Al Campbell's Fly Fishing Terms

Baetis: Something a catfisherman puts on his hookus. Here’s a Latin lesson for you. Add an 'is' or 'us' to the end of a word and you’ve got the Latin equivalent.

Callibaetis: A concoction I dreamed up by adding calamine lotion to my catfish baetis. It didn’t catch any fish, but it did a dandy job on poison ivy.

Hackle: Something that gets raised on my wife every time I tell her I need a new fly rod. This term is usually associated with “dog house” and “alimony.”

Free Drift: The mode my mind is in when my wife is discussing my need for that new fly rod. It’s also a common mental mode for any other unpleasant subject she wants to discuss with me.

Drag: A term I use to describe life without a new fly rod.

Dry Fly: That new fly you purchased before it hits the water.

Wet Fly: That same fly moments after it hits the water.

Fly Line: A story you’re going to hear about your buddy’s fishing trip to Montana. For more information on this subject, see “falsehood” and “bald faced lie.”

Fly Line Conditioner: The words you use to lead up to the story about your fishing trip to Montana. This is a very important phase of telling a fly line. If you omit it, no one will believe a word you say. They probably won’t believe you anyway, but we all have to try, don’t we?

Leader: The best liar in your group. This guy has great potential as a writer for fishing and hunting magazines.

Tippet: Something your buddy always does when you take him fishing in your canoe. Why do you think they invented river boats?

Backing: Something you hope your fishing buddies will give you when you’re telling one of your bigger fly lines.

Nail Knot: One of the many creative knots you can accomplish by allowing your back cast to get too low on a windy day. Some other knots in this category are ‘twig knots’, ‘bush knots’ and the very dangerous ‘rattlesnake noose knot.’

Blood knot: What you get on the back of your head when you execute a forward cast with a nail knot in your line.

Surgeon’s Knot: Otherwise known as stitches. A common treatment for a severe blood knot.

Strike Indicator: That annoying guy you took fishing that was always yelling, “You got a hit, set the hook.”

Waders: A piece of clothing you slip onto the lower half of your body that’s always two inches shorter that the water you’re going to wade. Other items in this category are sea anchors and concrete boots.

Wading Staff: The large group of people needed to haul you out of the water after you venture in over your waders. Some of the more affluent fly fishers keep a paid wading staff on hand at all times.

Royal Wulff: Something I’ve been known to do to a hamburger after a long day of fishing.

Stomach Pump: Some medical attention I had to get after eating at Taco Tim’s the last time I went fishing on the Big River.

Snake Guide: That shifty eyed guy you hired to show you where the fish are. They call him snake for a reason. Good thing your wallet had a chain on it.

Stripper Guide: Hey, we all have to make a living during the off season. Some people are better adapted to this line of work than others.

Reel Seat: The one item of comfort you’re looking for after a long day wading the river. Generally a lot more comfortable than the ant hill you sat on when you emptied the water out of your waders.

Float tube: That container of suntan lotion you just dropped in the river. It’s the only thing you can drop that won’t sink out of sight in an instant. Instead, it drifts away to be picked up by the game warden who’ll ticket you for littering. This usually results in the loss of your fishing privileges for a year or two. Now you know why fly fishermen usually allow themselves to get cooked redder than a lobster rather than risk float tubing.

Fly Vise: A common mis-spelling of a term used to describe our addiction to fly fishing. Related habits might include smoking, drinking and telling fly lines.

Spinner: Another name for the teller of fly lines. If I had gone any further, you could say I was a spinner of lines. Some of you are probably saying that anyway.

Dun: Something you are when you finish all you planned to accomplish. That’s exactly what I am at this moment, dun. ~ AC

Fishing Terms Explained

Catch and Release - A conservation motion that happens most often right before the local Fish and Game officer pulls over a boat that has caught over it's limit.

Hook - (1) A curved piece of metal used to catch fish. (2) A clever advertisement to entice a fisherman to spend his life savings on a new rod and reel. (3) The punch administered by said fisherman's wife after he spends their life savings (see also, Right Hook, Left Hook).

Line - Something you give your co-workers when they ask on Monday how your fishing went the past weekend.

Lure - An object that is semi-enticing to fish, but will drive an angler into such a frenzy that he will charge his credit card to the limit before exiting the tackle shop.

Reel - A weighted object that causes a rod to sink quickly when dropped overboard.

Rod - An attractively painted length of fiberglass that keeps an angler from ever getting too close to a fish.

School - A grouping in which fish are taught to avoid your $29.99 lures and hold out for spam instead.

Tackle - What your last catch did to you as you reeled him in, but just before he wrestled free and jumped back overboard.

Tackle Box - A box shaped alarmingly like your comprehensive first aid kit. Only a tackle box contains many sharp objects, so that when you reach in the wrong box blindly to get a Band Aid, you soon find that you need more than one.

Test - (1) The amount of strength a fishing line affords an angler when fighting fish in a specific weight range. (2) A measure of your creativity in blaming "that darn line" for once again losing the fish.

Fishing Humor: I have to Go Fishing

A guy returned from flyfishing one day and was approached by his wife: "Dear, the washing machine broke." The flyfisher: "Honey, call the repair man and have it fixed!"

The next day upon returning home from another outing: "Dear, the TV is broke." The flyfisher: "Honey, I'm not a repairman. I have to go fishing. Call the repairman and have them fixed!"

The third day: "Dear, the fridge doesn't work anymore." The flyfisher: "Honey, I told you I'm not a repairman but a flyfisherman. Call the repairman and have everything fixed!"

Finally, on the fourth day the flyfisher returns home to find his wife with a smile on her face. "Did the repairman come, honey?" "He sure did, dear. And he repaired everything just like you said." "And how much did he charge, honey?" "Nothing, dear. When I asked him for the bill he told me that I either had to bake him a big chocolate cake or go to bed with him." "Honey, what did you do?" "Dear, I'm not a baker!"

Funny Fishing T-shirts

Need a funny fishing t-shirt? Fishboy has got them! Funny fishing t-shirts is what Fishboy does in over 50 different silkscreened designs on top quality, pigment dyed t-shirts. When you've got to have an awesome, original, far-out funny fishing t-shirt for yourself or as a gift for your favorite fisherman, Fishboy.com is the place to go.

Take our famous Bassturd shirt for example. People tell us they nearly "peed my pants" at the first site of this Fishboy classic. Close behind is Dumbass, Basswipe, Fish Control My Brain and of course the extensive "Identification" series in Catfish, Shark, Trout, Walleye, Crappie, Sucker, Bass and other varieties. If you need a funny fishing t-shirt check us out!

Crappie T-shirts

Hopefully you were searching for crappie t-shirts as in crappie the panfish and not some freak trying to find the crappiest t-shirt in the world or something. We don't sell crap t-shirts only crappie t-shirts to people who know the difference. ;-)
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Common name: Black crappie

Scientific name: Pomoxis nigromaculatus (Pomoxis means "sharp opercle (cheek)"; nigromaculatus means "black spotted")

Distribution: The black crappie occurs in all three drainage basins in Wisconsin (Lake Michigan, Mississippi River, and Lake Superior). This glacial species is well distributed througout the state, except in the streams of the driftless area of southwestern Wisconsin.

Spawning: In Wisconsin, the black crappie usually spawns in May and June; however, during a colder season, spawning may be delayed until July. Favorable spawning temperatures range from 64 to 68º F. The male sweeps out a nest in sand or fine gravel and guards the nest and defends the young until they start to feed.

Angling: The black crappie is considered an excellent game fish when taken on light tackle. Extreme care must be taken in landing these fish because their mouths are very tender. Anglers specializing in catching black crappie know that to be successful the bait must be kept constantly moving. The best baits are small minnows, small maribou-covered jigs, plastic minnows, or small streamer flies cast along the outer edges of weed beds. The crappie lies in weed beds in deep water during the day and bite best in early morning or toward evening. In summer, with the abundance of small fish for feed, they are more difficult to catch. Small minnows are used as bait in winter.

How to Create a Gift Basket for a Fishing Enthusiast

You can easily create a custom gift basket for any fishing enthusiast. She will appreciate anything she can use on a fishing trip and will be able to store her tackle in the basket you've chosen just for her.


Choosing the Gifts and Basket

Steps:
1. Select a variety of fishing tackle, including lines, hooks, sinkers and lures.
2. Buy a humorous fishing-related T-shirt. (Fishboy.com has a lot of great ones!)

3. Consider a fisherman's vest.

4. Include a sweatproof sunscreen with a high SPF and a fisherman's hat.
5. Remember to buy a disposable camera so the fishing enthusiast can record the high points of her next fishing trip.

6. Consider a handheld game with a fishing theme that can be used at home during stormy days.

7. Pick a basket style. You can choose from those with one handle, with two side handles, or without handles. Make certain the basket is large enough to hold the fishing items you have selected.

8. Select a natural wicker basket for its neutral.
9. Use shredded paper filling to make the gifts fit snugly in the basket.
10. Select a humorous greeting card with a fish theme.


Packing the Basket

Steps:
1. Wrap each present with a colorful gift wrap.

2. Put a layer of shredded paper filling in the bottom of the basket.

3. Place the wrapped gifts vertically or horizontally in the basket, as space allows, pushing the filling between gifts to ensure a very snug fit. Cover some of the gifts completely with the filling to create mini surprises when the basket is unpacked.

4. Place the basket in the center of a large piece of clear or tinted cellophane gift wrap. You may need two pieces of the wrap to completely cover a large basket.

5. Bring all sides of the wrap to a few inches above the top of the basket. Secure the wrap by tying it with a long, colorful ribbon.

6. Tape your greeting card to the wrap.

You might want to consider using a creel (a wicker basket for holding fish) to hold all your items. Then the fisherman can enjoy & use the basket while fishing.

