Even on the West Coast, where things are a little warmer in the fall and winter months, we sometimes struggle to find the motivation to get out fly fish.

Things are starting to cool off and, before long, it will seem like the fish get more sluggish as well.

But now isn't the time to put your fly rod into hibernation.

In fact, the fall and winter months are ideal for surfperch and other saltwater surf-zone species as noted in our piece about fly fishing for barred surfperch.

Barred surfperch photo by Brian Milne

The National Fly Fishing Championships were held in the State College, Penn., area Oct. 24-26, 2009, with anglers from around the country vying for a spot on the U.S. world championship team scheduled to compete in Poland next June.

Despite difficult conditions stemming from fall downpours, the 10 teams made up of 50 anglers landed more than 420 trout on the Little Juniata River, Penns Creek, Spring Creek and Fishing Creek.

Local pro George Daniel took home the individual gold medal, followed by Utah's Lance Egan and New Mexico's Norman Maktima. They will be joined on Team USA by Devin Olsen, Mike Sexton, Anthony Naranja, Pete Erickson and Josh Stephens.

For complete results from all 50 competitors, along with reaction from the anglers, read our in-depth article on the 2009 U.S. National Fly Fishing Championships.

Want to know what it's like to compete in the World Championships? Check out our Q&As with Egan following the 2008 and 2009 World Fly Fishing Championships.

It's no secret athletes like to fly fish. I've written about fishing jocks, and coaches, a handful of times on About.com. (See: Ken Griffey Jr., Nnamdi Asomugha, Ted Williams, Bob Knight and Ryan Newman.)

But I haven't written about many NBA players who enjoy fly fishing in their down time.

That was until I heard Cleveland Cavaliers general manager and former player Danny Ferry enjoys the push and pull of the fly line.

In a recent Q&A on Cleveland.com, Ferry says if he had a day all to himself, he'd spend it fly fishing. In fact, Cleveland has more fly fishing options than you might think.

Just read that Fly Rod & Reel magazine is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

As I wrote in a previous post about the inaugural edition The Flyfish Journal, it's good to see some quality fly fishing magazines are still alive and well.

I respect Fly Rod & Reel because it's one of those magazines I grew up with -- in fact, I was born only a couple years before Fly Rod & Reel first hit the newsstands in 1979.

Lee Wulff's great back-page "Wulff's Run" columns were always a must read, the last of which ran in the Jan./Feb. 1992 issue shortly after he died in a plane crash.

If you never had a chance to read any of Wulff's work, it's definitely worth looking up.

Well, Halloween's just about here, which means the weather's starting to turn and the days are getting shorter.

And this morning was the first morning in a long time that I had to chisel the frost off my windshield - all of which means my fly fishing days are getting numbered for the remainder of the year.

Holidays, Mother Nature and work make for a mean combination in the late fall and winter months, even out here in California.

I know this is the case for many of you across the country, but I'm going to strive to not let the big three keep me from fly fishing more this "offseason." In fact, I'm going to go out and get my 2010 license as soon as it's available next month ... we all know the DFG could use those permit fees ASAP.

I'm also going to be writing about a ton of solid fall/winter fisheries in coming weeks, so stay tuned for those. In fact, please note your favorite places to fish in the fall and winter months in the comments sections below, and I'll add those to my featured waters list.

But if you insist on staying in this winter, I'm also going to be providing plenty of gear reviews. If you have a product you'd like me to test/review, be sure to contact me before the holiday gift rush.

I guess President Obama isn't the only politician who likes to fly fish these days.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski was featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered this week, talking about everything from his love for fly fishing -- his bio says he'll "throw a fly into any puddle or stream of water in Oregon" -- to green jobs and his second and final term in office.

Good fly fishing Podcasts are hard to find, so this NPR story is worth checking out.

A Chinook salmon caught by Gov. Kulongoski during the fly fishing trip. Photo courtesy NPR.

California Department of Fish and Game Donald Koch has announced his resignation, adding to the cloud of uncertainty that looms over the state's fish and wildlife management program.

