Meeting set for fishermen

If you’re an angler who enjoys fishing in the Moosehead Lake region, there’s a public meeting that you may be interested in.

On Tuesday fisheries biologists will join Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife deputy commissioner Paul Jacques at the Piscataquis Valley Snowmobile Club clubhouse in Dover-Foxcroft at 7 p.m.

DIF&W advisory council member Ray Poulin will also attend.

The program will cover updates on DIF&W proposals that affect anglers, and biologists will discuss stocking plans and look for public comment on some proposals they are considering.

Colonel’s Outdoor Tip

Each week, Col. Tom Santaguida, the chief of the Maine Warden Service, provides an outdoor tip. This week’s tip:

For those ice anglers who ice fish on lakes and ponds where there is a good snow cover and do not have an ice shack, it is a good idea to bring along a couple of items to make your trip more enjoyable:

. A snow shovel is very useful when ice fishing for clearing places to set your tip-ups, clearing out an area to set your equipment, food and bait and tackle and making a snow-free place to stand or sit while you wait for flags.

. A second very useful item for ice fishing when there is snow cover or slush on the lakes is a tarp. A tarp placed on the snow or slushy ice not only provides a dry place to sit but also prevents the loss of cooking utensils, fishing equipment and other belongings in the deep snow. It’s great to have a nice dry tarp laid out on the snow to keep mittens, bait scoops and your thermos bottle on. Don’t forget to anchor down each corner with ice, snow or some equipment to make sure it doesn’t blow away.

As the sun gets stronger, ice fishing, especially on the warmer days, can be a very fun activity. So don’t forget to buy a license and pick up an ice fishing law book and go ice fishing!

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.