Though Saturday was cool and cloudy, Maine Game Warden Mike Pierre was out patrolling Sebago Lake.

After watching a fishing boat through his binoculars, Pierre waved in operator Jeff Smalley, who reeled in his three fishing lines to talk with Pierre.

Pierre asked to see his fishing license and boat registration, also asking about safety requirements such as a life jacket and fire extinguisher.

The questions and safety checks are not new, but the likelihood of boaters getting stopped has increased this year, as Pierre and other game wardens work overtime to increase patrols on area lakes.

As peak boating season approaches, the equipment has been enhanced as well on area waterways. For the first time, the Maine Warden Service has entered into an agreement with Kawasaki to borrow two jet skis for the summer.

One of the jet skis will be used exclusively in the Lakes Region while the other will be used around the state. While last year the Warden Service operated jet skis elsewhere in the state, there was not a jet ski based around Sebago and Long lakes.

The warden service isn’t alone in its focus on safety enforcement. The town of Raymond is putting a retired Coast Guard boat in Sebago Lake this year, with the hopes of having patrols with volunteers and deputies from the Cumberland County Sheriffs office.

Smalley, of Massachusetts, has been fishing on Sebago Lake for 20 years. He comes up to Point Sebago for two full weeks and most weekends during the summer. This is only the second time he has been stopped by a warden.

“I just enjoy going out,” Smalley said. “It’s peaceful and relaxing.” Smalley said “I think they’re understaffed, probably,” Smalley said about the wardens, adding that he doesn’t see a lot of unsafe activity on the lake. Pierre issued a ticket to Smalley for fishing with one too many lines.

In Maine last year 16 people died in boat-related accidents, tying 2005 as the year with the most deaths on Maine’s inland waterways. Perhaps most well-known is the collision on Long Lake in Harrison that left Terry Raye Trott, 55, of Harrison and Suzanne Groetzinger, 44, of Berwick dead after a 32-foot boat operated by Robert LaPointe, 38, of Medway, Mass. sliced through their 14-foot craft in August.

LaPointe was indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury on two counts of manslaughter, four counts of aggravated operating under the influence and one count of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. He has pleaded not guilty and a September trial is scheduled in Cumberland County Superior Court.

Since the collision last summer, Capt. Jeff Davis of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said he has seen a lot more requests for deputies patrolling the lakes, adding that lake safety “is at the forefront right now.”

Pierre said it’s challenging to work alone and often over an hour away from reinforcement should he need it. While Pierre already patrols from land, by motorboat and by canoe, he said including a jet ski in the mix is an excellent addition.

With a jet ski, Pierre said he can get closer to shore, manuever tight turns more easily, move faster, use less fuel and be less conspicuous.

He added that variable weather makes his work unpredictable and it’s hard to work within a tight state budget. Though Pierre has the same authority as any law enforcement officer, he said it’s especially important how he approaches people because everyone he deals with is recreating.

As he pulled up next to a boat full of people cruising around the lake, Pierre asked the operator, Dave Cameron Jr. of Raymond, if he wouldn’t mind letting Pierre do a safety inspection. Pierre asked Cameron about life jackets, a throwable rescue aid and his registration.

Cameron said it seemed safer on the lake this year because boat traffic was down due to high gas prices.

Pierre said he can stop a boat with reasonable suspicion they’re breaking the law or as a routine check of their safety compliance. Though there are no laws governing speed in open water, Pierre said he has the discretion to summons or arrest someone for reckless operation. He can also do a sobriety test on a boat. The legal limit for blood alcohol level for operating a boat is .08, the same as for a car.

“We have a lot of discretion,” Pierre said.

Some of the biggest safety issues Pierre said he sees on the lake are excessive speed, use of alcohol while operating a boat, lack or misuse of safety equipment such as lights and lifejackets, and operator inexperience.

Some believe the laws regulating boaters are not strong enough. Rep. Richard Sykes, R-Harrison, sponsored two boating safety bills in the previous legislative session, both ultimately unsuccessful. One proposed limiting boats to 500 horsepower engines on Long Lake and Brandy Pond while the other would have required that all boaters take a boating safety course.

While Sykes said he does not have specific future legislation planned, he thinks there will be another effort in the Legislature to require a safety class. He argued that there are required classes for hunting and driving, so why not boating as well?

Sykes said he thinks it makes a big difference to have consistent and visible enforcement on the lakes. “You need to have a warden out there,” Sykes said.

President of the Sebago Lake Anglers Association Don Allen agreed with Sykes. “The visibility of wardens and enforcement would go a long way,” Allen said. He generally goes out on area lakes twice a day to fish. In his view, a lot of safety issues come down to lack of common sense. “A lot of it comes right down to stupidity, often mixed with booze,” Allen said.

The Raymond Public Safety Department is also hoping to increase safety on Sebago Lake with patrols on a 25-foot Coast Guard vessel donated to the town last year.

Raymond Fire Chief Denis Morse said on-the-water training will begin next week with 30 people who already completed an indoor training. Eventually Morse said the hope is to raise money from individuals and towns to fund overtime pay for sheriff’s deputies to patrol on the boat, as well as volunteers.

“The excitement is there. The interest is there. The tools and equipment are there,” Morse said, adding that the only missing piece is the funding.

“We would like to be on the lake and provide some enforcement,” Davis said, though he also explained it would cost $80 per hour for two deputies to work overtime, not including fuel costs. “It’s a case of money and manpower,” Davis said. “I’d like to put people out there every weekend.”

Despite the gloomy, threatening weather, Maine Warden Mike Pierre patrols Sebago Lake June 28 from an open boat, on the lookout for violations of the state’s safe boating and fishing laws.Maine Game Warden Mike Pierre talks with Windham boater Dave Cameron and his family during a routine boating safety check near Frye Island in Sebago Lake.Pierre explains a summons for a violation to Jeffrey Smalley. When Maine game warden pulled up next to him on Sebago Lake Saturday, the Massachusetts fisherman had too many lines in the water, and he’ll have to pay a fine in Bridgton District Court.