As the Sacramento Bee notes in today's edition, "Koch's departure comes at a difficult time for the state as it struggles with challenges, including game warden shortages, budget problems that hinder wildlife management and historic efforts to rewrite water law, restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and adopt marine sanctuaries."

The announcement comes as California is considering restrictions on freshwater fishing stocks and expanding no-fishing zones off Southern California's coast. A five-member panel is expected to make a recommendation on the marine protected areas today before forwarding the proposal to the DFG for final consideration.

The DFG and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are scheduled to host meetings for input on its hatchery and stocking program on Oct. 26 (Redding), Oct. 28 (Bakersfield) and Oct. 29 (Carson).

The DFG has cut trout stocks around the state - including on my hometown Nacimiento River - in part because of a 2006 lawsuit filed by the Pacific Rivers Council and the Center for Biological Diversity that claimed the stocks did not comply with the California Environmental Quality Act.

The DFG has since developed an Environmental Impact Report/Statement, which it hopes to have finalized by January.

In the meantime, the public is encourage to comment at these forums or by writing to dfghatcheryeir@dfg.ca.gov or Jim Starr, California DFG, 830 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95811, by Nov. 16. Check out the DFG's Web site for more information.

Editor's note: Every week this fall, About.com fly fishing guide Brian Milne is writing about some of his favorite fly fishing destinations. Here's his first installment:

Among the many stellar trout fisheries near Bozeman, Mont., is the Gallatin River, which is where President Obama first tried his hand at fly fishing earlier this year.

The river is located west of Bozeman and is very accessible to anglers traveling along Highway 191.

When flows die down by the late summer and fall, the Gallatin is a solid choice for wader-clad anglers.

This is also a good time for flinging 'hoppers or other large attractors. Blue-winged olives and other dries work well late in the season.

Where's your favorite place to fly fish? Share your favorite getaway on our readers' favorite fishing destinations page.

If there are two things in my life I enjoy, it's writing and fly fishing - which is why I can appreciate The Flyfish Journal.

If you're an avid fly fisherman, who still uses that old school rod and reel your old man gave you, and still appreciate the ink on your fingers after reading the Sunday newspaper (after a long morning on the water, of course), you'll enjoy The Flyfish Journal, too.

In an era when newspapers are going belly up, and outdoors magazines are cutting back and moving their "dead-tree medium" to the Web, The Flyfish Journal is a breath of fresh air.

The Journal, which published its first issue this fall, is as fine a fly fishing publication as I've seen.

The photos are top notch. It's a great read. And the passion that goes into the journal is unparalleled.

I think Jeff Galbraith put in best in the Publisher's Notes of the first issue when he wrote: "And now this, The Flyfish Journal, at a time when the world at large would tell us we are crazy to attempt such a thing. But flyfishing, and its culture of freaks and fanatics has always provided us an island of nonsensical joy in a wolrd of over-efficiency. Nothing about it makes sense, which is perfect. And a collectible journal is the ideal way to capture this glorious nonsense."

Well said, Jeff.

Congratulations on your first issue ... and welcome to my coffee table.

Read About.com's extended review of The Fly Fish Journal.

Editor's note: Every week this fall, About.com fly fishing guide Brian Milne is writing about some of his favorite fly fishing destinations. Here's his latest installment:

Missoula, Mont., is probably most known for being the location where "A River Runs Through It" was based.

But Missoula has a lot more than just the timeless Blackfoot River to hang its hat on.

In fact, Missoula is within minutes of four of the best trout fisheries you'll find in Big Sky Country.

Along with the Blackfoot, Missoulians can also fish for wild rainbows, cutthroat, brook, cutbows and brown trout at Rock Creek and the Clark Fork and Bitterroot Rivers. There are also plenty of squawfish and mountain whitefish for anglers who have never hooked up with these species.

Where's your favorite place to fly fish? Share your favorite getaway on our readers' favorite fishing destinations page.