10 MORE COMMON FISHING TERMS EXPLAINED

Angler An obsessed individual who owns a house that is falling down due to neglect, a truck whose color can best be described as Rust-Oleum, and a pristine boat that he chamois' down methodically before and after each trip.

Knot (1) An insecure connection between your hook and fishing line. (2) A permanent tangle on your spinning reel which forces you to go out and buy a bigger, better, much more expensive rig.

Landing Net A net used to help drag a large wiggling fish, or an inebriated fishing buddy, on board.

Live Bait The biggest fish you'll handle all day.

Quiet Water Your surroundings after you stop cursing your bad luck and fall asleep at the reel.

Skunked fisherman One who returns to the boat ramp many, many hours after his buddies have gone home so that there are no witnesses to his catch or lack thereor.

Sinker (1) A weight attached to a lure to get it to the bottom. (2) The nickname of your boat.

Thumb A temporary hook holder.

Treble Hook Triples the odds of your catching a fish. Quadruples the odds of your getting the hook caught in your thumb (see above).

Trolling What you do after you've lost a $500 rod and reel set-up overboard.

Snagged!

Jet skiing and fishing really don't belong on the same planet.

Singing Fish: Boogie Bass, Big Mouth Billy Bass etc.

Dumb Ass Bass - Virtual Singing Bass

How Singing Fish Work by Jeff Tyson

Boogie Bass Hack -- a very cool article that shows you how to modify a singing fish -- you can record your own message/song and program your own movements!

Big Mouth Billy Hack in Linux

How To Make A Talking Fish Say What You Want

Christmas Gifts For Fishermen

Christmas Gifts for Fishermen Are Easy to Find

Are you still getting chit for that Billy Bass you bought him a few Christmases ago? Or is it more like you and the six other people who gave him the same singing fish.

Let's face it. You can't complain about the male gene that creates the urge to buy their significant others small appliances (i.e. useful stuff) instead of expensive jewelry, if you don't counter attack with some deeper understanding on your end of this gift giving business.

Basically gifts for fishermen fall into three categories. Things that will catch them more fish, things that they can show off and things that proclaim to the world how much they love to fish.

The first catagory is where the fisherman spends most of his own dough. Bait, new lures, new bass boats etc. This is where all of that money they get you to save by buying cheaper toliet paper goes. Its why you get those "I don't like them" looks from him when trying on new shoes. All of these little things add up to big things like yet another rod and reel.

As for gift giving this area can be a big risk. If you spend a lot of money and its the wrong thing make sure you save the receipts and be prepared for some real disappoint on the faces of the big kid, I mean husband. Gift certificates might work here but then that means a trip shopping which of course means not fishing and that is never any fun.

Category two is also very difficult because you never know what is cool in the minds of your husband's fishing buddies. You might get something that is totally passe by the time the next fishing season rolls around.

Category three, items which proclaim the fisherman's love for fishing for the world to see (t-shirts, hats, signs, paperweights, mouse pads, coffee mugs etc) are probably the safest way to go unless they are so impractical that its just junk - like those singing fish. Going with a gift for a fisherman in this category has several advantages 1. You usually don't end up spending too much money so the nest egg is secure to finance expensive fishing trips and outboard motors. 2. They are going to love it as long as it has something to do with the true love of their life - fishing. After you of course. 3. It comforts them. It makes them believe that you are totally behind their fishing crazed minds. You are one with them. You support their obsession. This might not be totally true of course but it at least says "Hun, I recognize that you are truely out of your mind over fishing but I am ok with it. I realize that nothing will stop this obsession so I might as well join in on the fun".

Happy Holidays!

Top Search Terms on Fishboy

Ever wonder what people are searching for when they come to Fishboy.com? The meaning of life? (That's simple its 42*)

Well not exactly. More likely they are searching for something about lobsters, sharks and the elusive Fishboy catalog (Psst! Our full catalog is right in front of your eyes - its an online catalog Folks!)

Plus a lot of seemingly anti-social types seem to be searching for shirts that express the notion that one must not ever talk during fishing. For some fishing is the way to get away from all that yaking which is increasing ever sense the cell phone was invented. Here at Fishboy we scratch our heads at this one since it appears to us at least that "Shut Up and Fish" items are everywhere right next to the "Bite Me" items. Sigh, maybe someday Fishboy we'll bow to the popularity of this notion but we try to be highly original and unique.

Anyway here is what people seem to be searching for:


Searches Query
31 lobster
21 shark
13 shutup and fish
10 catalog
10 clocks
9 big dead stinky fish
9 clock
9 moose
8 fish
8 gift box
8 tshirt
7 bumper stickers
7 customer service
6 big dead tshirt
6 charleston crazy on the coast
6 dumbass
6 fish metal boxes
6 fishing clock
6 free catalog
6 hats
6 scuba
5 bug lvr tee shirt
5 chocolote lab tshirt
5 contact
5 decal shut up fish


*In Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 42 is the number from which all meaning ("the meaning of life, the universe, and everything") could be derived.
A BBC radio script based on Adams' book contains the following lines:


("Cave man" lays out following sentence in Scrabble stones: "What do you get if you multiply six by nine?")
Arthur: Six by nine? Forty-two? You know, I've always felt that there was something fundamentally wrong with the Universe.
(Faint and distant voice:) Base thirteen!
For the literal-minded and those unfamiliar with terms like "base thirteen," this is a number system in which the number 10 is equivalent to our more familiar decimal 13. A base-13 number 42, therefore, is the same as four 13s plus 2, or decimal 54. So "six by nine" (six times nine) or decimal 54 is, in base 13, 42. For the mystically inclined, 42 in base 13 is the same as 110110 in binary (base 2). This could mean almost anything, and many Adams fans have spent untold hours discovering all of the places where the number "42" pops up. For example, there are many mentions of the number in the Book of Revelation. Others have made a game of finding 42s, such as these:

The angle at which light reflects off of water to create a rainbow is 42 degrees.
Two physical constants in the universe are the speed of light and thediameter of a proton. It takes light 10 to the minus 42nd power seconds to cross the diameter of a proton.
The sum of the ordinal alphabetic positions of the initials (SPG) for Stan (P.) Gibilisco, an oft-published science and technology writer, is equal to 42 (S=19, P=16, G=7).
A barrel holds 42 gallons.
(It should be noted that all of these 42s are base 10, not base 13.)

Get this moose shirt for $8!

Limited supply! Closeout item!

Meet me at The Bearded Moose Lounge - Where everybody's a little horny!

100% cotton t-shirt, silkscreened design, pigment dyed color.

Shirt Color: Duckbeak Yellow

SNEAK PEEK: FISHBOY'S FALL LINE

Coming soon! A whole net full of new Fishboy designs are coming in the next few weeks!

Man. My butt hurts...

COMING SOON! Look for this great new t-shirt in Fishboy's Fall 2005 Collection!

Fishing makes me get up early and fishing makes me stay out late, but mostly fishing makes me sit and wait. Man. My butt hurts...

OW! That's Gotta Hurt

I bought my wife a mood ring so that I could tell when she was in a good mood for me to ask if I could go fishing.

When she is in a good mood, the ring is a pretty light green that matches the colour of her eyes.

When she's not, the ring leaves a little red mark right in the middle of my forehead!

Nemo Has Been Found!

Fishing Joke: Its My Eyes!

A guy rings his boss.

I can't come to work today.

The boss asks why?

The Guy says it's my eyes.

What's wrong with your eyes the boss asks?

I just can't see myself coming to work,

so I'm going fishing instead...

Gross Tongue Eating Bug Found

A gross creature which gobbles up a fish's tongue and then replaces it with its own body has been found in Britain for the first time.
The bug - which has the scientific name cymothoa exigua - was discovered inside the mouth of a red snapper bought from a London fishmonger.

The 3.5cm creature had grabbed onto the fish's tongue and slowly ate away at it until only a stub was left.

It then latched onto the stub and became the fish's "replacement tongue".

Excited

Scientists are very excited by the find.

Dr Jim Brock of the Horniman Museum in south London told Metro newspaper: "I have not seen this species in all my 13 years at the museum so it's a remarkable find."


What the bug looks like

The bugs are usually found off the coast of California, so it's possible the fish was imported to the UK.

Freaked out

But don't be too freaked out - scientists say the creature does not pose any threat to humans and only attaches itself to fish tongues.

Eat Fish, Stay Sane

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Eating fish at least once a week slows the toll aging takes on the brain, while obesity at midlife doubles the risk of dementia, a pair of studies concluded on Monday.

Omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish have been shown to boost brain functioning as well as cutting the risk of stroke, and eating fish regularly appears to protect the brain as people age, the six-year study of Chicago residents said.

"The rate of (mental) decline was reduced by 10 percent to 13 percent per year among persons who consumed one or more fish meals per week compared with those with less than weekly consumption," wrote Martha Clare Morris of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

"The rate reduction is the equivalent of being three to four years younger in age," she added in the report published online by the Archives of Neurology.

The protective effect from eating fish was evident even after researchers adjusted for consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Alzheimer's disease and other causes of dementia are growing problems around the world, particularly in developed countries with aging populations.

In another study published in the same journal, Swedish researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm concluded that obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels at midlife each doubled the risk of dementia later in life.

Subjects who suffered from all three of the health problems at midlife multiplied their risk of developing dementia six times compared to people free of the risk factors, she said.

Nearly 1,500 subjects who have been part of a study that began in 1972 were reexamined. The 16 percent who were obese at midlife were at double the risk of dementia compared to the one-quarter of those with normal weight at midlife and the half who had been slightly overweight.

"Midlife obesity, high systolic blood pressure, and high total cholesterol were all significant risk factors for dementia, each of them increasing the risk around two times," study author Miia Kivipelto wrote.

