It’s another late winter day in Maine, and yet another day spent indoors, as wind-driven sleet and rain pelt the windows.

What better time to think about warmer weather, and enjoyable days on, in or near the water.

Several weeks ago, when the mail carrier delivered a hefty package to 491 Main, I took a peek at the contents and figured it would provide fodder for a future “rainy day” column.

Seeing as how it doesn’t get much rainier than this, let’s talk about fishing.

The hefty package in question held a book, “Fly Fishing for Striped Bass,” which was written by Massachusetts angler Rich Murphy.

My original plan: Read the entire book, cover to cover, and let you know what I thought.

That, after all, is how book reviews typically work.

In this case, it’s not. Not even close.

The problem: Most how-to, where-to books are pretty specific, and just as easy to tackle. A few pages a night, and before you know it, you’re done.

Murphy’s book, while certainly a where-to, how-to manual of sorts, is nothing like those other, less ambitious efforts.

It is, simply put, a beast … and I mean that in a good way.

And as such, it’s the kind of volume that can serve not only as an instruction manual, but also as a guidebook for future expeditions, an inspiration for learning more about your chosen sport, and (this is the great part) the perfect late-winter salve for a snow- (or sleet-) chapped outdoor enthusiast.

Murphy’s book is a burly 457-page behemoth, and covers everything from flies to habitat to specific Massachusetts locations where you can target stripers. It is not a quick read. It is not an easy read. But it is a worthwhile read, no matter how you choose to read it.

There is, I have learned, no need to speed through this book. It’ll keep.

A few pages, here and there (and a few more immediately before heading out on an excursion to one of the locales described at length) will do you just fine. Savor it. Save it. Learn from it … at your own pace. Most of all, enjoy it … and there’s plenty to enjoy.

Or, if you feel like it, you can just flip through the pages and check out the spectacular photos of some of the most beautiful striper water you’ll ever see.

No, I haven’t read the entire book from cover to cover. You might be more ambitious, and speed through the entire thing.

But I doubt it. Murphy provides so much information, the book deserves to be slowly digested, over an extended period of time. Want to look at satellite photos and illustrations of Monomoy or Chatham before you venture down to Cape Cod? Go ahead. Want to learn how to avoid potentially dangerous riptides in some of the top fishing areas? You can do that, too.

Pick a fly pattern, and learn to tie it. Rod and reel choice a problem? Not any more. Are you more of a naturalist, who wants to learn everything you can about this plentiful game fish? Murphy can help.

Murphy has not written a quick-hitting, read-it-and-let-it-gather-dust book. Instead, he has written a lifetime book that will remain fresh for years. Pick a few pages – or a few hundred – here and there, every now and then, and you’ll never get tired of what you find.

For more information, go to www.wildriverpress.com.

Moose lottery deadline looms

If you’re a prospective Maine moose-hunter, it’s time to start getting serious about the annual permit lottery.

You’ve got less than a month to enter, and to make sure your name is among those in the computer hopper when the lottery is held at Kittery Trading Post on June 12. This year 3,015 permits will be awarded during the event.

The on-line application period closes at 11:59 p.m. on April 1.

If you’ve had your name drawn for a permit recently, you ought to remember that you’ve got to sit out two years before you can apply again. Your only hope of hunting during that period is to be listed as a sub-permittee on a successful hunter’s application.

And if you’re planning on taking a random shot at the lottery even though you’re required to sit out for two years … don’t.

State officials have told me that they check carefully to make sure the lottery is fair for all, and those who apply without sitting out the mandatory two-year period will be automatically eliminated from consideration.

Record set on reservations

The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands announced this week that reservations at state parks and campgrounds were being accepted at a record pace.

In a news release, the BPL said that 3,697 requests were processed, and 19,105 camping nights reserved through Feb. 28.

If you’re looking for a weekend getaway or a weeklong adventure this summer, it doesn’t pay to wait. The time to start thinking about a possible camping trip is now.

For more information on camping in Maine’s state park campgrounds, go to www.CampWithMe.com.

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

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