Bill Blackstone

Should you encounter Bill Blackstone on a fishing stream one day, resist the angler's urge to ask what he is using for bait, because no doubt he will show you. Simply keep walking. "I do a little bit of a spoof," Blackstone said. "I open this thing and I nonchalantly say, 'Well, I was using one of these.' They all look like they're going to crawl out. (The person looks) and says, 'My God, are those real?' Or there's no response. They just turn and walk away."

Should you encounter Bill Blackstone on a fishing stream one day, resist the angler's urge to ask what he is using for bait, because no doubt he will show you. Simply keep walking. "I do a little bit of a spoof," Blackstone said. "I open this thing and I nonchalantly say, 'Well, I was using one of these.' They all look like they're going to crawl out. (The person looks) and says, 'My God, are those real?' Or there's no response. They just turn and walk away."

When his father died, 10-year-old Bill Blackstone sought solace by going fishing on the Santa Clara River. It was there that he met Charlie Funk, who, with a quick lesson in tying flies, hatched the career of one of the world's best fly-tyers. For the next decade, the boy "pestered this man, this new father figure" about the finer points of winding feathers, furs and hackle around hooks. Now 61 and living in Orange, Blacksone's flies sell for as much as $300.

Blackstone Group priced its initial public offering at the top end of the range Thursday, raising $4.13 billion in the largest U.S. IPO since 2002, even as lawmakers pushed for a delay in the offering. The expected debut today of Blackstone's stock on the New York Stock Exchange is a watershed event for the booming private equity industry. The first major U.S. buyout firm to go public, Blackstone will trade under the symbol "BX." The $31-a-share IPO values Blackstone at $33.

How will the passage of Proposition 132 affect sportfishing off the Southern California coast? The local gill net fleet largely targets halibut and white seabass, two species heavily fished for recreation. Bob Fletcher, president of the Sportfishing Assn. of California and a former deputy director of the Department of Fish and Game, said he expects a better balance between commercial and recreational interests.

Once relegated to the dark innards of buildings, sheet metal is increasingly taking its place in the sun. Its use as a central design element has ratcheted up in the last few years, industry experts say, as construction recovers from a slowdown after the 9/11 attacks and the metallic vision of a certain iconic L.A. architect spreads.

"Hunters are being harassed in the field. "Professional wildlife management is being attacked in the courts. "Legislators are proposing piecemeal wildlife management measures. "The state agencies authorized to manage our resources and our wildlife seem unable to function in this environment. "Hear the facts . . . (and) help to devise a positive course of action to protect professional wildlife management and your right to hunt."

There's a room in the arts building at Cal State Northridge that is laden with bugs. Tiny bugs, no bigger than the lead tip on a pencil. And giant bugs. Fat, hairy things with legs and wings and lips. The kind of hideous crawling bugs you encounter in cheap motel rooms, bugs so big you figure they could change the channel on your TV set. Each day through April 14, dozens of people will converge on the bug-infested room. They will come not to spray or stomp or gas the creatures.

These are high times for fishermen. That annual rite of near-spring known as the Fred Hall Western Fishing Tackle and Boat Show is in full swing. People are flocking to the Long Beach Convention Center by the thousands, eager to be part of the frenzy, buzzing about in search of that perfect fishing rig and the perfect place to give it a try. But this is also a sad time for many in the sportfishing business.