Each year at about this time, a friend of mine calls or e-mails with an invitation he figures I can’t refuse.

“The smelts are running,” he’ll tell me. “You’ve got to get up here.”

“Up here” means, he tells me, “somewhere a ways from Millinocket” – he won’t get any more precise than that – and driving back in the middle of the night, dodging moose all the way back to Bangor, has proven to be one of the deal-breakers.

What I don’t tell him is that the last time I went smelting I was extremely lucky I escaped without breaking a leg or cracking my head on a rock.

Waddling down unfamiliar stream banks in the pitch-dark can be quite an adventure, I quickly learned.

And when you break your net on the first swipe (which we did) and your total evening smelt production is exactly three skinny smelts … well … let’s just say you’re left a few fish short of a feed.

And let’s just say that it’s understandable when you think very carefully before committing to your next smelting excursion.

But now that the black flies have begun hatching, and most of the state’s ice is out, it is, indeed, time for rural Mainers to start uttering those three magic words.

Smelts are running.

If you’re one of those who enjoys dipping a feed of smelts (or one who wants to give it a try), there are some rules to be aware of.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife sent out a list of regulation changes made last year. Some of the new rules apply to commercial fishermen, while others apply to recreational anglers as well.

Here then, from the DIF&W, are the things you ought to know, just in case the guys and girls in green are lurking near your favorite smelting haunt:

. Recreational and commercial smelt anglers are restricted to a dip net with a 24-inch diameter when fishing in or within 100 feet of the mouth of a tributary. Larger nets can be used in lakes.

. Recreational and commercial smelt anglers have to call it quits at 2 a.m. Go home. Go to bed. Or stay up all night and gorge yourself on your newfound smelts. Just stop dipping. That’s the law.

. Recreational anglers can only keep five dozen smelts alive for personal bait needs, and the remainder of their two-quart daily bag limit must be killed. Commercial dealers can keep their two-quart limit alive for resale.

. Commercial smelt dealers are no longer allowed to dip eight quarts during the spring dipping season. Two quarts is the limit.

. Commercial dealers can only use artificial light to attract smelts. The use of food particles is no longer allowed.

The DIF&W reminds anglers that not all waters are open to smelt dipping, and that dipping is only legal in approved waters when the water is naturally free of ice.

And in a related matter, in the department’s weekly fisheries report DIF&W fisheries biologist Dave Basley reminded readers of an omission in this year’s open water law book.

Mud Brook, a tributary of Long Lake in T17 R3, is in fact open to fishing for smelts with a dip net. The brook was opened by the legislature in 2006, Basley pointed out, but was inadvertently left out of the law book.

North Maine Woods update

With more than 3.5 million acres of prime commercial forest, and a vast network of interconnecting roads, North Maine Woods is a popular destination for the traveling outdoors enthusiast.

I checked back in with Al Cowperthwaite, the executive director of North Maine Woods, and asked him for a travel update that could help readers decide whether it’s time to embark on that yearly fishing trip … or whether another week or two would be a good idea.

Cowperthwaite responded via e-mail and told me that he’d been on the road much of the week. During his travels (and after talking to the folks at Katahdin Air Service), he learned that conditions varied greatly across the region.

Without talking about specific roads, he told me the spots readers could actually fish, should they want to … the places that weren’t quite ready … and the places that will take a bit more time.

Ice is out at Ripogenus Lake, Baker Lake, Seboomook Lake, around John’s Bridge, Shin Pond, Scraggly Lake, and the lakes in the Millinocket area.

Ice was in on Thursday, but might go out by the weekend at Portage Lake, Millimegasset Lake, Millinocket Lake, Chamberlain Lake, Eagle Lake and Churchill Lake.

Ice was still in and looking like it might stick around until next week at Rainbow, Munsungan, Chesuncook, Allagash and Caucomgomoc lakes and Wadleigh Pond.

Cowperthwaite also cautioned travelers about another hazard. He said that water release at Seboomook Dam has put the parking lot at Lobster Lake under water. Part of Seboomook Road is also under water.

The best idea: If you’re in doubt on getting to your location, contact North Maine Woods before you head afield. You can reach the office at 435-6213.

Decoys draw top dollar

Three times a year, Guyette & Schmidt, a Maryland business that was based in Farmington until 2005, holds a decoy auction.

And three times a year, I receive an e-mail that makes me wonder how many valuable wooden birds lurk undiscovered in garages across the country.

This year’s spring auction was held April 26 and 27, and grossed more than $5 million. According to a company press release the show pushed Guyette & Schmidt’s total sales over $100 million.

A world record for an Illinois River decoy was established when a sleeping mallard hen carved by Charles Perdew sold for $252,000.

Another decoy, a curlew carved by William Bowman, had sold for $87,750 in 2000, but resold for a whopping $313,000 during the spring auction.

If you’ve got any decoys you think might be valuable, Guyette & Schmidt provides free appraisals for anyone who sends a photo and self-addressed, stamped envelope to Guyette & Schmdit, P.O. Box 1170, St. Michael’s, Md., 21663. Their phone number is (410) 745-0485. You can also e-mail them at decoys@guyetteandschmidt.com.

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