Angling for a prize

By MELANIE CREAMER, News Assistant

Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

E-mail this story to a friend

Staff photo by Herb Swanson Joe Neault of Windham clears ice from a fishing hole on Sebago Lake Sunday. This Saturday, the derby will hold an "Ice Fisherman of the Year" contest in which contestants will run 100 yards, chop or drill a hole, set a trap, run back and repeat.

ICE-FISHING DERBY The Windham Rotary Club's Ice-fishing Derby will be held Saturday and Sunday on Sebago Lake. Fishing on Sebago Lake will be restricted to togue. There is a prize pool of $25,000 and all proceeds will benefit local charities. Standish Sno-Seekers will offer hot breakfast sandwiches, chili, hot dogs, coffee, hot chocolate and snacks at the weigh-in station at the Sebago boat launch in Standish from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. Several fun events are planned at Raymond Beach on Saturday, including an "Ice Fisherman of the Year" contest, a polar ice dip at noon, professional ice-sculpture exhibit of five 8-foot tall figures, fireworks over Jordan Bay at 7:30 p.m. and an outdoor concert with John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band at 8 p.m. A segment of Route 302 will be closed from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, with a traffic detour through Raymond Village. More information is available on the Web site: www.icefishingderby.com. To register, call (888) ICE-FLAG. To top of story

SEBAGO - It's been a brutally cold winter out on Sebago Lake, and no one could be happier about that than Warren Gamash, an ice fisherman from Saco.

He's been fishing nearly every day since the lake froze over, chasing a record set in 1997 when Bill Day of Porter hauled in a togue that weighed 27.05 pounds.

Gamash is hoping that luck will bring him the top prize when the competition reaches its fever pitch on Saturday and Sunday, with the Windham Rotary Club's third annual ice-fishing derby.

"I'm going to have to find a couple of rabbits' foots to bring with me," he said. "I'd like to go out there and dig all day and fish, but if it's too nasty, I guess I'll be fishing anyway. I'd like to place in the tournament. And it's nice 'cause they raise a lot of money for the different charities."

First place in the tourney goes to the angler who catches the heaviest togue. Fishermen and derby supporters will compete for $25,000 in cash and door prizes given out at the tournament and throughout the derby.

The derby is expected to draw about 2,000 anglers and a crowd that will more than double participant size. This year, the derby will include family events beginning Friday, when professional ice carvers create 8-foot-high sculptures at Raymond Beach. In addition, there will be a polar ice dip at Raymond Beach at noon Saturday, a fireworks display at 7:30 p.m., and a concert featuring John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band.

That same day, there also will be an "Ice Fisherman of the Year" contest in which contestants will run 100 yards, chop or drill a hole, set a trap, run back and repeat. The winner will receive a trophy as well as a $500 donation to a nonprofit organization of his or her choice.

Tom Noonan, who lives by the lake on Jordan Bay and organizes the festival, says he wanted to build on the fishing tournament to make it an event the whole family could enjoy. He says he hopes to broaden the event each year to someday achieve the popularity of the winter carnival in Quebec City.

"A lot of people have cabin fever this time of year, so we have added family activities to liven up the fest," he said. "People are excited about the weekend. We are looking forward to a lot of people coming out for the festival. Hopefully the fish will be cooperative."

The cost to enter the tournament is $30 for an individual and $50 for a family. Participants can register for the derby until noon on Saturday by calling (888) ICE-FLAG.

The angler who catches the heaviest togue will win a Bayliner 160 fiberglass boat and a 50-horsepower Mercury motor and trailer, a $10,000 value. The second-place winner will get a custom aluminum ice shack from Sebago Dock Co.

But the real winners will be the charities helped by the tournament. This year, all proceeds raised will benefit Camp Sunshine, the Maine Children's Cancer Program, polio eradication and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

While last year's derby was cancelled due to lack of ice, this winter has brought plenty of it. As of Feb. 12, the ice measured 17 inches thick, according to Noonan. He said the ice could reach 20 inches by tournament time. And with ice that thick, it will make getting around the lake easy for the anglers.

"People will be able to drive their snowmobiles and four wheelers (ATVs) on the lake," he said. "But we do not encourage people to drive their trucks and cars out on the ice."

Anglers must be cautious of pressure ridges, which form when water expands and freezes. Some pressure ridges are forming on the lake, but when caution is observed they pose no harm to anglers. Noonan says to have common sense while traveling about the lake - don't drive too fast and avoid shallow areas where rocks get heated by the sun.

Gamash, who prefers to walk the lake on foot, will have no shelter or shack to shield him from the sometimes fierce winds. He participated in the derby two years ago and says the conditions were brutal.

He expects this year to be the same. But he says he's prepared and he's got his lucky lures and favorite fishing spot, outside Jordan's Store off of Simpson's Beach. He says the biggest fish he caught on the lake was about 14 to 15 pounds. And two weeks ago, he said, some good-size togue snapped his line - and got away.

News Assistant Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:

mcreamer@pressherald.com

To top of page