McClory: Hazy, hot and humid makes for a good week at the lake

What a week to be on vacation at a lakefront cottage, especially if you enjoy water sports. The hazy, hot and humid weather is great for the kids; it gets them off the computer and on the water. Our boat was constantly being used to pull waterskiers and tubers from dawn to dusk on the days it wasn’t used for fishing. For the fish on Sebago Lake, the hot weather and extended hours of bright sun this week drove them down to find the cooler, more comfortable water. We were able to locate them, using downriggers and lead core line. We found the fish at 70 feet fishing over 90 feet of water, trolling 1.5 mph, which is a little different than in past years. So far this season, our favorite and most successful lure has been the orange and gold DB smelt. A close second is the medium size orange and gold flash king. These two lures accounted for 13 lake trout, one tipping the scale at 7.4 pounds, and 5 salmon in three outings. We ran into Dave White from Lynn and his wife on the water. They often fish Sebago and were also having a successful week, especially with the lake trout. Incidentally, if you need gas or marine service while on the lake, stop in and see Charlie Frechette at Sebago Lake Marina. Charlie is also an avid fisherman who spends a lot of time on the water and will always share his successful methods and may even give you a lure or two to try.The early Canada goose hunting season dates are Sept. 7-25, with hunters allowed a bag limit of 7 birds per day. Data collected from agency goose banding activities this summer indicate the early goose hunting seasons have kept populations stable in the central and western parts of the state and full bag limits are rarely reached. This is according to MassWildlife’s Waterfowl Project Leader H. Heusmann. In northeastern and southeastern Massachusetts, where we find the densest goose populations, hunters frequently filled the 5-bird bag limit, so beginning in 2008, the September daily bag limit was increased to seven. The early season provides goose hunters with ample hunting and gives more time to landowners to allow hunters to reduce the size of nuisance flocks of resident geese. State and federal waterfowl stamps are required for hunting waterfowl and hunting hours begin one half hour before sunrise and end at sunset. All hunters, including non-residents, who plan to hunt woodcock, ducks, geese, and other migratory birds in the state must register for a 2010 Massachusetts Harvest Information Program (HIP) number after purchasing a valid hunting license. The Harvest Information Program gathers data from migratory game bird hunters for game bird harvest surveys. The information gathered for the harvest surveys assists state and federal biologists to make decisions on setting sustainable bag limits for future hunting seasons. This free registration number may be obtained by calling 1-800-WETLAND.If you applied for an antlerless permit, and were selected, you should have received a white postcard in mid-August. This postcard is not a permit. To ensure receipt of an antlerless deer permit by the beginning of the archery season, the postcard and $5 fee must be returned to “Deer Permit, MassWildlife FHQ, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581” by Sept. 3. Permits will be sent out in a mass mailing in mid-September to those hunters who returned the white postcard and fee by the deadline. Applicants who were not selected through the drawing will receive a green re-application postcard in mid-August. Hunters receiving a green postcard will have the option to re-apply for a permit in a Wildlife Management Zone for which permits are still available. Re-application postcards will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Re-applicants are advised to mail in green postcards as soon as possible. Over the counter sales of any remaining permits will begin Oct. 12.On the salt water front from the Kittery report, Pete Santini at Fishing FINatics says that the tuna are going crazy in his ar