If you ever wanted to learn to fly fish, there’s an opportunity for you this spring in northwestern Pennsylvania.

1. Lake Erie Ultimate Angler’s Trout 101 class is scheduled for April 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the shop, 3737 W. 12th St.  The free, beginner-oriented course will cover tackle, flies, basic knots, technique and more. Sign up in advance by e-mailing Sales@ShopUltimateAngler.com or calling (814) 833-4040.

Lake Erie Ultimate Angler also has a Trout 201 course scheduled for May 6. Registration is $100.

2. The Fly Fishing Coach is offering world of fly fishing courses April 6 and May 4 in Warren, nymph fishing strategies April 28 and on-stream fly-fishing strategies May 5 and May 8. Cost is $125 for each session.

To register, call (814) 706-2506 or Allegheny Outfitters at (814) 723-3030.

3. Kinzua Fly Fishing’s two-day session is May 4-5 and its three-day session is May 17-19 at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford campus. Students must be at least 12 years old; experienced and inexperienced students are invited.

(Full disclosure: My wife and I learned to fly fish from these folks.)

Fly-fishing legend Joe Humphreys is scheduled to instruct on two days of the three-day session, which costs $420 for commuters and $445 for those who elect to stay in campus housing. The two-day seminar runs $285 for commuters and $305 for resident students. Meals are included.

Morning sessions are dedicated to classroom learning and casting, while afternoon are spent on stream, especially West Branch Tunungwant Creek that runs right through campus. Evening elective sessions go as late as midnight and include fishing, knot-tying, fly-tying, leader development, entomology and more. Loaner equipment is available.

For information, visit the school’s website. For a registration form, call Steve Skvarka at (814) 368-5814 or e-mail him at skvarka@penn.com.

4. Neshannock Creek Fly Shop in Volant, Lawrence County, is putting on a female anglers fly fishing school May 4-5. Day One runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Day Two from 8 a.m. to noon.

Instruction will include knot tying, leader and tippet selection and all the mechanics of successful fly-fishing, as well as basic entomology.

Cost is $175 per person on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact the fly shop at info@ncflyshop.com or (724) 533-3212 to reserve a spot or for information.

5. Neshannock Creek Fly Shop also is putting on a youth anglers fly fishing school in June. Daytime classes run June 10 thru June 14, and students must provide their own equipment.

Professional instructors will teach students abouut tying knots, wading, hooking and landing fish and more.

Cost is $195. Reservations are open now; contact the fly shop at info@ncflyshop.com or (724) 533-3212 to reserve a spot or for information.

Lake Erie Ultimate Angler will offer a Trout 201 class May 4 focusing on streamside technique.

The class typically takes place on Oil Creek, in Venango County, and includes casting, presentation, using indicators and more. It’s largely intended for those who have taken a Trout 101 class or have some fly-fishing experience.

Lunch, a fly assortment, and a tackle assortment are provided with class. Cost is $100, which must be paid by April 27.

Class size is limited; early registration is recommended.

For information, call (814) 833-4040.

Lake Erie Ultimate Angler will put on a beginner fly-tying class each Thursday from today through April 4 at the shop, 3737 W. 12th St.

Classes will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Cost for the three sessions is $20. Class size is limited; please sign up online, by calling 833-4040 or by e-mail at sales@shopultimateangler.com.

Have your own tools and vice? Please take them to the class. Otherwise, Ultimate Angler will provide equipment. All other materials will be provided.

The North Coast Fly Fishers are hosts for a great winter road trip idea Saturday, Jan. 12 — the Northern Ohio Fly Tying Expo.

The event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Building Y at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland Ohio, just 90 minutes from Erie on Interstate 90. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for youths 13 to 18, and free for those under 12. Scouts in uniform also get in for free.

There’ll be plenty of tying, especially Dennis Potter’s all-day seminar. And beginners will be able take their turns at tying.

But there also are many Great Lakes-specific seminars on topics such as steelhead fishing, fishing for smallmouth bass, trout fishing in Pennsylvania, strike indicator fishing, inland Ohio trout fisheries and more.

Get in on the Black Flyday fly fishing invitational Nov. 23 to benefit 3CU trout conservation and stocking programs.

Fish from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with black flies only; best combined length wins. Record your witnessed steelhead catches and take your result tally to Crowley’s Restaurant & Irish Pub, 8844 Route 18, Cranesville, from 4-5 p.m.

The $10 entry fee includes appetizers at Crowley’s; the $25 fee includes a steak dinner. Call (814) 774-8450 for details.

