At last, it’s safe to say that summer has arrived. For a while I thought it was never going to warm up, as the long and uncomfortable winter seemed to go on forever. Not so, since summer temperatures pushing the 90-degree mark came before summer came. Let’s see how long it takes us to crave the cool, comfortable air!During the 2013 Maine deer season, hunters harvested 24,795 deer, an increase of 15 percent over the 2012 harvest of 21,552 deer. The 2013 harvest is the third consecutive year the deer harvest has increased, reflective of a deer population that has grown since the back-to-back severe winters of 2008 and 2009. The deer kill increased in almost every Wildlife Management District in the state, and the adult buck harvest once again increased over the previous season with hunters taking 16,765 bucks, which was an increase of 8 percent over the 2012 buck kill of 15,475.As the deer population continued to rebound, in 2013 IFW issued approximately 36 percent more permits than were issued in 2012. This resulted in an increase in the adult doe harvest of 5,307 animals, approximately 24 percent more than the 4,287 harvest in 2012. “The increase in the number of successful hunters last season reflects a growing deer population in much of the state,” said IFW Commissioner Chandler Woodcock. “However, with the long, cold winter we experienced, it is prudent that we move forward thoughtfully in 2014 concerning the number of Any Deer permits issued.” This past winter marked the first in four years with above-average winter severity throughout the state, the first since 2009. As a result of the winter, IFW wildlife biologists have recommended decreasing the number of Any Deer permits throughout the state.The salmon fishing continues to be excellent on Sebago Lake in Maine. With water temperatures still in the fifties, salmon fishermen continue to do well on the big lake. Usually by this time, avid anglers would change over their equipment to fish for togue. It seems like lake trout fishing has taken a back seat due to the unusual success catching salmon so late in the season. I mention this because Sebago Lake is known for its trophy lake trout fishing that will be turning on in the near future. It’s not unusual to catch a 5-pound plus fish on every outing. Every year, two or three 20-pound fish are weighed in at Jordan’s Store on the west shore of the lake, and the pictures are there on the leader board to be seen. My favorite spot on the lake is out on the second shoal, where you’ll find 60 to 80 feet of water. Your rod and reel set up should be a medium to heavy weight rod and reel like an 8-9 foot ugly stick, with a Penn 310 or 320 level wind reel, spooled with 20 colors of 18-pound lead core line. If you are a traditionalist, you can use a mooching reel or, if you can find one, an old Sal Trout reel. Use 30 feet of 8-10 pound test mono for a leader. Smelts are the bait of choice but shiners will do. Let your line out until you feel it hit bottom and then come up one color. Troll as slow as your boat will go. Occasionally jig your line to incorporate additional action. If you are not into bait fishing, mooselicks, db smelts, flashkings and sutton spoons are a few of the most productive lures. Copper, gold and orange and silver and blue are my favorite patterns. Occasionally I will send down a perch flatfish, which can be very productive. This technique has been proven over the years and can be used on any lake that holds lake trout. Good Luck!More than 23,000 northern pike fingerlings were acquired from New Jersey and stocked in multiple locations in Lake Quinsigamond and Flint Pond complex in Worcester and Shrewsbury. The fish average 2.5 inches in length. The stocking was done by Chief Fish Culturist Ken Simmons, and Roger Reed Hatchery Culturist Dan Marchant, who put in a long day and logged many highway miles to acquire and stock the fish. All for now.