Over the past several years, muskellunge fishing in Maine has changed. Time was, only a few anglers even knew muskies existed in some of the state’s waters, and even fewer knew exactly where to go … or how to entice the finicky, toothy beasts.

Nowadays, the secret is out. There are muskies in northern Maine. The St. John River hosts a sizeable population. And anglers have begun to head north not for the traditional brook trout or salmon fishing, but to see if they can catch a non-native fish that could weigh more than 20 pounds.

Officials in the town of Fort Kent know that. And they’re going to capitalize on the fact that the big, brawling fish are becoming increasingly popular.

Their solution: the Fort Kent Muskie International Fishing Derby, which will be held Aug. 14-15.

“The way we’re trying to initiate it is to have it on an annual basis,” said Leo Trudel, the director of the office of planning and economic development for Fort Kent. “The town has taken the reins this year, and we hope to hand it off to Muskie Inc. next year.”

While technically a non-native species in Maine, muskies were not illegally introduced to the state, as some assume.

The fish migrated to the state after a Quebec biologist introduced them into Lac Frontiere in 1970. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife was not informed of the plan, according to published reports, but in time, that introduction began to effect the state.

Lac Frontiere, you see, is the headwater of the St. John River. Muskies headed into the St. John, and have cropped up in other Aroostook County lakes that feed into the St. John since then.

And since they’ve arrived, so have the fishermen.

Trudel said that while the derby will offer significant prize money – $1,000 for the largest muskie, $500 for second-largest, and $250 for the largest small-mouth bass – there are muskie derbies in other states that take the sport much more seriously.

“In Minnesota they have one fishing derby with a $250,000 purse, with first place being $100,000,” Trudel said.

The current state-record muskie is a 27-pounder that Kim Masse of Smyrna caught during ice fishing season earlier this year.

Trudel said anglers should bring tackle that can handle a fish of that size.

“[I would use] somewhat of a heavyweight rod, not as heavy as a surf-casting rod, but something you might use for stripers off a fishing boat,” he said. “What seems to be working really well are some of the large deep-sea lures like the Rapalas. And obviously, you want to use a steel leader.”

An informational meeting is planned for Friday at 7 p.m., and fishing will take place on the St. John River and its tributaries on Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, call 834-3507 or go to www.fortkent.org.

Call me rash. Call me hot-headed. Call me intolerant. Or, if you prefer, just call me fed up.

Whatever you want to call me is fine. Just allow me this brief rant.

I’m sick of wave runners, or jet skis, or wet bikes, or whatever else they call them nowadays.

Let me clarify: I’m not sick of all of them. Just the ones that are driven by people who apparently haven’t heard that the state has a law that (theoretically) prohibits driving fast enough to make a wake within 200 feet of shore (unless you’re dropping off a skier … which they never are).

At our family’s camp, that law is regularly flouted. Wave-runners, occupied by typically oblivious (and typically smiling and waving) pilots often zip by within 150 … or 100 … or 50 feet of shore (swimmers or snorkelers or loons be damned).

Some have skimmed between our dock (30 feet out) and our boat (about 75 feet from shore) … in four feet of water … kicking up massive rooster-tails.

Originally, I thought I had solutions to the problem. I thought it would be cool to fashion a primitive weapon that could hurl rotten vegetables at the offenders.

My editor correctly informed me, however, that I was being rash, and hot-headed, and that encouraging anyone to hurl anything at anyone (even in jest) was not the best idea I’d ever dreamed up.

He (rather politely, I think) did not point out that I’m not … um … handy. Or the fact that in my hands, a hammer is a dangerous weapon, and saws and screwdrivers are essentially useless. He also didn’t point out that the likelihood of me ever inventing an actual, working, vegetable-hurling device was slim.

No matter. He was right.

Even joking about taking enforcement matters into our own hands could create an unsafe situation, should a couple of louts take this piece seriously (and have necessary tools and carpentry skills).

So let’s leave it at this: Our lakes should be places where we can relax and have fun. Each person enjoys the water in his or her own way, and there’s room for all of us … especially if we respect the no-wake zone.

Some folks are creating an unsafe situation, convinced that every potential hazard is visible, that every rock is marked, that every possible swimmer just has to have surfaced in the four or five seconds they’ve surveyed the water ahead.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. And unless we’re more careful – especially close to shore – someone’s going to find that out in a tragic way.

Elsewhere in today’s edition of the NEWS, Tom Hennessey eloquently takes readers along as he enjoys a togue-fishing trip with an old friend.

While trolling the surface for salmon won’t likely pay dividends, and while brook trout may be harder to find at this time of year, veteran anglers – like Hennessey – know that even in the hottest months, Maine’s lake trout are accessible … if you go about it the right way.

Greg Burr, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s fisheries specialist Down East, reaffirmed that point of view this week in the DIF&W’s weekly fishing report.

Fishing action for warm-water species is heating up, Burr pointed out. But it doesn’t mean you have to give up on cold-water fish altogether.

“Togue are ready takers as they sulk in the deep, cold abyssal depths,” Burr wrote.

Then the helpful fisheries expert provided a list of waters that togue anglers might want to consider if they want to dredge up a hefty bottom-dweller this month.

Here are his suggestions: In Washington County, try West Grand Lake in Grand Lake Stream and West Musquash Lake in Talmadge.

In Hancock County, you might want to head to Jordan Pond in Seal Harbor, Green Lake in Ellsworth, Phillips Lake in Dedham, Toddy Pond in Orland, Tunk Lake in T10 SD, or Beech Hill Pond in Otis.

And in the same report, Aroostook Region biologist David Basley offered some northern options.

In Aroostook County, he said, togue anglers can head for Nickerson Lake in Houlton, Eagle Lake and St. Froid Lake in the Fish River chain, Carr Pond, Second Musquacook Lake, Clear lake, Munsungan Lake, Haymock Lake, Spider Lake, Cliff Lake and Togue Lake. Also, Big Eagle Lake and Umsaskis Lake in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway are worth consideration.

If you do give it a try, keep the togue-fisherman’s mantra in mind: Troll low … and slow.

Have fun.

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