Catfish Trys To Eat Basketball

CATFISH WITH A BIG "BALL" PROBLEM

FISH STORY FROM WICHITA EAGLE NEWSPAPER

A resident in the area saw a ball in a pond, bouncing around kind of strange. And when he went to investigate, he discovered that it was a catfish and it had obviously tried to swallow a child's basketball. Which became stuck in its mouth.

The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive. The resident tried numerous times to get the ball out but was unsuccessful. He finally cut the ball in order to deflate it, and then released the catfish.

Fishboy's Decals - To Die For

Fishboy's large die-cut stickers are a great way to add personality to your vechicle. These large decals are weather proof and come in a variety of great fishing themes from "Fish Control My Brain" bumperstickers and die cut decals to "Fishoglyph", "Fishboy", "Grin Fish" and "HellBent". Cool visuals to express your passion for fishing.

Gold Fish In Blender - Art?

A museum director has been cleared of animal cruelty after a court ruled a display with goldfish in blenders that visitors could turn on was not cruel.

Peter Meyer, director of the Trapholt Art Museum in Kolding, Denmark, drew international notoriety in February 2000 after the exhibit was dubbed cruelty to animals.

The display's 10 blenders were plugged in and visitors were invited, if they wanted, to blend the fish. One person did and two goldfish died.

Animal rights activists complained and the blenders were unplugged, but the exhibit continued.

Danish police fined Meyer the equivalent of £200 for animal cruelty but when he refused to pay, the case went to court.

Judge Preben Bagger ruled Meyer didn't have to pay the fine because the fish were killed instantly and humanely.

During the two-day trial, experts including a zoologist and a representative of the blender manufacturer, Moulinex, said the fish probably died within a second after the blender started.

The installation was the work of Chilean-born Danish artist Marco Evaristti.

The temporary exhibit also included a nude picture of the artist with blackened eyes and a bazooka missile surrounded by tubes of lipstick.

Man 'Shoots' 7 Foot Gar !

DUDE, HERE'S MY GAR

Area man takes a bow (and arrow) to catch huge alligator gar.

One day last month, Tommy Frank found himself just where he likes to be -- about to do battle with a seven-foot alligator gar weighing more than 200 pounds, which he held, literally, on the end of a string.

The scene was a familiar one for the Arlington resident, a dedicated bow fisherman who stalks monster alligator gar with as much stealth and fortitude as most hunters use for less dangerous trophies such as white-tailed deer and elk. And the setting was one of Frank's favorites -- the Trinity River south of Dallas, where monster gar prowl the often muddy waters day and night.

The 7-footer was one of five big gar Frank and his longtime buddy Johnny Pantoja shot with their bows and arrows during a midday "hunt" in a section of the Trinity where Frank has taken numerous monster gar in the past. The other gar they shot that day measured 6-3, 6-1, 5-9 and 5-8.

"The water was cloudy, probably one- to two-foot visibility, and I saw the fish coming up headfirst, probably 15 yards away at the most," Frank said. "When he got to the surface, I knew he was a large fish, and I hit him almost in the head. He took off pretty quick and ran about 10 yards and then just stopped. You don't horse a fish that size around. We have learned to finesse it and start feeding the line out. That way we can move left or right or around the boat. You even can let him tow the boat some, so you just pull the line in and out, and every now and then he will jerk the boat. We finally got him to the top and then towed him to the bank."

Frank has been hunting alligator gar this way for about 26 years. The Trinity is one of his favorite places, but he also has had exceptional success on the Colorado River, especially where it empties into the coast at Matagorda. Although many bow fishing enthusiasts shoot carp and gar of any size, Frank said he only goes after the big ones, estimating he has taken more than 100 gar measuring six feet and longer over the years.

"To me, you are just slaughtering them if you shoot the small ones," Frank said. "We see a lot of gar that we don't shoot because they aren't big enough. If it is not 7-up, I don't want it. Sure, we'll make some mistakes [and shoot gar less than seven feet long], but I have learned to judge their length pretty well."

Frank uses basic bow fishing gear -- a Jennings compound bow he has owned for 23 years and a standard bow reel spooled with 200-pound test line and bolted to the bow. His boat is a 14-foot Alumicraft. He does most of his hunting during the day but has a special spotlight rig for occasional night bow fishing.

Frank said his goal is to get an alligator gar that weighs at least 300 pounds.

"If I can get one that big, I figure I will have taken one that is within a few pounds of the world record alligator gar taken on a trotline, which is about 302 pounds," he said.

Although alligator gar grow much larger than needle-nosed gar, Frank said he has shot numerous exceptionally large needlenoses, including a possible world record.

"I shot one 6-foot-6 needlenose that weighed around 100 pounds," he said. "I just turned it back, and, later, when I looked at the records book, I realized it is very likely I had the world record and just didn't know it."

One of Frank's most memorable experiences took place on the Trinity River below the Lake Livingston dam, where he shot an alligator gar then turned the boat sideways because the water was deep and he knew that any gar shot in deep water tend to make a very quick and deep retreat.

"After I turned the boat sideways, the reel became unscrewed from my bow and was jerked [by the fish] into the water," Frank said. "Fortunately, the reel landed like a cup and stayed on top. I dived in and grabbed the reel and then swam back to the boat. I was underwater for only about 10 seconds, and when I got through [pulling in the gar,] I had never hyperventilated so much in my life. I was really sucking in the air. The gar was only a 6 1/2-footer, but it was a fast 6 1/2-footer and gave me one of my most memorable experiences."

Looking back over the many years he has hunted other game with a bow, nothing matches bow fishing, Frank said.

"I have hunted deer and lots of other animals with my bow, but I have never found anything that equals bow fishing for big gar," he said.

Submitted by Bubs

Crusin' in Bar Harbor

MDI's summer season might be over with all of the kids back in school but the leaf peeping season is just beginning and Octorber is peak cruise ship time in Bar Harbor. These floating hotels certainly dwarf our lobster boats.

Fishboy Closeouts - Great T-Shirt Deals!

Where can you get a top quality Fishboy t-shirt for only $8.95? Only at our CLOSEOUT section on Fishboy.com

We have always have a ton of new designs in the works and we have to make room in the storeroom sooooo.... we have got to get rid of the odd sizes and leftovers. These are top quality shirts only but they are the only ones left in discontinued lines. Or they are misprints (sometimes we get shirts sent to us with a name drop like "Alaska" printed on them) or simply overstock items. In any case you get a great shirt at a heavily discounted price.

So give us a hand at clearing out old stock so that we can bring you even more great Fishboy designs and help yourself to the savings.

Send Me Your Free Fishing Catalog

The promise of computers and Internet was not only to make life easier and communication better but to reduce the amount of paper used in the world. And with that of course reduce the amount of trees and forests that get cut down for the pulp mills.

Here in downeast Maine we are well aware of the effects of forestry and the precious resource that our forests represent. We hunt, fish and walk these forests. We breath deeply the fresh air with our noses and drink in with our eyes the scenic vistas the forests provide. How long will it be before ordering online becomes more common place and the piles of catalogs that clog our mailboxes is reduced? Its really just a matter of customers expressing a preference for online ordering.

Here at Fishboy we offer a full line, online catalog. The online catalog features all available products as well as real time inventory control. Whatever fishing, hunting, dog, bear, beer, animal etc hat, t-shirt or gift item we offer we put up in our online store. If its in stock the online inventory system will tell you. So save a tree and browse our online catalog!

(Hey, if you still need to see something printed to make sure we are real or to send to Santa Claus, sign up for our mailing list and we'll send you a brochure).

Customer Comments

"Fishboy is an amazing experience; the website, the clothing, you name it. If it is Fishboy, then it has to be quality merchandise. I just wish that everyone else knew that I wanted Fishboy shirts for Christmas." - Dawn C.

Fine Dining at Cafe 2 - Southwest Harbor

Fishboy Co-Flounders - Paul and Ed plus family enjoyed a rare company dinner recently at Cafe 2, the nightime, upscale version of the most excellent Eat-A-Pita. We are happy to report a very fine dinning experience with great food and a cosy, casual atmosphere plus they love kids! Plenty of pasta and seafood dishes plus lamb, beef, chicken and pork dishes. Suggesions: Leave room for desert as there are many great choices and try a Dark and Storm drink (ginger beer and dark rum).

Eat-A-Pita American/Casual, Vegetarian, $7 to $17, Southwest Harbor

Fresh vegetables are the focus of the menu at this downtown eatery. Offering four kinds of pita bread, a hefty list of crisp veggies, and other fillings, this restaurant is a good bet for lunch. Try a whole-wheat pita stuffed with chickpeas, tomatoes, leaf lettuce, cucumbers, shredded carrots, alfalfa sprouts, green onions, bell peppers, and marinated chicken drizzled with honey-mustard dressing. At night, the restaurant turns into Café 2, which features salmon, lamb, and other heartier fare. MC, V. Closed mid-Oct.-May. Address: 326 Main St., Southwest Harbor, ME, USAPhone: 207/244-4344

Martha Stewart News

Martha backs MDI marathon
By Craig Crosby
BAR HARBOR — The Mount Desert Island Marathon has already been recognized by national and international publications as one of the most beautiful courses in the world.

Now domestic-diva and part-time Seal Harbor resident Martha Stewart plans to lend her own good housekeeping seal of approval and time to the race.
Marathon founder and director Gary Allen announced this week that Ms. Stewart will be the honorary race starter and crown the champions at the finish line at the Sunday, Oct. 16 race.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Mr. Allen said. “Whatever Martha Stewart is involved in, even if it’s in a small way, gets a lot of attention. She brings a reputation for doing things well and doing things right.”

But Ms. Stewart plans to give the marathon more than cursory attention. She will address the runners after they have assembled at the starting line at 8 a.m. on Main Street in Bar Harbor. Ms. Stewart will then fire the signal to start the race.
Roughly two hours and 30 minutes later, Ms. Stewart will greet the runners at the finish line on Main Street in Southwest Harbor and crown the men’s and women’s champion.
“We encourage spectators and fans to join us at the starting line in downtown Bar Harbor and the finish line in Southwest Harbor to welcome her and to cheer on our runners,” Mr. Allen said.
Ms. Stewart also plans to have a crew on hand to film a segment for her television show.
And, Ms. Stewart’s magazine, Body + Soul, has signed on as a race sponsor.

“Running as a sport has made a real difference in the health and well-being of thousands and thousands of people,” Mr. Allen said. “We are proud to announce that Body + Soul magazine, one of Martha’s newest ventures, has become a welcomed and well-fitting sponsor of our event.”
Ms. Stewart’s endorsement is just the latest in a litany of praise the marathon has garnered since it was first run in 2002. “Eco-Marathon” has called the race — run at the height of the foliage season with a route that includes Somes Sound and Cooksey Drive — one of the most scenic in the world. In the marathon guide it published this year, Rainmaker Publishing, Inc. named the marathon as one of the top 50 in the nation. The race also has been highlighted and received favorable reviews in a number of publications geared toward marathon runners.

But Ms. Stewart’s involvement could bring the race out of the exclusive world of hard-core marathoners and into the general public. That could mean more runners and more corporate sponsors to build an even better race, Mr. Allen said.

“I think what it means for the marathon is more recognition,” he said. “The implications can’t be overstated.”

Though Mr. Allen had been exchanging e-mails with Ms. Stewart’s publicists, plans have really developed during the past three weeks.
“I think the defining moment came when I bumped into Martha on Main Street in Northeast Harbor,” Mr. Allen said. “I mentioned the marathon and she told me to email her the details. It’s been a flurry ever since.”
Mr. Allen was hoping Ms. Stewart would fire the starting signal, or maybe just wave to the runners. Mr. Allen is thrilled Ms. Stewart has decided to devote substantial attention to the race.

“It’s more than I could ever wish for,” he said. “I’ve met her several times and I think she’s a really great person. If she were just involved in a small way I’d be thrilled. The fact that she’s involved in a deeper way is just awesome.”
Best known for teaching her audience the best way to hang curtains or present a Thanksgiving feast, Ms. Stewart may seem an unlikely candidate to support a marathon, but that is not how Mr. Allen sees it.

“I believe Ms. Stewart may be the perfect candidate to represent what marathon running is all about,” Mr. Allen said. “The peaks and valleys of running 26.2 miles is never easy, but with good planning and hard work, the ability to survive and to excel is within reach of all who attempt to cover this grueling distance.”

Weird Animal Facts

Try sticking your tongue out as far as it will go. Do you think you have long tongue? Well, compare your tongue with a giraffe's. A giraffe's tongue can sometimes be over a foot and half long!

There are some very strange laws in America. For example, in Milwaukee, it is against the law to take your pet elephant for a walk unless your elephant is on a lead; and in Illinois, bees are forbidden to fly over the town, though it is doubtful whether anyone has managed to stop them breaking the law!

Horses often go to sleep standing up as well as lying down.

Down in those jungle swamps a survivor from the Stone Age lurks. Experts say that crocodile is probably the closest living relative of Tyrannosaurus Rex, which makes it nearly 195,000,000 years old!

There was once a snake in London Zoo, which was fitted with a glass eye.

Did you know that baby hippos are born under-water!

Did you know that there is a sort of crab, which can climb trees?It is called the coconut crab, because it eats coconuts, which it finds by climbing the palm trees where the nuts grow.

Cockle shells come in various sizes, but have you ever wondered how they grow? As it gets older the cockle just adds another layer to its outer shell. To work out their age you can count the rings on them just like a tree.

Have you ever wondered how postmen deal with angry dogs?In America, animals experts once gave them a tip: if they took off their hats and put them over their faces, dogs would confused long enough to allow them to escape. If, of course, they could see where they were going!

Have you heard about the strange craze in 1890?More than 18,000 mummified cats were sold in Liverpool, England. Everyone wanted to own one. There were so many that the auctioneer used one instead of a hammer. Twenty tones of them were shipped from Egypt where they were discovered in a 2000 year old tomb.

News Flash: Fishboy goes to the dogs…

Introducing Doggie Style!
A collection of canine inspired t-shirts from the highly evolved design team at Fishboy

Fishboy’s new “Doggie Style” line of t-shirts features our beloved, yet crazed dog enjoying life to the fullest as only a gonzo dog could. Bird Dog checks out the beach volleyball chicks while Surf Dog hangs paw on the ocean waves. Rasta Dog be jamming and smokin’ the bone. Meanwhile Water Dog checks out the underwater scene and Doggie Paddle shows us that old dogs can indeed learn new tricks. Back at the bar Salty Dog mixes up a blender full of margaritas for the gang while Guard Dog keeps a watchful eye on all the action.

All Fishboy t-shirts are silkscreened one color at a time. No iron-ons! The t-shirts are hefty 100% cotton tees, pigment-dyed and silkscreened in the good ol' U.S.A for us by Lakeshirts.

See the whole collection at http://www.fishboy.com/

dog t-shirt, dog t-shirts, dog breed shirts, dog breed shirt, dog shirts, dog shirt designs

Fishing Soundtrack

Pop these tunes into your MP3 player next time your in the mood to do some fishing...

1. "Gone Fishin'" Louis Armstrong Priceless Jazz
2. The Fishin' Hole Andy Griffith American Originals
3. "Salmon In The Sea" Ian & Sylvia Long Long Time
4. "Axel F" Crazy Frog Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits
5. "Saturday Night Fish Fry" B.B. King Let The Good Times Roll: The Music Of Louis J...
6. "Boat Drinks" Jimmy Buffett Volcano
7. "Fish Ain't Bitin'" Corey Harris Fish Ain't Bitin'
8. "Waiting For Fish" Susan Conger Along The River
9. "Fly Fly Fishing Poles" Spymob Sitting Around Keeping Score
10. "Too Many Fish In The Sea" The Marvelettes More Songs From Big Chill Soundtrack
11. "Fishin' In A Hurricane" Keith Norris Deuce
12. "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'" Peggy Lee The Best Of Peggy Lee: The Capitol Years
13. "Fishing A Stream I Once Fished As A Kid" Bill Morrissey North
14. "Rainbow Trout" Gordon Lightfoot Cold On The Shoulder
15. "Beer, Bait And Ammo" Kevin Fowler Beer, Bait And Ammo
16. "Fishin' Blues" Lovin' Spoonful Do You Believe In Magic
17. "Betty's Got A Bass Boat" Pam Tillis Country Legends
18. "If I Had A Boat" Lyle Lovett Lyle Lovett Live In Texas
19. "Mosquito Bite" Original Formula Radio-Active
20. "Catfish Blues" John Lee Hooker Jack O' Diamonds: 1949 Recordings

Fishboy Beer Steins On Sale!

Psst! Get some cool Fishboy beer steins before they are gone for good! Three great designs: Flounder Flat Ale, Deep Sea Light Lager and Trout Stout.

Take an additional 25% of our Fishboy beer steins with this e-coupon. Just put the code in at checkout.
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COUPON CODE: "frankenstein"

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HOT HOT HOT!!!

No doubt Bassturd and Dumbass are Fishboy's all time best selling fishing t-shirts and have been for several years now but here is an up and coming red hot bestseller: Quit Staring At My Bass.

This shirt might even over take Bassturd this year if we can keep them in stock. Last Christmas season we kept running out of them so I don't think the sales numbers truely describe the mass appeal this shirt has among our fishing fanatic fans.

Fishboy's retailers have been slower to add this great selling shirt to their line up (retailers tend to stick to what sold before and are less likely to try new designs) so you're best bet in finding this shirt is at our online store: www.fishboy.com

Now Available: Fishing Tackle Gift Bags!

Buying a Fishboy t-shirt or hat as a gift? Make it extra special with one of our cool new gift bags - only $4.95!

Doggie Paddle

We just keep rolling out the new doggie style line of shirts! Here is a great one for kayaks and boaters!

Fishboy Spotted In Alaska

You never know where Fishboy stuff might show up. Here we have some fine Fishboy items in Anchorage, Alaska.

Seal Cove News: Developer faces violation notice

Developer faces violation notice
By Mark Good

TREMONT — The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is recommending that the town issue a notice of violation to developer Pritam Singh for tree cutting done on property his family owns on Seal Cove.
The DEP contends that Mr. Singh violated the town’s zoning ordinance when clearing a 23-acre site on the Cape Road, formerly owned by the heirs of Joan Fisher.

Millard Billings, Tremont’s town manager and code enforcement officer, confirmed Tuesday that he plans to issue a notice of violation but is unsure when that will take place.

Mr. Singh intends to build a 305-foot-long pier and float project off the property. The pier became controversial in the town, with abutting landowners and other residents opposing the project during the planning board process. After hosting a series of impassioned public hearings, the board approved the pier June 21.

During planning board review of the pier, Mr. Singh said he plans to build no more than six houses on the property, a main house and several smaller homes for family members.

According to DEP shoreland zoning coordinator Tracey Thibault, her department was asked by the town to assist in determining if a violation occurred during the land-clearing process.

“The state helps the town administer the shoreland zoning ordinance,” she explained.

Ms. Thibault said aerial photographs of the property and information from global positioning satellites were used to help determine the extent of the cutting. In addition, the DEP asked CES, Inc., the engineering firm used by Mr. Singh for the project, to supply calculations regarding the amount of vegetation removed from the site, she said.

In a letter to Mr. Billings, Ms. Thibault writes that the CES report shows violations occurred within the 75-foot buffer strip required along the shoreline and also outside the strip.

