Windham's derby ranks among best

By DEIRDRE FLEMING, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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Windham has been ranked with the likes of Duluth, Minn., and Devils Lake, N.D., for the amount of winter fun it can produce. And it's only going to get better, says Tom Noonan, director of the Windham Rotary Derby Fest.

The event at Sebago Lake was named one of the nation's five best ice-fishing derbies by Field & Stream magazine last year, and it grew even bigger last weekend, with a record crowd of spectators and ice fishermen. The winner even caught a record lake trout.

Close to 6,000 ice fishermen and their families turned out, Noonan said. Last year, the turnout was just below that mark, he added.

Now in its fourth year, the Derby Fest also drew more than 1,000 viewers to its inaugural car race Friday night, and an air show brought in about 5,000 to watch more than 40 aircraft, Noonan said.

Last year, the Derby Fest raised as much as $100,000 for charities. This year's event is expected to have raised about $120,000, Noonan said. This year's ice dip alone raised more than $50,000 for the Maine's Children's Cancer Program.

The complete list of charities has not yet been named, Noonan said.

The derby winner was Steven Emerson of Addison, who caught a record 22.34-pound lake trout. Roger Reed of South Portland also beat the previous derby record of 18.4 pounds, with his second-place, 21.6-pound togue.

The only glitch the derby's director saw was in the number of lake trout caught.

The derby is used to help the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife cull the lake trout in Sebago and help the salmon population. Lake trout compete with salmon for smelts.

Noonan said there may have been fewer lake trout caught, because almost half of the 2,300 ice fishermen who registered did so on the last day..

The goal of the event remains to offer enough variety so that bad weather or thin ice will not diminish crowds. So far, it's been successful.

Even derby winner Emerson said, "We didn't care if we won," and he was surprised to leave with a 17-foot Center Console Trophy Fishing Boat.

Even with all its attractions, the event's main purpose will never be lost.

"No. 1, it's an ice fishing derby," Noonan said. "The fishermen come for the weekend and stay in hotels, motels and eat in restaurants. We're going to stay identified as an ice fishing festival."

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at: