Just returned from a three-day trip to Flamingo with none other than Flip Pallot. What a wonderful time. Met up with Flip here in central Florida and we drove south to Florida City the "back way" - down through the heart of the state.

We are deep into compiling our August/September travel issue, and I'm pretty sure you are all going to like what we deliver. We've got Capt. George Sawley catching giant yellowfin tuna in Venezuela; Pat Ford pursuing blue marlin in Guatemala; Tony Peña covering the opening of a new lodge in Panama; several captains, mates and readers recounting their best/worst travel stories; and a sneak peek at Zane Grey's last published work, Tales of the Gladiator.

And now for something entirely different: a little good news.

The recreational-fishing community has had its share of downbeat developments of late on many fronts, including fisheries-management challenges and restrictions, and slow sales of boats and motors. But if you think folks just aren't motivated to go fishing, think again.

While so many aspects of our lives seem to be heading a bit south of late, sales of fishing tackle and fishing licenses are holding steady overall and, in some cases, increasing, according to the American Sportfishing Association (www.asafishing.org).

Managing red snapper recreationally by having anglers purchase a tag for each snapper he/she hopes to catch (within a total of allowable catch) - that's just nuts.

Or is it?

Recently an idea that the Coastal Conservation Association floated before the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council ended up floating itself right out into the public domain. The reaction, which has since died down a bit, was fast and furious.

Returned to the States recently from Belize. Toured the coastal area from north to south. An awfully pretty country, but the wind was quite fierce for May. The last two days of the weeklong adventure were almost unfishable, as it howled a consistent 25 mph and gusted to 35.

Made the trip down to IGFA headquarters in Fort Lauderdale last week for the final public-comment meeting related to the new general management plan (GMP) for Everglades National Park.

As expected, a wide range of opinions were spouted on which direction the park should take. Some argued for no change (Alternative 1) to current park policies and direction. A couple environmentalists, meanwhile, argued in favor of Alternative 4, which would close off huge areas of Florida Bay to boaters.

This is not a joke - but you can (and should) help stop it!

Even fishermen who live on the East Coast are likely aware that for the second year in a row, California's salmon fishery is moribund. One of the main and longstanding reasons for decimation of many of the state's wild-salmon runs - including those historically with the greatest numbers of fish, from the mighty Sacramento River - is water diversion.

We just completed another Marlin University down in Costa Rica, and although the fishing proved a bit better than our last trip, we seemed to hit Carrillo in between bites again. We spent our first two fishing days in some real pretty, clear blue water, with temperatures in the low 80s and rips and currents galore. Everything looked perfect, but we couldn't find any bait. Usually, boats here find baits schools down deep with their sounders and work the immediate area until predators drive them to the surface.

In the ongoing development of a new general management plan (GMP) for Everglades National Park, administrators have opened up another public-comment period encompassing the park's revised management alternatives through May 15. A host of public meetings also have been scheduled for later this month and into April.

This marks anglers' last chance to make their voices known, as a "preferred alternative" will be selected this fall, pending the outcome of these meetings and comments. So comment - and attend!