CES states that 7,137 square feet of forest canopy was removed from the buffer strip, she writes. The zoning ordinance limits any clearing in this area to 250 square feet “as measured from the outer limits of the tree crown.”

The “buffer area did not contain a well distributed stand of trees and other vegetation prior to additional removal” and therefore is a violation of the ordinance, she writes.

Outside the buffer strip, CES determined there is 268,287 square feet in the shoreland zone, allowing 67,072 square feet to be cleared. However, 104,580 square feet had been opened prior to Mr. Singh purchasing the property. This, Ms. Thibault assumed, was grandfathered. CES stated another 17,172 square feet had been cleared, resulting in a second violation of the ordinance, Ms. Thibault writes.

Ms. Thibault said that CES representatives agreed to remedial measures during a site visit she attended with them and Mr. Billings. As a result, 48 trees would be planted in the buffer strip and 58 trees planted outside the strip. Saplings may be no less than three feet tall for coniferous species and no less than six feet tall for deciduous species. The planting must be a mix of three native species with not one species making up more than half the number of trees planted.

In addition, Ms. Thibault said, Mr. Singh could be fined or face other sanctions as ordered by a court.

Looking for a Crappie t-shirt?

Fishboy's popular Fish Identification series just got lot crappier with the newest design "Crappie"!

There are now 15 identification designs to collect!

Doggie Style

Fishboy is going to the dogs with their new line up of doggie style t-shirts. Check out the new "Salty Dog", "Guard Dog", "Water Dog" with a whole lot more to come!

The Mackerel Man

Yesterday I got to see the Legendary Mackerel Man of Southwest Harbor. Well at least he is legendary among the lobster men at the town/Beals docks. He is someone you wouldn't hear about on a tour of the island or even notice as you scarf down a lobster on Beal's lobster shack -- even if you did gaze over at the comings and goings at the town dock. No this is only a character you meet if you work down on the dock for a living because only then do you notice someone like the Mackerel Man.

No one knows his real name only that he shows up each summer in a van and sets up camp down by the town dock. By day he fishes for mackerel which he sells to the local lobster men for bait, if they take pity on him they might hire him on for the day to take the place of a stern man who has gone missing after a Sunday bender.

If not he spends his day between scowling at the lobster men trying to maneuver their boats to the dock among his fishing lines and scanning the trash for returnable bottles and cans.

They say he comes from way up north in the county and his visit to the island is not all that long. Its a mystery what spurns his migration back north, is because the mackerel have left the harbor, the cans have filled the van or is it simply that the Mackerel Man has had his fill of people?

Capn Nemo's Bass Harbor

"Dad, tomorrow night we are coming here for dinner". That's what my son said after our maiden voyage to the new restaurant in Bass Harbor, Nemos. Quite an endorsement from a six year old.

After gossiping for weeks about the stacks of lumber and assorted other materials that started to appear on the site of the former Nautilus restaurant on Flat Iron Road in Bass Harbor and the proposed lighthouse the owners want to erect, a group of us locals decided to put up or shut up and give the place a try.

And I am happy to report that we went. We had a great time and had some great food and at a decent price. Despite some mixed up orders and our kids fascination with the Billy Bass at the front entrance, we managed to sample most of the limited menu which consists mainly of fried seafood and BBQ. The pacific sockeye salmon got the thumbs up from several in our group in both deep fried (!!) and grilled versions. The fried haddock was great and the ribs and chicken combo was devoured. The kids all enjoyed the "chicken fries" which were very thin strips of chicken fried. Probably the only complaint was the size of the scallop basket although the small size was ordered. Well that and a few of the Real Ale beers came with about two inches of foam at the top of the pints.

All and all Nemos is an extremely casual place to enjoy some good seafood and the company of friends without any pretensions. If you can roll with the limited menu and the Mom and Pops style of service, its a very fun place that should be given a try.

LeeAnn's Crispy Cabbage Salad

LeeAnn brought this fantastic cabbage salad over to dinner a few nights ago. It has some unusual ingredients but the result is fantastic and it was a bit hit with everyone.

1 Red Cabbage sliced into bit size pieces
6 Scallons - sliced
1 Cup Oil
1/4 Cup Sugar
6 Tablespoons Vineagar (LeeAnn actually used 8 tablespoons of Balsamic)

and now the weird ingredient: 2 packages of Romen noodles (cream of chicken or which ever flavor you like). Break up the dry noodles and add the seasoning package to the other ingredients.

Toss the seasonings and veggies together then add 1 cup of toasted sunflower seeds and one cup of toasted almond slices. (toast them in a 350 degree oven for 10 mins).

Try it you'll like it!

Bar Harbor Times - Police Beat

July 28, 2005

A can of Pringles chips was swiped at the Irving Mainway on July 20.

Sizzlin' Summer Shipping! Only $1

This summer save a bundle on great Fishboy t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs and more - every order gets $1 Priority Shipping regardless of the order size! So stock up now for summer, back to school and the holiday gift giving!

Buy Fishboy At Bass Pro Shops!

If you are a Fishboy fan and have a Bass Pro Shops in the neighborhood you're in luck! Bass Pro Shops has been carrying most of Fishboy's "ID" line of funny fishing and hunting t-shirts for the past few months and they have been flying out the door. So much so that Bass Pro Shops recently place a huge reorder for more of the quality fishing t-shirts created by Fishboy. So check out the whole line up at a Bass Pro Shops near you!

Follow this link to find a Bass Pro Shop near you

57 T-Bird with Blue Hawaiian Plates

We had this friend in college named Lloyd who used to try to order a drink called a "57 Chevy with Blue Hawaiian Plates" every time we went out. Of course no bartender or waitress had ever heard of it. It was probably some special house drink of some local bar back home in Florida. Like did he even know what was in it? No,of course not. Besides if you have to give the recipe to the bartender it kind of spoils the experience anyway. Lloyd was always doing crazy things. He was a bit like Kramer on Seinfeld. If it wasn't watching the rats in the dumpster 13 floors below his dorm room with binoculars he was hatching up some crazy idea or another. Next time I'm down at the Dry Dock in Southwest Harbor maybe I'll ask Jeanine for a "7 Chevy with Blue Hawaiian Plates" as a tribute to goofy Lloyd. I wonder what every happened to him...

Whoopie Pies Vs. Oreos

It just occurred to me that an Oreo cookie is nothing more than a dehydrated whoopie pie.

Brown Paper Jake

A sheriff walks into a saloon, and shouts for everyone's
attention. "Has anyone seen Brown Paper Jake?", he asks.

"What's he look like?", asks one shoddy looking cowboy.

"Well", replies the Sheriff. "He wears a brown paper hat,
a brown paper waistcoat, a brown paper shirt, brown paper
boots, brown paper pants, and a brown paper jacket."

"So what's he wanted for?", asks the same cowboy.

"Rustlin'...", replies the Sheriff.

Big Hat, No cattle

A lady goes into a bar and sees a cowboy with his feet propped up on a table. He has the biggest feet she's ever seen. The woman asks the cowboy if it's true what they say about men with big feet.

The cowboy says, "Sure is, why don't you come back to my place and let me prove it?"

The woman figures why not, and spends the night with him. The next day, she hands the cowboy a $100 bill. Blushing, he says, "I'm flattered, nobody has ever paid me for my prowess before."

To this the woman says, "Well don't be, take this money and go buy some boots that fit!"


Photo: Edward Fielding, Ennis Rodeo, 2005

The Story of Chico

A cowboy lay sprawled across three entire seats in the posh
Ellen Theater. When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to
the cowboy, "Sorry, sir, but you're only allowed one seat."

The cowboy groaned but didn't budge.

The usher became more impatient: "Sir, I don't care if you're drunk- if you don't get up from there I'm going to have to call the manager."

Once again, the cowboy just groaned. The usher marched briskly back up the
aisle, and in a moment he returned with the manager. Together the two of
them tried repeatedly to move the cowboy, but with no success.

Finally they summoned the police. The local sheriff surveyed the situation briefly
then asked, "All right buddy, what's your name?"

"Chico," the cowboy moaned.

"Where ya from, Chico?" asked the sheriff.

With pain in his voice Chico replied,. . . . . . "The balcony."


Photo: Edward Fielding, Chico Hot Springs, Pray MT 2005

Three cowboys...

Three cowboys are sitting around a campfire, out on a lonesome Texas prarie, each with the bravado for which cowboys are famous. A night of tall tales begins.

The first one says, "I must be the meanest, toughest cowboy there is. Why, just the other day a bull got loose in the corral and gored six men before I wrestled it to the ground by the horns with my bare hands."

The second cowboy can't stand to be bested. "Why that's nothing. I was walking down the trail yesterday and a fifteen-foot rattlesnake slid out from under a rock and made a move for me. I grabbed that snake with my bare hands, bit its head off and sucked the poison down in one gulp. And I'm still here today."

The third cowboy remained silent, silently stirring the coals with his hands.

Photo: Edward Fielding, Ennis Rodeo 2005

A cowboy's last wish...

A cowboy is riding across the plains of the old west, when he is captured by Indians. The tribe puts him on trial for crimes against the Indian Nation, and he is found guilty.

"You have been sentenced to death," said the Chief, "but, as is our custom, you have three wishes to make as your last requests."

The cowboy thought for a minute and said, "Well, for my first wish, I'll need my horse."

"Give him his horse," said the Chief.

The cowboy whispered something into the horse's ear, and the horse took off like a shot across the prairie. Twenty minutes later, the horse returned with a beautiful blonde woman on its back. The cowboy looked at this, shrugged his shoulders, and helped the young lady off the horse. He then took her into the woods and had his way with her.

"Second wish," said the Chief.

"I'll need my horse again," said the cowboy.

"Give him his horse," said the Chief.

Once again, the cowboy whispered into the horse's ear, and once again the horse rode off over the prairie. Thirty minutes later, the horse returned with a beautiful brunette on its back.