A reminder that the second annual Great Lakes Steelhead Expo is scheduled for Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 5 pm. at Rainbow Gardens, 3100 West Lake Road.

Admission to the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association-sponsored event is $15 per person, and free for those 15 and younger who are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

More than 40 vendors are scheduled to attend. Ox roast, hot dogs and beverages will be served throughout the day.

Three speakers also will appear:

April Vokey is an ambassador for Patagonia, the host of Buccaneers & Bones and a fishing guide on the Dean River in British Columbia. She also writes for several magazines including Fly Fusion Magazine. She is a world famous fly-tier specializing in Northwest patterns.

George Daniel, a Pennsylvania resident and member of the U.S. Fly Fishing team, is the author of “Dynamic Nymphing.” He will autograph his books after his presentation.

Mike Bleech, Erie Times-News outdoors writer, has published more than 5,000 articles in more than 100 publications since 1980.

Here’s a story from the first expo in November 2011.

The second annual Great Lakes Steelhead Expo is scheduled for Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 5 pm. at Rainbow Gardens, 3100 West Lake Road.

Admission to the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association-sponsored event is $15 per person, and free for those 15 and younger who are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

More than 40 vendors are scheduled to attend. Ox roast, hot dogs and beverages will be served throughout the day.

Three speakers also will appear:

April Vokey is an ambassador for Patagonia, the host of Buccaneers & Bones and a fishing guide on the Dean River in British Columbia. She also writes for several magazines including Fly Fusion Magazine. She is a world famous fly-tier specializing in Northwest patterns.

George Daniel, a Pennsylvania resident and member of the U.S. Fly Fishing team, is the author of “Dynamic Nymphing.” He will autograph his books after his presentation.

Mike Bleech, Erie Times-News outdoors writer, has published more than 5,000 articles in more than 100 publications since 1980.

Here’s a story from the first expo in November 2011.

A Thomas & Thomas switch rod is being raffled through Sept. 30 at midnight with proceeds to benefit the mission of Project Healing Waters Erie.

Skip Hughes, of Mile Creek Custom Rods, built the 10-foot, 7-weight four-piece. The rod features a blank and reel seats from Thomas & Thomas, guides from Snake Guides and grips and Alps guides from Batson. The rod also will be lined by Cortland. The fighting butt will be inset with a Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing marker.

Line included, the rod has a value of more than $1,000.

Buy as many as 10 tickets at once here for $10 each. Each ticket is assigned a number. On the day of the drawing, organizers will use random.org to select the winner, who will be notified by e-mail or phone. Include name, address, e-mail and phone number during your ticket purchase.

Project Healing Waters Erie will get 100 percent of the proceeds to fund trips and fly fishing gear for disabled military personnel.

Skip Hughes of Mile Creek Custom Rods has built an 8-weight fly road that’s being auctioned to benefit the Erie Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Inc. chapter.

The high bid as of today is $325. Help drive it a bit higher and you’ll give Hughes, the chapter founder, and the other project volunteers resources to help them assist disabled veterans and active service personnel. Hughes guarantees that 100 percent of the proceeds will go into the program to help fund outings and pay for fly-tying materials.

Erie Times-News outdoors writer Mike Bleech recently wrote about the latest version in his series of annual fishing projects. He’s built his own 3-weight fly rod with the intention of chasing wild trout.

Mike promised specs to anyone interested. Here they are:

Guide sizes and spacing (distance from tip)  4 5/8 inches, #2/0; 9 5/8 inches, #1/0; 15 3/8 inches, #1; 22 inches, #1; 29 1/4 inches, #1; 38 inches, #1; 46 7/8 inches, #2; 56 inches, #3; 65 1/8 inches, #16 Hialoy Ring stripping guide. All guides except the stripping guide are single foot fly guides that I got from the Netcraft catalog. Guides on page 79.

I altered the guide spacing just slightly so the wrap on guide #7 is also the ferrule wrap. Otherwise it is a pretty standard spacing for a rod of this length. It seems to be right, since it casts very nicely. Of course, a 3-weight fly rod is not meant to cast very far.

I got the blank from the Cabela’s Tackle Craft catalog, page 7, model No. RF2F793. It is a 7-foot 9-inch, 3-weight.

I used a half wells reversed cork handle, about 7 inches long. I already had this and I do not know where it came from. Likewise, I already had the reel seat. It is about 3 3/4 inches long. It has a rosewood insert. Then I added a Royal Coachman decal. Also, I used a winding check at the front of the handle.