According to the plans I quickly cobbled together early last week (without, I might mention, taking the time to look at long-range weather forecasts), Saturday was going to be an exciting day.

After two years on dry land, it was high time for me to finally take my ice shack back where it belonged.

At least, that was the plan.

As the week progressed, however, I lost all interest in launching the shack we proudly call “Save the Bait,” (named, incidentally, after the battle cry bellowed by its previous owner after the shack caught fire on Long Lake one crisp winter morning).

We are in Maine. I love it here. And I can deal with cold.

I do, however, draw the line at capital-C Cold like we saw last week.

Ice-shack-launching, I figure, is a warm-ish weather pursuit. Or at least a warmer-ish pursuit.

The reason: Something will go wrong (at least, it will when I’m in charge. I will spend more time on the ice, without any shelter from the elements, than I thought I would.

And if you’re the one left trying to figure out how to untie that one, pesky (but otherwise perfect) tie-down knot and the wind is howling on one of those capital-C Cold days … well, I think you get the point.

On Thursday, I gave up on the idea of launching Save the Bait, thanks to an Internet consultation with the Weather Channel.

This is important, though: I wasn’t chicken. Not a bit. I’m a Mainer, after all … and I’m tough … kind of.

I was (my mother will be happy to hear) finally using some of the common sense that everyone has been telling me I’d discover … some day.

On Saturday, I rose early and headed out anyway, bound by a commitment to coach an eager group of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders in a sport that I had given up shortly after I truly began to understand it.

The handy digital thermometer in my truck told me that it was 29 degrees below zero.

To some, that’s ice fishing weather.

To me … it’s officially, indisputably, capital-C Cold.

And on days like that, Save the Bait can wait.

Palmyra site open for XC skiing

If you’re an avid cross country skier looking for a new place to explore, a family in Palmyra may have just the option you’ve been looking for.

The Cayer family, owners of Palmyra Golf and RV Resort, have begun grooming 10 kilometers of ski trails on the grounds of their resort, and are now open to cross country skiing.

The new enterprise is called Countryside XC.

Bradford Cayer, one of the managers of resort, said the addition of cross country skiing made perfect sense.

“We have a lot of property here that is just beautiful in the winter,” Cayer said in a release. “This seemed like the perfect way to share it with the public.”

The price is $10 for an all-day pass and $7 for a half day. Seasonal passes for singles and families are available for $100 and $200.

Cayer said the facility offers a variety of wooded options for skiers.

“A common misconception our customers have had at first is that the trails run through the golf course,” he said. “While there are a few trails out in the open, many of the groomed trails run through over 300 acres of woods.”

Countryside XC is located on the Lang Hill Road in Palmyra. For more information call 938-4947.

Tunk Lake togue targeted

As reported previously, there are a number of lakes in our area where lake trout – togue to those who fish for them – are getting out of hand.

According to biologists, a limited forage base in those lakes has resulted in an overpopulation of undersized togue and salmon, and anglers can help.

John Hunt, a project coordinator for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine’s Quality Salmon Initiative, checked in last week to ask for help on Tunk Lake.

Hunt and Ron Brokaw, the state Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife fisheries biologist for the region, are teaming up to get word out, and to ask for help.

“Many well-intended sportsmen and women have been practicing catch and release,” Hunt and Brokaw wrote. “These individuals are to be commended for their willingness to release a legally caught fish, so others will have the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of catching a fish.”

Unfortunately, he points out, in Tunk Lake that catch-and-release ethic can backfire.

“We would like to strongly encourage anglers to keep the 14- to 18-inch togue that they catch,” they wrote. “We would also like to encourage anglers to spend a greater amount of their time togue-fishing this lake. This is a class example of how an overabundance of lake trout can limit the number of large salmon.”

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