The cowboy looked up and shrugged, helped the young lady off the horse, and went into the woods, same reason as before.

"This is your last wish," said the Chief, "make it a good one."

"I'll need my horse again."

"Give him his horse," said the Chief.

The cowboy grabbed each side of the horse's head, and put his face right up to the horse's.

"I said POSSE!"


Photo: Edward Fielding, 2005

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before...

cowboy: "Did you hear that they are making round hay bales illegal in Montana?"

city slicker: "No, why is that?"

cowboy: "Because the cows weren't getting a square meal."

Photo: Edward Fielding, 2005

cutthroat trout resting - Hardy Rapids, Yellowstone

Fishboy's "Squirt" T-shirt In Yellowstone

Weird Stuff We Saw On Vacation Part I

Fish costume - 4th of July parade Ennis, Montana

FIshoglyph Becomes Lucky Hat

"I could not have caught this huge shoal bass (3-9) were it not for my Fishboy Fishoglyph hat in Lime Green!" - Randy Woodhead





[Come and visit on www.georgiariverfishing.com ]

Singh Pier Update: Abutters decide against pier plan appeal

Abutters decide against pier plan appeal
by Mark Good

TREMONT — Abutting landowners will not appeal a planning board decision allowing developer Pritam Singh to build a 305-foot-long pier and float project on Seal Cove.

Sylvia Constable, who with other members of the Paine family, opposed construction of the pier, said Tuesday they also are dropping an appeal to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection asking for reconsideration of a permit for the project granted under the Department of Environmental Protection’s permit-by-rule process.

“Litigation is so expensive,” Ms. Constable said in citing her decision not to appeal.

During a public hearing on the issue, Mr. Singh said he would put the 23-acre Cape Road property into a conservation easement and limit any development to a family compound with six houses, Ms. Constable noted.

“We hope we can hold him to that,” she said.

Disappointed by approval of the pier, she remains philosophical about the outcome.

“Any decision of this sort comes down to a compromise,” she said.

Although the Paine family is no longer making a legal challenge, the pier project could still face an appeal by other parties. A town ordinance allows any aggrieved party to appeal a planning board decision within 30 days of that decision. In this case, the window for appeal ends July 21.

Planning board chairman George Urbanneck said this week that he is unaware of any efforts to appeal approval of the pier.

The June 21 decision by the planning board came nearly five months after the project was first presented.

The project became controversial in the town after the original applicant, Rob Egbert, was linked to the Singh Company, a Florida-based development firm. Opponents claimed the pier would despoil one of the remaining pristine landscapes in Tremont. They were also worried that the project could be detrimental to wildlife and affect lobster fishing in the area.

Another factor was a worry that the company had plans for a large condominium project on the property. As a result, the approval process was marked by legal challenges and fiery rhetoric from both sides.

Taxpayers will bear some of the legal costs. To date, the town has received one invoice from town attorney Chad Smith for work done by his firm on the pier application, according to town bookkeeper Debbie Nickerson. The bill for the period from Feb. 16-22 is $1,508, she said. Other bills are expected.

Legal costs associated with the pier are coming from the planning board budget, which for the 2004-2005 fiscal year was set at $8,250.

Finding Captain Kidd's Treasure

About buried treasure in North America, history of Captain Kidd's treasure in Gardiners Island, account of previous searches and locations.
HANDY GUIDE TO BURIED TREASURE IN NORTH AMERICA


Captain Kidd's Treasure


Popularly stereotyped as a hang-'em-from-the-yardarms pirate, Capt. William Kidd was actually not a pirate in the true sense of the word. He turned to piracy--out of desperation--for only a brief time. However, the extent of his crime was exaggerated by British government officials, and Kidd was hanged. (See "Footnote People in World History," Chap. 7.) He allegedly buried treasure in several places.


Gardiners Island


How It Got There: In 1699 Kidd was in the Caribbean, carrying a cargo of gold, jewels, and silks, when he heard that he had been declared an outlaw. He immediately went to Gardiners Island, off New York's Long Island, where he buried a box of gold and a chest of other treasure 1 mi. from the manor house on the eastern end of the island. Then he started negotiating with Lord Bellamont, governor of New York, offering this treasure, worth more than pound 50,000, in exchange for his life. Later, after negotiations had failed and Kidd was hanged, at least part of this treasure was recovered.


Previous Searches: Many people have tried to find treasure on the island, which is still owned by the Gardiners, but have found nothing. The swampy section, where divers once hunted for the treasure, is now fenced off with barbed wire for safety reasons.


How to Get There: The island, sometimes called the Isle of Birds for the ospreys which nest there, is about 7 mi. long and 3 1/2 mi. wide. It lies off Long Island's north shore, near East Hampton.


Deer Isle


How It Got There: Before he was hanged, Kidd supposedly gave his wife Sarah a piece of parchment on which was written 44-10-66-18, later interpreted as the latitude and longitude of Deer Isle, Me.


Previous Searches: No treasure has yet been found on Deer Isle.


How to Get There: Travel to Belfast or Rockland on Penobscot Bay in Maine, then go by boat to the island.


Other Places


Connecticut--Clarke's Island in the Connecticut River; Stratford Point in Fairfield County. New York--Rye Beach; Captain Kidd's cave on the Hudson River; Fishers Island on the north end of Long Island Sound. Rhode Island--Block Island (where some old coins have been found). Maine--Richmond Island; Squirrel Island; Jewell's Island.


© 1975 - 1981 by David Wallechinsky & Irving Wallace
Reproduced with permission from "The People's Almanac" series of books.
All rights reserved.

West of Eden Bed & Breakfast

Looking for a great place to stay in Seal Cove? Try our neighbor's place - West of Eden Bed and Breakfast. George and Regina have lovely restored a 1872 farm house, surrounded by flowers and organic vegetable gardens. All rooms are bright, airy and pretty with freshly cut flowers everywhere. You'll sleep in all-natural sheets, dried by the sun and wind, under down comforters on cool nights. You'll wake up to the aroma of freshly baked bread. They keep a vegetarian kitchen and gladly accommodate vegan, macrobiotic, gluten-free, fat-free and other special diets. They are located on the "quiet side" of Mount Desert Island near some of the loveliest and least traversed sites of Acadia National Park yet only thirty minutes from the bustling port of Bar Harbor. Hiking, swimming, canoeing or kayaking are just minutes away as well as nature cruises and mail-boat and ferry rides to nearby picturesque islands. Nearby Bass Harbor and Southwest Harbor, home to boat builders and fishermen, retain much of the traditional flavor of Maine coastal villages and provide a tranquil alternative to the Island's more traveled east side.

For reservations or information please contact them at:
West of Eden
P. O. Box 65 Route 102 & Kelleytown Road Seal Cove, ME 04674
Phone: 207-244-9695 Email: westofeden@acadia.net

Visit the Seal Cove Auto Museum

The Seal Cove Auto Museum is one of the best antique brass car collections in the world. The collection includes over 100 rare and beautiful automobiles, and over 30 antique motorcycles.

Seal Cove Auto Museum is located in the Town of Seal Cove, Maine, near Bar Harbor on the spectacular island of Mount Desert. Its beautiful setting looks across Seal Cove Pond to Acadia National Park.

Seal Cove is approximately a three-hour drive from Portland, Maine, and about a one-hour drive from Bangor, Maine. Air service is provided by US Air Express from Boston to Bar Harbor on a daily basis.

To get to the museum, take Route 3 from Ellsworth toward Mount Desert Island. Just after the bridge onto Mt. Desert, bear right at the light onto Route 102 toward Southwest Harbor. After driving through the Town of Somesville, turn right just past the fire department onto Pretty Marsh Road and drive 5.8 miles. The Seal Cove Auto Museum is a large blue building, set back from the right side of the road, directly across from Seal Cove Pond.

The museum is open 10-5, seven days a week, from June 1 through September 15.
Telephone: (207) 244-9242

Sad Day in Seal Cove -- Singh Pier is approved

From the Bar Harbor Times:


by Laurie Schreiber

TREMONT - The intersection between an area's scenic view and its character was the heart of an emotional struggle between the Singh family and neighbors, during last Tuesday's four-hour planning board hearing on the Singh dock.

For some, the scenic splendor of a short stretch of unspoiled coastline, looking out to sea to find only nature's sunset, a seabird, a seal resting on a ledge, was something to be left untouched.

For the Singhs and at least a few other residents, nature's beauty does not necessarily mean excluding the sight of human presence. A tastefully designed dock, Pritam Singh said, is in keeping with the character of the cove, which already has seven other docks yet remains beautiful.

But the opposition said the other docks are largely out of sight, tucked into the cove's curves, and don't impinge on the view to sea.

"We love this cove," said Sylvia Paine Constable. "We're very attached to this area. The view means a lot to us, and I am of the opinion that a huge dock is not an amenity. If anything, it's an eyesore. I know I have an equally large dock, but my father built that dock in 1930 and it doesn't impinge on anyone's view."

"I think it is out of character for the area," agreed Wendy Fielding.

"Most people, I know, would prefer nothing to be there," said Mr. Singh. "I think we'll do something very beautiful. We'll really take care of that land. We'll really protect that land."

Mr. Singh presented drawings of the main house he plans to build on the property. He said he also met with Maine Coast Heritage Trust to work out a conservation easement for the property with a provision that will limit development to six houses.

He also stressed the dock size was minimized as much as possible because of his own wish to preserve the beauty of the area.

The board considered four standards the dock must meet. The fourth says the facility may be no larger than necessary and must be consistent with the area's existing conditions, use and character.

For the Singhs, CES engineer Greg Johnston said the idea behind the design was to minimize the fixed length portion and make the rest, as ramps and floats, removable. The total length is needed, he said, in order to provide enough draft for a boat at low tide. Compared with other piers around Tremont, he noted, the fixed portion will be on the shorter side. The cove's existing piers, he said, make the proposed one consistent with the area.

