Wherever an outdoors enthusiast turns nowadays, it seems that passers-by want to know one thing: Where can I find good ice?

Plenty of ice anglers have found satisfactory fishing conditions over the past several days, and one man told me about a weekend excursion to the northern part of the state during which he and his fishing buddy caught more than enough brook trout to keep them chasing flags all day long.

The caveat, of course, was this: All that running took place close to shore, where the anglers in question felt comfortable setting up traps.

And they left their snowmobiles at home.

Another angler e-mailed me pictures taken on Long Lake in Madawaska and St. Agatha, where he had made an ill-fated decision to take his fishing shack onto the ice.

In places, the ice was 4-5 inches thick. In others, it was much thinner. The ice shack nearly sank, but luckily no one was injured during the subsequent salvage mission.

All of which is offered here to serve as an important reminder: It’s getting colder, and many of us are looking at snow for the first time.

Ice fishing derbies are approaching. But it seems a bit of added vigilance might be needed this year.

With that in mind, it’s not too early to begin planning to attend a few upcoming derbies.

One of the most anticipated may well be the second annual Long Lake derby, which drew 290 registered anglers in its first edition a year ago and during which a 7-pound, 1.8-ounce landlocked salmon took top honors.

This year the derby will be different in one important way: Anglers won’t be confined to Long Lake itself.

Instead, they can head to Cross, Square, and Eagle lakes in the Fish River chain, and a new cash prize will be awarded to the angler who catches the largest lake trout … which Long Lake doesn’t have.

The move to a multi-lake derby is a smart one in that fisheries biologists made no secret of their concern after last year’s derby. Long Lake has a rich reputation as one of the state’s premier landlocked salmon producers, and inviting several hundred anglers to that lake (while encouraging a catch-and-kill philosophy) didn’t set well with some.

Spreading anglers around a bit will take some pressure off Long Lake while still allowing those who prefer Long to head to their favorite lake.

Checking in with derby organizers regularly during the tournament is a good idea for those who might want to keep a prize-winning fish but would otherwise be satisfied to play the catch-and-release game.

The derby officially begins at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 3 for cusk fishing, and during the day fishing will continue for salmon, brook trout, and togue.

The cash purse is $3,000, which will be split among the heaviest fish in each of the four categories.

Registration outlets are scattered throughout Aroostook County from St. Francis to Houlton, but preregistration is not required. However, Saturday registrations will only be accepted at the Long Lake Sporting Club in Sinclair, which will serve as the derby headquarters for the weekend.

Registration forms and derby rules can be found at the town of St. Agatha’s Web site – www.st.agatha.com/derby.asp.

For more information on the derby, contact Paul Bernier at 543-7305 or e-mail him at pbernier@adelphia.net.

Among the other derbies on tap around the state over the next few weeks:

. The East Grand Snowmobile Club is holding a derby on East Grand, Brackett, Deering, and North lakes on Jan. 27-28.

. Downeast Family YMCA of Ellsworth is sponsoring an event on all legal waters in Hancock County on Jan. 27.

. The Pushaw Lake Snowmobile Club is holding a derby on Pushaw Lake in Hudson on Feb. 3-4. Pike are a priority at this year’s derby as fisheries officials encourage folks to catch and kill as many of the illegally introduced species as they can. The Pushaw Lake Snowmobile Club is promoting that goal by offering cash prizes for the heaviest collective catch of pike on both Saturday and Sunday.

. Maine’s Youth Fish & Game Association is holding a children’s derby on Pickerel Pond on Feb. 3.

. The 44th annual Schoodic Lake Ice Fishing Derby, which also includes fish caught on Ebeemee and Seboeis lakes, is set for Feb. 17-18. The shore prize pool includes $9,200 worth of merchandise, and prizes worth more than $14,000 will be handed out over the weekend. The derby benefits the Milo Fire Department.

As the derbies approach, you may want to check with the organizers to make sure there’s enough ice to stage the event you’re planning to fish.

In DIF&W news …

Regular visits to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries Web site are a good way to keep up to date on the state’s fish and game matters.

Here are a couple reminders, culled from that site (www.mefishwildlife.com).

First, if you know someone who is considering pursuing a career in the Maine Warden Service, time is running short on the current enrollment period.

According to the DIF&W, the deadline for application is Friday.

Those interested must have a high school diploma or equivalent, be 21 years old by July 31 or 20 years old with an associate’s degree or 60 credit hours of postsecondary education.

In addition, applicants must have successfully passed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s ALERT exam and have passed the academy’s pre-employment physical fitness test within the past year.

And if you’re an aspiring moose hunter, it’s not too soon to begin dreaming about your hunt of a lifetime.

The DIF&W is accepting moose lottery applications on-line. The annual lottery will be held in mid-June, and hunters will head afield early in the fall.

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