Anglers looking to tangle with a monstrous Maine game fish may want to consider heading to Fort Kent the weekend of Aug. 13-14.

The town will hold the second annual Fort Kent International Muskie Derby beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday and running through 7 p.m. Sunday.

The St. John River boasts 225 miles of prime habitat for muskie fishing, and many anglers in Aroostook County have discovered the thrills of fishing for the burly species.

Derby organizers expect to award $5,000 in prizes to both youth and adult anglers. The entry fee is $25 for adults and $10 for children, which includes a T-shirt, raffle entry, and a barbecue dinner at Bee-Jay’s Tavern.

Among the categories: longest fish and farthest-traveled fisherman.

For more information, contact Dennis Cyr at 834-3507, e-mail him at info@fortkent-muskie.com, or check the Web site at www.fortkent-muskie.com.

New Jersey bear hunt likely

While Maine bear hunters won a battle to maintain the status quo in their sport during last fall’s referendum, their New Jersey counterparts had their bear season canceled amid plenty of controversy.

According to a release from the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced on Wednesday that the state will likely resume hunting black bears this year.

According to the release, the decision comes in the wake of months of sportsmen protest over the cancellation, the airing of a documentary that showed the dangers of overabundant black bears in the state, and a near attack on a 3-year-old at his home in northern New Jersey.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection reported that it has fielded 398 black bear damage and nuisance complaints this year, and received 234 complaints during the same period last year.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, which protects the rights of hunters, anglers, and trappers in the courts and through the legislative process, filed suit in New Jersey trying to force the 2004 hunt to continue after a last-minute cancellation.

The Alliance won in a state appeals court, according to the release, but the commissioner of the department that oversees the state wildlife management agency subsequently appealed to the state Supreme Court, where he won an injunction against the hunt.

That commissioner – Bradley Campbell – told the Newark Star-Ledger recently that a bear hunt may be a necessity.

“We need to reduce the population,” he told the columnist. “All indications are there will be a hunt this fall, and it will probably be an annual feature thereafter.”

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