Other standards pertain to soils and erosion control; interference with developed beach areas; and effects on fisheries.

The opposition argued the pier and the supposition of moorings and boat traffic will impinge on lobster and crab fishing; possibly damage eelgrass as habitat and forage for marine life; and possibly interfere with the presence of important wildlife such as wading and seabirds.

Carroll Butler said by midsummer there will be 50 to 60 traps around the pier area. He said it's an important area for molting lobsters.

The Singhs argued the approval won from all other relevant permitting agencies - Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Marine Resources, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and Tremont's Harbor Committee, as well as new findings from Inland Fisheries and the Submerged Lands Program - essentially speaks for the project's minimal impact on essential fish or wildlife habitat, navigation, traditional fishing, and public access.

The Singhs also won a retraction of an affidavit asserting the family had cut down a tree with an eagle or osprey nest in it. Mr. Singh accused the abutters' attorney, Doug Chapman, of perpetuating a falsehood in order to get public support against the pier. Mr. Chapman said his filing was backed by the affidavit.

"I believe this board and this process has been abused," Mr. Singh said.

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologist Charles Todd, who flew over the area to check out the charge, wrote he witnessed no evidence that trees felled or topped on the property were useable by bald eagles, and the area is rated "low" habitat for nesting eagles.

"I regret that false claims are introduced to confound permitting decisions," Mr. Todd wrote. "Most do not know that you have indeed been a good steward of eagle nesting habitat at Tinker Island, and thus the irony of this accusation is doubly tragic."

Chairman George Urbanneck said he was concerned the application referred repeatedly to the use of the pier by multiple homeowners, yet only one home is on the property. The pier, he said, must be a secondary use, and the use stated is for multiple homes.

Since the pier will be built before multiple homes, he said, the timing makes it appear the pier will be primary.

Pritam Singh said the homes would be built one at a time. In any case, he said, the point is moot because the ordinance allows piers to be built for a single home's use.

Applicant Rob Egbert's attorney Michael Ross proposed amending the application to refer to a single residence. Town attorney James Collier agreed that move would be acceptable.

Mr. Libhart, whose frontage looks at the Singh shore, said he doesn't object to the project.

"What bothers me more than anything else is the cost of what's going on here," Mr. Libhart said, noting the town is overbudget on attorney fees at this point.

Mr. Libhart added: "What amazes me more than anything else is all the innuendoes and outright lies that have been told about the Singhs."

Planning Board member Wayne Patton said he didn't think the pier would make that big a scenic difference; he noted people stop at Southwest Harbor all the time, where there are plenty of piers, to take pictures.

"You can't judge a project by feelings, unfortunately - or fortunately," Mr. Patton said.

Mr. Urbanneck took an instructive page from the project's emotional tenor when he urged people to sign up for the Land Use Ordinance Committee, which has seats open.

Mr. Singh must return one more time for a flood hazard permit. n

Look What's Parked In Northeast Harbor This Week

Palmer Johnson

There is probably no better definition of an expedition yacht than Turmoil, the 151-footer from this prestigious Wisconsin yard. In the first year after her launching in 1996, she covered more than 18,000 miles including two transatlantic crossings as far east as Croatia, north to Greenland, and south to the Amazon.

Drawing on the lines of ocean-going tugs and built of aluminum to the design of Dick Boon of Vripack International, the yacht has many of the systems you'd expect on a 1000-footer, including a highly sophisticated hydraulic system and water ballast tanks to compensate for the use of her 25,800 gallon fuel capacity. Interestingly enough, with her tremendous range, Turmoil only had to refuel once during her long maiden voyage. With complete redundancy, Turmoil can remain self-sufficient for months at a time, and even has an airtight dry goods pantry that can be sealed and flooded with CO2 gas to kill most of the bacteria and viruses from stores brought on board.

The finely finished cherry and French walnut interior has accommodations for 12 in the owner's party, including a master suite that takes up the entire upper deck. The main deck is spacious, with a formal dining room, library with hundreds of volumes, and immense saloon.

With a pair of Cat 3508s (800 horsepower), Turmoil has a top speed of over 15 knots and a 10,000 mile range at 12 knots. The wheelhouse is arranged with a freestanding console, giving access to the electronics as well as the forward windows. The crew quarters and galley are arranged so that the crew has private access without disturbing the guests.

#79 in America'a biggest 200 yachts from Power & Motoryacht magazine.

79. TURMOIL
151'0" 1996 A successful clothing retailer has had this blue-hulled beauty on the go so much over the past five years—she was in the Arctic this summer—that essentially the only time she’s sat still was during refueling. Turmoil was the first purpose-built expedition-style yacht of the 1990s, a style that’s still quite popular. B: Palmer Johnson, USA; N: Dick Boon/Vripack Yachting; H: Aluminum; E: 2/820-hp Caterpillars

Keep Island Post Offices Alive

Maine island post offices fight for survival
by STEVE CARTWRIGHT

If the U.S. Postal Service tries to close island post offices in Maine, it better brace itself. "I'll tell you, the people here are very vocal," said Barbara Hoppin, the school principal on Peaks Island. "It's important to our school, and important to our community."

If Peaks islanders had to take the ferry into Portland's main post office to transact business, it would add traffic and longer lines, and might be less efficient than the small branch office on island.

Besides the business side, island post offices offer a meeting place for residents, and are a source of information for visitors. "It is a place where people gather. Everyone knows Bob [Swett, the postmaster]," Hoppin said.

The Postal Service won't say whether it plans to close and consolidate small post offices in Maine, but a presidential commission is expected to recommend that the federal mail service be run like a corporation, where the bottom line rules policy.

Regional postal service official Christine Dugas said she has no knowledge of any proposed closures, "no list, no plan." Postmasters Anna Dyer of Cliff Island and Theresa Burrows of North Haven were reluctant to discuss possible closings or consolidation, but said they had heard nothing about the future of their own post offices. The commission's recommendations are expected soon.

Peaks postmaster Bob Swett said he hasn't heard a word about closure, but he isn't worried about it. He doubts the postal service could make a case for closing his office when the summer round-trip ferry fare to Portland is $65, "and there's a lot of elderly and disabled people out here who couldn't make the trip."

Swett said that if islanders learn their post office is on a closure list, "they'll go ballistic." Swett, who's nearing retirement himself, said he likes working in a place where he can leave a note on the door and go next door to Hannigan's Island Market for coffee, and he can let a customer in during his lunch break even though the office is closed.

Islanders depend on their local postmasters, even if the office is just a shack. Whether it's Cliff Island in Casco Bay or Maine's outermost year-round island, Matinicus, residents count on local service. It's personal and it's sociable. Post-masters and their patrons agree that little post offices are a big part of island life, and closing any of them would destroy some of that vitality.

Wanda Philbrook, postmaster on Matinicus, said closing her office "would really hurt this island a lot. People have computers and phone cards, but I don't think there is anything like the post office. People come in just to socialize for half an hour." Matinicus no longer has a store, and the post office is a place to be neighborly, especially during long winter months when the island population shrinks. The 9 a.m. mail comes by plane from Owls Head, but not if it's foggy. In that case, you either wait till it clears, or see if a fisherman is going inshore and could bring the mail sack out to the island.

Besides handling island letters and packages five days a week, Philbrook does a strong stamps-by-mail business, where customers around the country buy stamps through her office, mailed to them at no extra cost. The postmaster has made some pen pals this way, since customers often include a friendly note.

From January to April, Matinicus is served by one ferry trip per month, and that's subject to cancellation. Philbrook can't imagine closing the post office. "This is what's keeping the community together."


For further information about purchasing Stamps-by-Mail to help island post offices, see the Island Institute's website at www.islandinstitute.org/stamps.


-- September 2003

Developer cut eagle nest tree, filing says

MDI ISLANDER JUNE 16TH, 2005

Developer cut eagle nest tree, filing says
by Mark Good

TREMONT — The owners of properties abutting the site of a controversial pier proposed for Seal Cove have asked the Maine Board of Environmental Protection to reconsider a permit for the project granted by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Members of the Paine family, through their lawyer, Doug Chapman, have requested the board assume jurisdiction from the DEP and hold a public hearing on the permit by rule accepted by the department on Jan. 18.

In documents filed with the board June 6, Mr. Chapman argues that the pier applicant, Rob Egbert, violated conditions of the DEP application and misrepresented or failed to fully disclose the facts in the application and associated submissions.

Mr. Chapman maintains that Mr. Egbert has violated the conditions of the application in two ways.

First, Mr. Egbert and/or his agents have cut vegetation on the 23-acre Seal Cove property in violation of DEP regulations, Mr. Chapman writes. Specifically, a 36-inch diameter spruce tree containing an eagle or osprey nest was cut down along the shore. An affidavit included in the filing indicates a second tree — 24 inches in diameter — was also cut down within the shoreland zone.

Secondly, Mr. Chapman claims that Mr. Egbert has failed to show “continuing right, title and interest in the property” since the DEP permit application was filed. Mr. Egbert’s standing on the application was based on a purchase/sale agreement he had with the estate of Joan E. Fisher. However, when the sale was completed in April, the owners of record were developer Pritam Singh and his wife, Ann Johnston. Mr. Egbert has since been identified as the couple’s future son-in-law. On May 26 Mr. Egbert and his fiancée, Charan Kaur, were conveyed a 13 percent interest in the property.

The issue of Mr. Egbert’s standing was discussed at a recent Tremont planning board meeting. The planning board, after consulting with the town’s attorney, determined that Mr. Egbert retained his standing for the application before the town.

