows time to be spent detailing topographical and hydrographical maps and correlating their relation to fishing success while outlining bass movement,Ó Kirkpatrick said. ÒBy utilizing the maps in conjunction with known bass habits, we build seasonal patterns to use throughout a typical year. Although my fishing schools are held on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, the knowledge and expertise acquired is applicable to all other bodies of water when in the pursuit of bass.Ó Kirkpatrick has been a professional guide on Sam Rayburn Reservoir since 1974. He is a field reporter to the Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle, Beaumont Enterprise, and Texas Fishing and Hunting News. He has appeared on ESPN, on PBS-TVÕs ÒRod and Reel,Ó and on ÒFishing Texas.Ó His fishing schools have been featured in magazines including Field & Stream, Southern Living, and U.S. News and World Reports.
Tuition for the class is $195 and includes lodging, meals and classroom materials. The Piney Woods Conservation Center was constructed in 1985 and is used primarily as the summer school field station for forestry students. Dormitory-style accommodations and a fully staffed kitchen are available for events including retreats, reunions, seminars and youth camps. For registration information, call 409-584-2412 or 409-584-3177. Information is available on the Web site at www.sfasu.edu/forestry/pwcc/.