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PRESENTER PROFILE:

Presenter: Joseph D. Cornwall
Presentation: Fly Fishing for the Golden Bone
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Fly fishing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and explore the tri-state. While there are a lot of good fishing opportunities in the Miami Valley, none is as ubiquitous and underutilized as the carp fishery. Carp grow big, strong and wary and are among the most challenging of all freshwater game fish. Within a few minutes’ drive you can be presenting a fly to a fish measured in pounds, not inches. None other than angling luminary Dave Whitlock said this about fly fishing for carp; “In my opinion, carp are a supreme fly-rod challenge, equal to or excelling selective trout, bonefish, or permit in difficulty to take on a fly. To be successful hooking carp on flies, one must be very skilled at fly selection, casting, presentation, and fighting fish… They tested us, they fascinated us, they amazed us and they thrilled us." Join award winning author and Fly Fish Ohio publisher Joe Cornwall for an in-depth look at carping in Ohio and the Midwest!

Joseph D. Cornwall grew up in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Fascinated by water from the very start, Joe was taught to fish by his grandfather, Joe Wager, at an early age. Under grandpa's tutelage, Joe became adept in both fresh and saltwater fishing. By age nine Joe was exploring the fascinating hobby of fly tying. By twelve, he had become a fully engaged fly fishing fanatic and by his freshman year in high school Joe had become a charter member of the newly formed Cape Cod chapter of Trout Unlimited and was tying flies for a growing local customer base. Joe quickly progressed from tying flies to building fly and spinning rods and assembling his own custom lead-core shooting heads in order to further entice the bluefish, salters, and striped bass of Buzzard's Bay and Cape Cod. Joe's first smallmouth bass came from the crystalline depths of Peter's Pond. It was a serendipitous meeting. The smallmouth bass has held a special place in Joe's heart since then.

Today, Joe is an active member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) and the Outdoor Writers of Ohio (OWO). He is active in many local fishing clubs and is a conservationist and amateur naturalist. As an outdoor sports communicator and author, Joe is the recipient of the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Awards for Best Magazine Column from the OWO. Joe was also awarded the 2005 Media Achievement award for his book Fly Fishing Warm Water Rivers, 2006 Best Online Article, 2006 Best How-To Article, 2008 Outstanding Magazine Column, 2008 Outstanding Internet Column, and 2008 Outstanding Internet Article awards. Joe Cornwall lives in Cincinnati where he thinks globally, but fishes locally.