Mr. Chapman, in his filing, interprets state law as to require Mr. Egbert to disclose “all relevant facts” regarding the permit by rule application, not just those that are favorable to his project. Due to the “truncated and speedy” permitting allowed under the permit by rule process, the applicant has a duty to make a complete disclosure of all relevant facts and must either conduct a good faith investigation into determining what is relevant to the application or note the absence of such an effort. Mr. Chapman maintains Mr. Egbert failed to do so.

As an example of this failure of Mr. Egbert’s part, Mr. Chapman has included in his filing assessment studies conducted by environmental consultants regarding wildlife found in the area of the proposed pier. One study shows that the area is considered a significant wildlife habitat under the Maine Natural Resources Protection Act. Another study shows the area at the end of the proposed dock is of high habitat value. Mr. Egbert’s application lacks any mention of these environmental considerations, according to Mr. Chapman.

Mr. Chapman also disputes Mr. Egbert’s contention in his permit by rule application that the proposed pier conforms to any local shoreland zoning ordinance. He writes that, at the time the application was filed, “it was virtually impossible for anyone to conclude whether or not the proposed activity” would be in conformance with local ordinances.

In a related matter, Mr. Singh did not meet with Maine Coast Heritage Trust to discuss a conservation easement for the Seal Cove property as he said he would at a June 7 public hearing in Tremont.

“He said his schedule changed and he had to reschedule,” David MacDonald, the trust’s director of land protection said this week.

Mr. MacDonald said Mr. Singh plans to meet with trust officials some time next week.

“Maine Coast Heritage Trust thinks it’s an important property,” he said, adding that at one time the trust had been working with the previous owner, Mrs. Fisher, to establish an easement.

An easement on the Singh property would add additional protection to the area, Mr. MacDonald said. The Paine family has put about 250 acres adjacent to the Singh property into a conservation easement. In addition, Acadia National Park has a 50-acre easement on Dodge Point, across the cove from the proposed pier, Mr. MacDonald said.

Putting land into a conservation easement is a lengthy process, Mr. MacDonald said. First, the trust looks carefully at the property to size up the resource and ensure it will provide important benefits to the public.

“In the case of [the Singh] property, we know it does,” he said.

Then, the trust looks at the impact conservation will have and works with the landowner to determine what type of uses the easement should allow. The trust and landowner jointly develop the easement.

The pier will be the subject of another planning board public hearing, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 21 at the Tremont Community Center. The June 7 public hearing was cut short after the planning board granted the applicant a continuance.

Singh: pier for family use

by Laurie Schreiber Bar Harbor Times

TREMONT - Pritam Singh called for civil conversation rather than personal attack as the application for a pier in Seal Cove moves forward.

Mr. Singh was present at a hearing on the pier with his wife, Anne Johnston, his adult children, Charnan Kaur and Tyler Reynolds, soon-to-be son-in-law Rob Egbert, and Ms. Johnston's parents, as well as the family's representatives on the pier project.

Making a move toward calming neighborhood fears about the future of the land, Mr. Singh promised he would build only for the family.

He said he was meeting later in the week with Maine Coast Heritage Trust to work out an agreement to put a conservation easement on the land with an allowance for a maximum of six houses - one main house plus five smaller cottages for the children.

"That's what we're going to do," he said. "I am going on record with that. I'm doing that because it's the right thing to do."

Mr. Singh said he would submit plans and an application for the first house before the next hearing on the pier.

Planning Board chairman George Urbanneck said he appreciated Mr. Singh's forthrightness, but added, "May I say, 'finally.'"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know," Mr. Singh responded.

As to the pier project, Mr. Singh asked for a continuance of the hearing in order to give his representatives a chance to respond to a couple hundred pages of documents that were submitted to the Planning Board on the day and within days of the hearing.

"We're here, all of us together, because this is an important matter to us," Mr. Singh told the Planning Board and a packed room of about 30 people. "Not an important financial matter, but an important personal matter."

Mr. Singh said a pier is needed in order to shorten travel time from their home on Tinker Island to the mainland, in light of a medical emergency last summer, when his wife almost died and had to take the longer way around to Bass Harbor to meet an ambulance.

He and his wife, their families going back in Maine for generations, are devoted to the coast, he said; on Tinker Island, they put a conservation easement on the northern half, now owned by Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

"We intend to do the same sort of thing here," he said of the Seal Cove property. "I don't understand why this has turned into what it has. If the issue is lobsters or something else, let's talk about it. It's not right to call me and my family names."

Mr. Singh said he is eager to talk with anyone who has concerns about the pier.

"Let's be friends, let's be neighbors," he said. "Tremont, Maine, is not a place where, over a dock, we should be creating hate and anger."

Peter Butler, who has strongly objected to the pier, said he would gladly talk with Mr. Singh, but that he remained opposed to the "ungodly pier."

"Everybody else uses a dinghy," Mr. Butler told Mr. Singh.

Mr. Butler, in a June 6 affidavit taken by the abutters' attorney Doug Chapman, said his family has lived in the Seal Cove area for 150 years and his family at one point owned all of the property where the pier is proposed. Mr. Butler has a mooring in Seal Cove.

"I am in the Seal Cove area almost daily," he said, "and have used the beaches there along Seal Cove all my life. I have harvested clams and mussels there in Seal Cove throughout my life, and as recently as last fall."

Mr. Butler said the area has many osprey, eagles and loons; lobster traps are set close to the proposed pier; and the pier will substantially interfere with the area's scenery. He said the town's boat ramp is accessible except at the lowest one-third of the tide, at which time boaters reach the ramp by dinghy.

"It is remarkably easy to get access to that town float, even at the lowest tide, with a dinghy or a pram," Mr. Butler said.

Mr. Butler later said he was satisfied with Mr. Singh's plans for a family compound, but remained unhappy with the pier.

"I had my first slice of watermelon on that beach," he said. "Am I going to drive down there with my fiancée and my mother and not be able to see the sunset? The older I get, the more concerned I get about our coastline, about runoff, about development. I don't want to see future generations pushed off the coast."

New documents before the Planning Board included filings from Mr. Chapman that question the timeliness of the application, Mr. Egbert's interest in the property, and the town of Tremont's jurisdiction on the matter; articles plucked from the internet about prior Singh dealings; and pro and con letters from residents.

They received two petitions made to the board of selectmen, asking them to place articles before voters to deny the pier "on the basis of irreparable change to the Seal Cove shoreline Š." and to deny the "proposed subdivisionŠon the basis of excessive traffic, which will be generated by such a subdivision that cannot be handled by the existing Cape Road Š." Each petition had more than 60 signatures.

And they received two commissioned studies of the shoreline and subtidal environment in the area of the pier. University of Maine marine ecology professor Brian Beal's June 3 report on benthic fauna and macroalgae, surveyed on June 2 by a diver who was instructed to dive within the footprint of the proposed pier, provides a site description and list of species in the area. Woodlot Alternatives, environmental consultants, provided a June 3 field assessment to Mr. Chapman with a general description of the shoreline environment and wildlife. Both reports find the area important for supporting and protecting many species; neither discusses potential pier impacts. However, Woodlot Alternatives says much of the Seal Cove coastline is considered significant wildlife habitat under the Maine Natural Resource Protection Act.

In a June 3 memo, town attorney James Collier told the board that, in considering the pier application, they must decide whether there is sufficient evidence that the pier is no larger than it needs to be to fulfill its intended purpose; and that is not so large that it will interfere with the existing conditions, use, and character of the area.

Egbert attorney Michael Ross said he wanted time to review the documents.

Mr. Urbanneck said the board had accepted the late documents as a courtesy, but put all parties on notice that, in the future, documents must be submitted at least seven days before a hearing.

"At this point," said Mr. Urbanneck, "I feel the waters are so muddied that we have to step back to take a deep breath in the next couple of weeks."

The board agreed to grant the continuance, within the original 35-day timeframe allowed by the application process. The hearing was set for Tuesday, June 21, 6:30 p.m., in the gym.

The Singhs themselves will not be present at that meeting because their daughter's wedding is that weekend. n

Tremont assuaged by developer's new plans

Thursday, June 09, 2005 - Bangor Daily News

TREMONT - A Florida developer who has proposed to build a 300-foot-long pier and an undisclosed number of houses in Seal Cove assured a worried community Tuesday night at a crowded public hearing that the pier and land will be used by his immediate family only.

"We will build a maximum of six houses on the property," Pritam Singh said at the hearing. "When I drive across this bridge, this is heaven. I want to be happy here. I want to have happy neighbors."

Local ordinances would allow a maximum of 49 condominiums or 23 house lots on the 22-acre Cape Road property, one of the town's least developed areas. Singh's future son-in-law, Robert Egbert of Marathon, Fla., applied in February for a permit to build the pier.

Singh said that he had not come to his final decision about the family's plans for the land until very recently, and would meet with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust in Topsham Wednesday to discuss obtaining a conservation easement on the property.

"I'm doing that because it's the right thing to do," he said.

More than 40 people packed the town's small municipal chambers as they waited to hear some answers to the many questions that were triggered by the proposed pier. .

An influx of last-minute information submitted primarily by Douglas Chapman, a Bar Harbor attorney hired to represent abutting landowners, caused the planning board to vote unanimously to continue the hearing on June 21. Enough answers were provided by Singh, however, to assuage the concerns of some Cape Road neighbors.

"I think you should build a house for each one of your children," Peter Butler, a Cape Road land owner said to Singh after the close of the hearing. "I'm looking through a different tunnel of light now."

Butler and Singh shook hands after Singh explained his plans for construction of the Reed Point pier, which is controversial in part because of its size.

The 300-foot-long structure would incorporate a 137-foot-long fixed pier, a 45-foot-long ramp and two 480-square-foot floats.

"We did it so that it was as light as possible, as low as possible," Singh said. "It's not the best pier for us but we thought it was the best pier for the community."

Chapman had no comment Wednesday about the hearing.