The Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge will celebrate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Centennial with a youth fishing outing on June 14.

The event will take place at the Maine Youth Fish and Game Association’s clubhouse on Pickerel Pond outside of Milford.

Highlights of the day include refuge exhibits from Sunkhaze Meadows NWR and Petit Manan NWR in Milbridge, a display by the friends of the Sunkhaze Meadows group, a cookout, hourly door prizes … and fishing.

Equipment and bait will be provided for those who need it, and prizes will be awarded for the largest and smallest fish.

Pickerel Pond is an 11-acre pond containing brook trout. By state law, the pond is open to fishing only for ages 15 or younger. The pond has a two-fish limit, though catch-and release is encouraged.

Canoes will not be available, but you can bring your own.

To get to Pickerel Pond, take County Road out of Milford, then turn right onto Stud Mill Road. The clubhouse is on the left.

For more information, contact Sunkhaze Meadows NWR at 827-6138.

Free fishing days set

Mainers and visitors alike can take the opportunity to enjoy some prime fishing on June 14 and 15 … and not pay for it.

The weekend has been designated a “Free Fishing Weekend” by the state, and anyone (except those whose license has been revoked) can fish for free on waterways throughout the state.

“These two days are a great way to get introduced to a lifetime hobby like fishing,” said Peter Bourque, the director of fisheries program development for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “The kids are starting school vacation and it’s Father’s Day weekend.”

Bourque said the opportunity comes at just the right time, too.

“This is prime-time fishing in Maine,” he said. “Whether you want to fish for brookies in a small stream or troll for salmon or togue in the north country or catch a rainbow or brown trout in central or southern Maine.

“Bass should be very aggressive in the central and southern areas, as well as the Down East region,” he said. “It’s the perfect time to have some fun at very little cost.”

Free fishing days coincide with Father’s Day weekend each year. There are also free fishing days during the winter, which take place on the weekend before Presidents Day.

Eye of the Hawk plans shoot

The Eye of the Hawk will host a shoot on Sunday at the Knox County Fish & Game clubhouse in Hope.

Games begin at 9 a.m., with line shooting, clay pigeons, and knife and hawk competitions. Hot breakfast is available beforehand and lunch will be served at noon.

For more information, call Tim Douglas at 273-3529 or Sandy Smith at 785-4383.

Medway bass tourney on tap

The Greater Lincoln Bassmasters will host the Medway Open bass fishing tournament on June 15 from 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Registration and weigh-in will take place at the Medway public landing, which is off Route 157 on the Penobscot River.

Registration will be held from 6-6:40 a.m., and a pre-tournament meeting will begin at 6:40.

The entry fee is $50 per two-person, one-boat team. The awards will be based on the total weight of five fish.

The first-place team will split $400, while second place is worth $200, and third will pay $100.

For applications and tourney info, call Brent Oliver at 794-6540 or David Merkel at 794-8797.

PASCO donates to TU

At a recent youth education workshop sponsored by Trout Unlimited and L.L. Bean, PASCO Scientific donated a set of data-loggers, sensor probes, and curriculum guides to the Merrymeeting Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

The Merrymeeting Bay TU chapter is in the fourth year of its Casting to the Future program. Each year the group selects one middle school or high school and works with a teacher in that school to offer instruction in fly casting, fly tying, insect identification, and water safety. After classroom work, students are offered the chance to test their new skills in a local pond.

During the summer, graduates of the program are invited to another outing to hone their skills and learn more about trout habitat. In the fall the chapter hosts the students for a three-day fishing trip at Canal Side Camps in Grand Lake Stream.

With the donation of the equipment, the Casting to the Future program will also be able to include some water-quality monitoring techniques for habitat assessment. The PASCO equipment is durable and easy to use, and the associated software has been made available to all students in the Maine Laptop Program, allowing for an easy exchange of data.

The Merrymeeting Bay Chapter of TU plans to share this equipment with other Maine TU chapters and offer training workshops on the equipment. Any teacher interested in using the equipment is encouraged to contact the chapter by e-mail at mmbtu@mmbtu.org.

Pine Tree Camp paddle changed

The venue for the Paddle for Pine Tree Camp, which will be held today, has changed due to unsafe water levels on the Kennebec River.

The paddle was originally planned to cover several sections of the Kennebec, but because of high water levels, all paddlers will start at Pleasant Ridge Landing on the Wyman Lake impoundment near Bingham.

The first group of paddlers will leave at 9 a.m., and another group of paddlers will leave around 12:45 p.m. and return at about 4.

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.