Fishing conclave scheduled for June Trout Unlimited banquet tonight

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With the weather generally warming – gradually – it’s not too soon to start thinking about some warmer pursuits.

With that in mind, folks may want to think about heading to Greenville in June for the Fly Fishing Spring Conclave.

The event, which will be held June 20-22 at Casey’s Spencer Bay Campground on Moosehead Lake, is being organized by FlyFishinginMaine.com.

According to Dan Tarkinson, the publisher of FlyFishinginMaine.com, the conclave will offer something for all fly fishing enthusiasts.

“We have held events like this on a smaller scale in the past, but look forward to getting together a much larger group this year,” Tarkinson said. “We’re organizing some interesting activities for all different levels of experience and interest, and we’ll hopefully raise enough money to be able to give the Saco River Salmon Club and [Trout Unlimited] a nice donation.”

The conclave will include fly fishing, tying, and casting lessons, and seminars, slide shows, product demos, and raffles will also be held.

One of the most exciting prizes: an authentic gray ghost tied by Carrie Stevens.

Stevens invented the popular streamer fly that has become a mainstay in the arsenal of landlocked salmon anglers.

Another highlight is the presence of R.W. Brown, a fly tier and guide from Livingston, Mont., who tied the flies that were used in the movie “A River Runs Through It.”

Jim Babb will offer a campfire book reading and Danny Legere of the Maine Guide Fly Shop will present a slide show on local fishing opportunities.

For more information, check out the Web site at www.flyfishinginmaine.com.

TU chapter banquet tonight

A quick reminder to folks who may be interested in the Sunkhaze Stream Chapter of Trout Unlimited’s annual banquet: It’s tonight – April 12 – at the Conservation Center on North Main Street in Brewer.

Tickets are $30 for a couple and $18 for a single. An auction offers plenty of chances to buy great equipment at a great price … and help out a worthwhile organization.

Two-day shoot scheduled

The Eye of the Hawk Shooting Club is hosting a two-day shoot that will benefit the Penobscot Longrifles clubhouse construction fund.

The shoot will run today and Sunday at the Knox County Fish & Game Association in Union.

Saturday’s events include woods walks, knife and hawk, clays, split the ball, and some line shoots, while Sunday’s activities include regular line shoots.

Shooting begins at 9 a.m. each day.

Moose auction nets $51,542

While most people’s hopes of bagging a Maine moose hinge on being successful in the annual permit lottery, a fund-raising project gives five lucky bidders the chance to purchase a license … at a price.

This year’s auction raised $51,542 for the five permits – an average of $10,308.40 per moose.

All of the money raised in the auction goes to partial scholarships that will help send 300 Maine youngsters to the Maine Summer Conservation School at Bryant Pond and at the Greenland Point Center in Princeton.

The auction was created by the legislature in 1995.

The successful bidders: Weldon Doran of Stuart, Fla., Robert Roach of Bellefonatine, Ohio, Arthur Schischer of Northhampton, Pa., Emily Crocker of Brunswick, and Mark Spillane of Florida.

Women’s programs offered

DIF&W’s Becoming an Outdoorswoman program has scheduled six opportunities to learn hunting, fishing, and other outdoor skills. The workshops are aimed primarily at women 18 years and older. Instructors volunteer their time so that these programs are as affordable as possible.

BOW is offering four one-day programs with an emphasis on a single skill such as marksmanship, a shotgun clinic, hunting over dogs, whitewater canoeing and backpacking.

The annual BOW weekend, Sept. 12-14, offers participants a choice of introductory-level seminars in more than 20 areas, such as fly tying, fishing, archery, map and compass, canoeing, hiking, firearm safety, hunting, and shotgun. Each person attends four seminars. The event will be held at Camp Bishopswood on Meguntigook Lake near Camden.

For more information and applications, visit www.mefishwildlife.com, or contact coordinator Dorcas Miller (76 Williams Road, Chelsea, ME 04330 or dorcasmiller@gwi.net

The following BOW programs are scheduled for 2003:

. April 26, Shotgun Clinic in Scarborough, cost $55, limited to 20 people (must have taken a BOW firearms course or have Hunter Safety Certification).

. May 18, Hunting over Dogs in Milo, limited to 10-15 people (Hunter Safety Certification required).

. June 14, Whitewater Canoeing Clinic in Bryant Pond, cost $55, limited to 20 people.

. Sept. 6, Shotgun clinic in Hermon, Cost $55, limited to 20 people (Must have taken a BOW firearms course or have Hunter Safety Certification).

. Sept. 12-14, BOW weekend at Bishopswood in Hope, $190, limited to 100 people (scholarships available).

. Oct. 3-5, Backpacking in Parsonsfield, $150, limited to 20 people (scholarships available).

To submit an item for publication in the Outdoor Notebook, send e-mail to jholyoke@bangordailynews.net, fax to 990-8092 or mail information to Outdoor Notebook, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor, Maine, 04402-1329.