Summer derbies aid fishermen, fisheries

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For many Maine anglers, winter is prime time for fishing derbies, as communities rally around their annual events and turn lakes into virtual towns for a weekend.

During the summer, competitive fishing has typically been confined to bass tournaments.

Not any more.

A pair of ambitious fishing derbies are scheduled for the weeks ahead, and participants in both tourneys will rest well knowing that they’re playing a valuable role in management and research efforts.

First up, let’s head to tidal water, and talk about the Coastal Conservation Association’s first Penobscot River Catch and Release Striped Bass Tournament.

The CCA’s tourney will run from June 21through July 26, and anglers will be expected to fill out log books documenting their catch during that time.

According to the CCA’s Web site, the group is working with researchers from the University of Maine, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Maine Department of Marine Resources to gather information about striped bass behavior.

Striper fishing in the Penobscot has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and anglers often catch the fish from Brewer all the way down to Penobscot Bay.

Photographs of the fish will be used to judge winners, and prizes will be awarded July 26 during the Penobscot River Revival on the Bangor waterfront.

If you’re interested in taking part, you can learn more by going to the CCA Maine Web site at www.cca-maine.org.

Tourney organizer Dave Huntress can be reached at dhuntres@cca-maine.org.

Farther north, the Moosehead Lake Fisheries Coalition have decided to stage a togue-only fishing derby June 21-22.

Cash prizes for the three largest lake trout caught will be $600, $400 and $250, while the smallest togue will also win the angler $250.

The top door prize is an Old Town Predator 160 canoe.

Last winter organizers held an immensely successful togue derby on Moosehead in order to help state fisheries biologists toward a goal of reducing an overabundance of lake trout.

Anglers enthusiastically supported the concept, and 494 participants ganged up to pull 2,024 togue from the lake, with the blessing and thanks of biologists.

The effort continues during the summer derby, which will further help fisheries staffers reach their goal … and in turn help anglers in the years to come.

For more information, call 695-2702.

Moose lottery today

Since 1980, Mainers have taken special interest in a lottery drawing that has provided many with hunts they’ll never forget. Others have come to view the moose permit drawing as an annual reminder that they have no luck at all.

Today, the luck of many longtime entrants will change. Finally.

And tomorrow morning, we’ll know the names of all the lucky hunters who were awarded the coveted permits during the lottery, which begins at 6 p.m. at the Kittery Trading Post.

I’m heading down to Kittery for all the festivities, and I’ll share some tales with you in Friday’s editions.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife will post results on its Web site – wwww.mefishwildlife.com – as soon as possible this evening, and you’re welcome to search for your name there.

Or, you can just open up your Bangor Daily News on Friday morning, and find the complete list of permit holders.

Good luck to all, especially those who have yet to cash in during this annual rite of late spring here in Maine.

Coming up …

I spent a couple of hours Tuesday with Steve Campbell of Brewer talking about history, tradition and the appreciation of quality handmade outdoor equipment.

Campbell, you may not know, is the owner of the Thomas Rod Company, which had its roots in Brewer during the late 1890s.

Campbell purchased the company from Sam Carlson in 1999 and returned it to its Brewer roots, where he continues to craft fine bamboo Thomas fly rods according to time-honored traditions.

Campbell recently finished work on a new showroom and workshop, and is understandably excited.

On Saturday, I’ll tell you more about Campbell, Thomas Rod Co., and the painstakingly precise craft of creating outdoor works of art out of bamboo.

And on Monday, you can see even more during the weekly “Going Outdoors” segment Dave Simpson and I put together for the evening newscasts on ABC-7 and FOX-22.

Campbell is not only an outstanding craftsman, he’s also quite a historian when it comes to bamboo rods.

The resulting walk down memory lane will be of particular note to many who still hold the Thomas name in the highest regard.

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

990-8214