Staff photo/TRAVIS BARRETT

Look, I'll put it right out there. I'm not the heartiest of hearty souls.

Not by a long shot.

That, at least to me, makes it even more impressive to see a group of more than 100 people fishing in a steady rain on a day when the temperature never gets out of the mid-40s. That's just plain cold and raw, and these people all fished for 8 solid hours.

It's a lot to ask. But, in some ways, it's not a lot to ask at all. The 59 2-person teams were all competing in the Maine Bass Open, held for the 19th year at Andy Wess' Lakeside Motel and Cabins on the shores of Cobbossee Lake. Better yet, the tournament is a fundraiser for Maine Special Olympics -- always has been.

About the only unfortunate part of the entire event, held last Sunday, was seeing a team "from away" win the overall title with an 8-fish total of more than 32 pounds, highlighted by a 7.55-pound largemouth bass.

That's a lot of fish to be caught on a day when the water temperatures rivaled the air temps.

Read the complete story in Tuesday's Kennebec Journal.

Even if you couldn't make it to the event, you can still help out. To find out how to donate to Maine Special Olympics, click here.

-- TB

I've got a few random thoughts rattling around my head after a soggy weekend in the bush...

* It's a beautiful thing, being in the woods before sunrise, listening to all of the sounds. The songbirds as they greet the day, the wild turkeys gobbling off in the distance, the relentless hammering of woodpeckers.

Two toddlers in the house, plus an odd work schedule that isn't really on a schedule at all, makes early mornings difficult in the best of times. Still, every time I make the decision to get out while it's dark, I'm never disappointed.

* You know you're getting a little punchy there, junior, when a dog barking in the distance sounds like a tom answering your call.

* Kudos to the 118 anglers -- paired off into 59 teams -- that made it out to the Maine Open B.A.S.S. Tournament on Cobbossee Lake on Sunday.

It was wet, cold and rough going on the open water. But, as one of the fishermen put it, "Other than that, it was perfect."

* It's officially open water fishing season now. How do I know?

Well, it had nothing to do with ice-out or water temperatures and everything to do with permission. As in, when my wife turned to me and said, "You really ought to try to touch water with the canoe this weekend," I knew I was good to go.

* The red-winged blackbirds are back. It must be spring.

-- TB

Staff photo by Andy Molloy

A ruffed grouse challenges a visitor Friday in Augusta. The most common upland game bird in Maine, the ruffed grouse - or partridge - is encountered in woodlots across southern Maine.

With spring breeding season under way, male grouse are often heard drumming their wings to solicit the companionship of hens.

The partridge courtship only lasts a few days.

Females go it alone, seeking nests at the base of trees, under piles of slash and along overgrown stone walls. When encountered while roosting on eggs, the female may display a “broken wing” to draw predators away from nests.