Take the conditions in our fledgling spring. There's still ice fishing at Strawberry, while the smallmouth and largemouth bass are just turning on at Lake Powell.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

There's also planning to be done for fishing trips for the rest of the year. It's good to have trips planned in advance; it somehow makes the tedious stuff at work easier to take when you have something exciting to look forward to.

Of course it is also fun to take spur-of-the-moment trips. So now is also a good time to clean the tackle box, prep the boat, stock fly boxes or whatever else it is that you need to do to be ready to wet a line.

Tournaments and special fishing-related events - like the annual Free Fishing Day on June 7 this year - should be marked prominently on calendars.

If you read this column with any regularity, you know I'm a huge supporter of youth fishing. Utah has two youth bass tournament schedules, with qualifiers advancing to national championships where scholarships can be won.

The 2008 FLW Youth Bass Tournament season kicks off May 10 at Hyrum Reservoir. Other events will be May 31 at Echo Reservoir and June 28 at Jordanelle. A mandatory meeting for those who would like to participate in the FLW tournaments is being held April 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sportsman's Warehouse in Midvale. More information is available at www.utahflwyouth.com.

Youth will get another chance to qualify for a championship when the Utah BASS Federation Nation kicks off its tournament schedule July 19 at Pineview Reservoir. Other events will be Aug. 16 at East Canyon Reservoir and Sept. 27 at Jordanelle Reservoir. Information on the BASS Federation schedule can be found at eteamz.active.com/utbfn/.

Fly fishers have something to look forward to with the second annual Wasatch Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo, scheduled May 2-3 at the Karen Gail Miller Convention Center in Sandy.

Features of the expo include fly-tying demonstrations, casting clinics, workshops, children's activities, prize raffles and exhibitors. A banquet will be held May 3 at 6:30 p.m. The expo will run from 4 to 9 p.m. on May 2 and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 3.

As part of the festivities, the Wasatch Fly Fishing Film Festival will be May 1 at 7 p.m. at the Miller Free Enterprise Center at Salt Lake Community College, 9750 S. 300 West, Sandy. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door.

Money raised from the event will be used for conservation projects in Utah. A list of the workshops, classes, and casting clinic schedules will be posted at www.stone flysociety.org and www.wasatch expo.com.

brettp@ sltrib.com