FISHING -- Spring-like conditions are advancing in leaps and bounds, as indicated by the experience of a friend who went fly fishing on Crab Creek in Lincoln County twice in the past 10 days.

On the first trip he hit a hatch, caught and released quite a few fish and encountered no ticks.

Buoyed by that experience, he returned to the creek on Monday.

"I caught four fish, and plucked off 25 ticks," he said.  "The tick season has arrived. I'll be fishing elsewhere."