The Penobscot River above the Eddington boat ramp flowed low and slow on Thursday, and few boats or anglers were visible during a brief evening bass-fishing trip.

A lone fisherman cast lures from shore, and a friend and his future son-in-law tried their hand with fly rods from another boat, drifting lazily down the Veazie shore.

A few folks in kayaks paddled down river, fishing rods jutting jauntily upward.

But other than that, it was pretty quiet on the mighty Penobscot … just the way anglers like it.

If a few more bass had turned up to enjoy the evening’s festivities, things would have been nearly perfect.

As I cast floating flies toward likely lies (and failed to hook anything other than a solitary sunfish) I had plenty of free time to think about the future, and what things will be like on the river in the coming weeks.

Beginning Sept. 15, there will be a few places on the Penobscot where anglers will be hard-pressed to find any solitude, you see.

Two of the legendary salmon pools will again open for business, and fly fishers from near and far will head onto the water, hoping to fool an Atlantic salmon.

That experimental season, the first since 1999, will last a month. Many anglers wanted more – truth be told, many were upset that the traditional spring season wasn’t opened instead – but most are willing to accept the state’s compromise.

Yes, the Penobscot will be back in the salmon business in less than a month.

And it seems that there’s no better time to let you know about a few salmon-related developments.

Salmon licenses on sale

Ever since the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission voted to hold an experimental salmon season on the Penobscot River this fall, folks have been asking the same question: How do I go about getting a license.

Earlier this week, the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife provided an answer to that question and many others.

First, a little background: The Penobscot, along with all the state’s other rivers, has been closed to Atlantic salmon fishing since 1999.

After several months of fact-finding, public hearings and meetings, the ASC decided earlier this year that a one-month, catch-and-release season could be held from Sept. 15 until Oct. 15.

The season is being called “experimental,” because, according to the ASC, it’s important to “ensure that any continuation of Atlantic salmon fishing will not jeopardize the recovery of the species.”

So how do you get a license?

The same way you get any of your other state hunting and fishing licenses: Go to the DIF&W’s Web site (www.mefishwildlife.com) and take advantage of the department’s Maine Online Sportsman’s Electronic System, or MOSES, to quickly and simply purchase one.

Or, if that doesn’t work for you, other authorized MOSES dealers (like town offices) are also selling the salmon licenses.

Here are some other key points to consider:

. Your regular fishing license does not allow you to fish for Atlantic salmon. You must purchase the special permit.

. A resident adult license will cost $15. Members of Maine Indian tribes and all Maine residents under the age of 16 are exempt from any fee.

. Non-resident adult permits cost $30. Non-residents who are under age 16 can get a license for $5.

. For traveling anglers, a three-day non-resident license is available. It will cost $15, but may not be exchanged for a season license.

And remember: All fishing is catch-and-release, and will only be allowed in the area from markers located 150 feet below Veazie Dam down river to the site of the former Bangor Dam. The pools at the Penobscot Salmon Club, which are below the dam site, are not open to fishing.

Conditions may dictate that the season be halted or suspended at any time, at the discretion of the ASC. Green flags at the Penobscot, Veazie and Eddington salmon clubs mean the river’s open. Red flags mean it’s closed.

If you’re a salmon enthusiast who may not get a chance to fish for them this fall, the ASC is still hoping you’ll support its efforts by purchasing a license.

According to the ASC Web site, fees will be used by the commission to aid conservation and management efforts in Maine, and anglers can show their support by buying a license.

And who knows? If this fall’s season goes well, we may be fishing for salmon again in the spring.

How many fish have returned?

When salmon enthusiasts talk about fishing on the Penobscot, conversation often turns to a single number.

While salmon biologists crunch plenty of numbers in their restoration and conservation efforts, there’s one total that many view (whether fair or not) as the barometer of those efforts on the river.

It’s the trap count at the Veazie Dam, which tells how many adult fish have made their way upstream that far (and, of course, chosen to move into the fishway, where they’re trapped and studied).

River-watcher and rod-maker Gayland Hachey of Veazie reports that as of Wednesday, a total of 1,008 adult salmon had made it into the Veazie Dam trap this season.

To put that number in perspective, only 84 fish have been counted at the 10 other stations monitored by the ASC.

According to Hachey’s Web site, this year’s total is slightly higher than last year’s, and slightly lower than it was on the same date in 2004 and 2003.

As of Aug. 23, 2005, the total was 944. Two years ago it was 1,278, and three years ago 1,053 fish had made their way to Veazie by that date.

And what about the breakfast?

Some avid anglers – those who belong to the area’s salmon clubs – may have received a letter stating that the traditional opening day breakfast won’t be held in conjunction with the fall season.

That breakfast has typically been held on the opening day of the spring season, and has remained popular, even during the years the Penobscot has been closed to fishing.

According to Don Foster, the chairman of the Penobscot Salmon Club, news of the breakfast’s demise has been overstated.

In fact, Foster said in an e-mail, his club did cancel its traditional breakfast. But after receiving several e-mails, that decision has been revoked.

Foster said Dick Ruhlin, the president of the Eddington Salmon Club and a commissioner of the ASC, called and offered the Eddington club’s facilities for a combined event.

And that’s exactly what’s on tap.

The breakfast won’t be held on opening day – that falls on a Friday – but will be staged on Saturday, Sept. 16 instead.

The meal will run from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., featuring (according to Foster) “breakfast cooked by several renowned chefs brought in from around the world.”

Sounds like a great time. I’m sure I’ll see many of you there.

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