FAYETTEVILLE – The Fayetteville chapter of Project Healing Waters Fly-Fishing will hold the fifth annual Marabou Madness Fly-Tying Event on Saturday, March 3, and Sunday, March 4, at the Pechmann Fishing Education Center in Fayetteville.

For the past four years, the Marabou Madness event has provided veteran participants of PHWFF with an opportunity to come together and share information, stories and fellowship with other fly anglers and veterans. This free event offers fly-tying and fly-fishing instruction for active members of PHWFF, an organization that aids injured service members and disabled veterans in their physical and emotional recovery through instruction in fly-fishing, fly-casting, fly-tying and rod building.

Renowned fly-tyer Charlie Craven will provide attendees instruction on how to tie five different fly patterns, including Griffith’s Gnat, Brassie, Copper John, Hare’s Ear Nymph and the Wooly Bugger. Marabou Madness attendees can also look forward to numerous fly-tying demonstrations, tying contests, fly-casting games, an exciting fishing derby and an awards ceremony. For more information, contact Tom Carpenter at 910-868-5003 or thomas.carpenter@ncwildlife.org.

Four workshops are available to the public at the Pechmann Center this March. Online registration is required for the workshops, which are open on a first-come, first-served basis.

March 10 – Women’s Only Fly-fishing Clinic from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This fly-fishing workshop is part of the Commission’s Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program. Participants will receive hands-on instruction from experienced instructors on the basics of fly-fishing, including roll casting and the basic overhead cast, knots, rod assembly and fly-tying. After learning the basics, participants will test their new skills by fishing for trout in the Center’s recently improved pond. A registration fee of $20 covers instruction, the use of equipment, lunch, drinks and snacks. Pre-registration is required, and the workshop is limited to 40 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact BB Gillen at 919-218-3638 or bb.gillen@ncwildlife.org.

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is an international program in which women age 18 and older learn outdoor skills through hands-on experiences. In North Carolina, BOW workshops are held across the state, providing instruction on fishing, hunter safety, target shooting, archery, canoeing, motorboat safety, outdoor cooking, tracking, map-and-compass orienteering and other outdoor skills.

March 13 – Migratory Spring Fishing Seminar with Capt. Greg Griffin from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Every spring, thousands of fish migrate from our coastal rivers and sounds into many rivers in the state. In this seminar, local guide Capt. Greg Griffin will teach you about striper and shad in the Roanoke River, where they will be, when they will be there and how to catch them.

March 22 – Fly-Tying Forum from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Open to ages 10 and up, but participants under 16 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The forum provides attendees the opportunity to increase their fly-tying skills. Participants are encouraged to use their own equipment, but limited equipment and materials are available upon request. Fly-tying forums occur on the fourth Thursday of each month.

March 29 – Introduction to Kayak (Safety & Rigging) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Open to ages 16 and older. This free clinic is designed to give anglers and paddlers the information required to safely and successfully fish in sheltered waters from a kayak. In this classroom seminar, participants will learn the basics of kayak fishing including choosing a boat, required equipment, outfitting and rigging, tackle/gear selection and safety.

The John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center is located at 7489 Raeford Road in Fayetteville, across from Lake Rim. Commission staff at the Pechmann Center conducts fishing workshops, events and clinics throughout the year. Most programs are free and open to the public. For more information on the Commission’s wildlife education centers and other activities and events, visit www.ncwildlife.org/learning.