Smelt law bypassed the experts

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In the interest of covering a lot of bases and not screaming from one soapbox for too long, we’ll hop around a bit this weekend.

First up: The Maine legislature recently passed a bill that will allow smelt-dipping in certain tributaries of Long Lake in St. Agatha.

“Great news,” you say. “Yippee!” you exclaim.

Not so fast.

In all due respect to the St. John Valley legislators who sponsored the bill and supported it, this law should send a bad message to folks concerned about the state’s fishing resources.

Legislators, of course, legislate. They listen to their constituents, work on their behalf, and do what they can to help those citizens out.

Legislators will likely tell you that’s exactly what happened in this case. Anglers wanted to dip smelts. They’ll get that chance, thanks to the efforts of those they elected.

Biologists? They’re supposed to be the stewards of the resource, no matter which party is in office. Their opinions are supposed to matter … even to legislators.

From this desk, it looks more like politicians cut the legs out from under those (state-employed) fisheries biologists … biologists who cited scientific rationale why smelts – the forage base that makes Long Lake one of the state’s best salmon waters – shouldn’t be dipped.

Dave Basley, the regional fisheries biologist for Aroostook County, pointed out in his fishery report of July 1 that this issue had been dealt with in the past, and that the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife provided testimony in opposition of the bill this time around.

This time around? You bet.

This issue isn’t a new one.

In 2000, in fact, a public petition requested opening Long Lake to smelt-dipping. At that time, (and after hearings on the matter) Commissioner Lee Perry agreed with his fisheries staff and recommended against the proposal.

(For the record, Long Lake is open for the taking of smelts by hook and line, and is open for fishing smelts at night).

Many Mainers, in case you haven’t noticed, are very enthusiastic about their smelt-fishing.

And Long Lake, as Basley points out, has a history of “having its fisheries resources subject to abuse.”

In 1991, for instance, Basley says three individuals were sentenced for participating in an illegal commercial fishing operation involving 187 salmon and brook trout on Long Lake. In 1987, wardens apprehended a man in the Van Buren Cove section of Long Lake. He had 51 gallons of freshly dipped smelts … which he’d gotten from a closed-by-law cove.

Still, no matter what poachers do, Long Lake seems to survive. Each year, 8- to 10-pound salmon are caught. (These salmon are, of course, eating very well).

And every so often, some anglers get together and try to change a system that’s obviously working, just so they can dip a feed of smelts.

This time, they succeeded. They bypassed the experts, went right to the legislators, and got exactly what they wanted.

In five or 10 years – if salmon get progressively smaller – we’ll see if they want exactly what they got.

Now, a news flash for rowdy ATV’ers: An item moved on the Associated Press wire on Friday that caught my attention, especially seeing as how a few misbehaving ATV riders have garnered so much press in Maine lately.

It seems that riders in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area were getting so rowdy, the feds stepped in with a rule none of the riders interviewed seemed too crazy about.

No booze allowed in certain portions of the Oregon Dunes.

The incident that brought the alcohol ban in the first place: Last year’s Labor Day weekend, during which people were run over by drag-racing ATVs, and during which some women decided it would be a good idea to drive around on their ATVs topless (The story doesn’t say whether the folks who ended up getting run over were in the process of ogling the topless ATV’ers when they wandered into the path of the drag-racers).

Now, it’s easy to sit back and say, “That’s Oregon … not Maine,” or “We’re not riding on federal land, so we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Believe this: Wardens and other law enforcement personnel know that plenty of ATV’ers in this state regularly pack away a cooler of beer when they head into the woods, and that the same drivers plan periodic pit stops to wet their dusty whistles. They’ve told me they’re concerned about it.

And (lest you forget) much of the land our local ATV’ers take for granted and (wrongly) consider their own is, in fact, private property owned by one timber company or another.

If injuries start mounting, or alcohol-related crashes increase, or general lawlessness among ATV’ers becomes a habit in those forests? Well, it’s not hard to imagine a day when ATVs – not just booze – wouldn’t be permitted.

All it takes is an angry CEO, a work crew, and a few signs or gates, and “open access” could end for everyone.

Food for thought.

DIF&W’s weekly freshwater fishing report (check it out at www.mefishwildlife.com) can give you a good idea of what’s biting, where … and what to use for bait.

From Francis Brautigam’s Southwestern report this week: A tale of a fish worth catching.

Brautigam reports that Fred Gallant Jr. of Windham landed a monstrous lake whitefish.

“Dragging three colors of lead core [line] in 40 feet of water, Fred hooked and landed a 6.4-pound lake whitefish, one of the largest caught in recent memory,” Brautigam reports. “This whitefish is very close to the current state record of 7 pounds, 8 ounces, also a Sebago native, caught in 1958.”

There’s nothing like finding out that big fish are still out there … somewhere.

Unless you’re an early riser (and your paper carrier is equally ambitious), by the time you read this I’ll likely be a few holes into what I’m sure will be an enjoyable round of golf for a great cause.

The tournament, will benefit Maine’s Youth Fish and Game Association, which has opened a clubhouse on Pickerel Pond outside of Milford.

Hampden Country Club has donated the use of the course, and all proceeds will be used to help introduce children of the region to outdoors-oriented pursuits.

Now, I’ll admit that I have yet to touch a club this year (which also means I haven’t lost a golf ball all season). Seeing as how the tourney is a scramble, and seeing as how I scrambled and enlisted the best golfer I know to play with us, I’m sure things will turn out all right.

Now, if you’re reading this (and not out golfing with us at Hampden), you may be wondering how else you can help Maine’s Youth Fish & Game Association.

The answers are pretty simple: First, you can buy your children a membership (you’ll be amazed at the price). Or second, you can call Steve Greenleaf at 732-4402, or Richard Adams at 631-5509. A few bucks would help, or Adams and Greenleaf may be able to tell you about other needs that have cropped up.

Final tally: After spending the past several weeks and months traversing the state’s rural roadways, I’ve decided to figure out an answer to the question I keep getting asked.

Every time I return home, someone greets me with this: “So, did’ja see any moose?”

Lately, I find I keep saying, “Yes,” and trying to figure out exactly how many I’d seen.

This week’s total, for instance, was six: Two bog-waders, three night-time road-dodgers, and one dead critter that had been turned to mulch on I-95 just before I arrived on the scene.

My year-to-date total as of now (as close as I can recount, that is): 31 moose. While that number won’t mean much to those of you who live in Greenville or Millinocket, or over in Eustis, it’s by far the most meese … err … moose … I’ve ever seen in a given year.

I am, after all, a “city” kid who grew up in the (relatively moose-free) “metropolis” of Brewer.

Since we’ve got five months left in the year, and since I’m expecting to spend a lot of time in the woods, and since I’ve got to figure out something to do while I pile up the miles along our state’s highways, I’ve decided to keep counting, and I’ll let you know how my “moose collection” is coming as the year progresses.

Who knows? Maybe by October I will have had so much fun “hunting” for moose in my truck I’ll forget that the moose lottery folks didn’t draw my name this year.

Or maybe not.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.