Fishing derby may go statewide

By DEIRDRE FLEMING, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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	Staff photo by John Patriquin Chris Dyer of Naples and Scott Edwards of Sebago haul their portable fishing shack onto Long Lake in Naples on Tuesday. Edwards said he would prefer to be fishing on Sebago Lake, if the ice there were safe.
	Staff photo by John Patriquin A layer of slush is all that coats Sebago Lake in Standish on Tuesday. If the lake doesn't get a thick layer of ice, fishermen will go elsewhere for next month's fishing derby. The accompanying winter carnival events still will be held at Raymond Beach.
	SAFETY ON ICE DO NOT WALK on ice until there are at least 4 inches of clear, solid cover. Make sure you're on at least 5 inches of good, clear ice with snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles, and 8 to 12 inches for cars and light trucks. WEAR A LIFE JACKET. Life vests or float coats provide flotation and protection from hypothermia. Never wear a life jacket if you're in an enclosed vehicle. CARRY A PAIR of ice picks or screwdrivers tied together with a few yards of strong cord that you can use to pull yourself up and onto the ice if you fall in. Be sure they have wooden handles so they won't sink if you drop them in the struggle to get out of the water. BE PREPARED to bail out in a hurry if you use a car. Some safety experts recommend driving with windows down and doors ajar for an easy escape. Move your car frequently. Parking in one place for a long period weakens ice. DON'T DRIVE across ice at night or when it is snowing. Reduced visibility increases chances for driving into an open or weak ice area.Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources ON THE WEB: FOR UPDATES on the Windham Rotary Derby Fest at Sebago Lake, go to www.icefishingderby.com. To top of story

Maine's largest ice fishing derby will become a statewide event next month if ice on Sebago Lake is not solid enough to support the 6,000 fishermen who are expected to enter.

Tom Noonan, director of the Windham Rotary Derby Fest at Sebago Lake, said the derby and accompanying winter carnival definitely will be held Feb. 24 to 26.

But if Sebago Lake is unsuitable, participants will be allowed to fish on any Maine lake or pond. Carnival events still would be held at Raymond Beach on Sebago Lake.

Just a week ago, ice - and ice fishing - was plentiful from Kennebunk Pond to Moosehead Lake. But nowhere was it rock-hard sheets of ice.

"I fished Moosehead last weekend. The ice was not . . . where most of us are used to," Noonan said. "It's warm all over the state."

Southern Maine fisheries biologist Francis Brautigam said ice could form on Sebago Lake and become strong enough in a few weeks, given the right weather conditions.

"The water is cold enough; it just needs to have quiet weather and be below freezing," he said. But he's not optimistic.

"Because it's been so mild this winter, because we haven't had any significant ice formations, it appears as though there is a good likelihood we won't see ice on the lake," Brautigam said.

If the derby becomes a statewide affair, most of the rules will stay the same. The prize pool remains at more than $30,000, and entry fees continue to be $30 for one person or $50 for a family.

Fishermen would be able to fish on any body of water, but only for specific species, which have yet to be determined. Four derby weigh stations would be set up, in Sebago, Augusta, Greenville and Bangor.

Noonan said bass likely would not be a target. In the winter, it's easier to catch the larger, older female bass, Brautigam said, and those fish should be preserved.

Salmon also would not be allowed, Noonan said, because they are a highly sought fish and too vulnerable to ice fishermen.

Noonan said he will announce the location by Feb. 18.

"I have to be careful, the message I send. If we wind up having it on Sebago, I don't want people to think they can fish in Presque Isle," Noonan said.

In 2002, the first year of the derby, Sebago didn't ice over and Noonan was wondering what to do with the inaugural fundraiser. He gave out the prize money in drawings.

Then he got a license to hold a statewide derby, in case the problem happened again.

In the past three years, the charity fundraiser has been held at Sebago Lake. Last year, it ranked among the nation's top ice fishing derbies, according to Field & Stream magazine. The Maine Warden Service said more than 6,000 people participated, a number that included 2,400 families.

Noonan said last year is a good example of how quickly things can change.

On Feb. 11, 2005, the Warden Service issued an unsafe-ice advisory. By derby time, 13 days later, there was enough ice for trucks, shacks and fishermen to spread out across the 28,700-acre lake.

The Sebago derby was established to help thin Sebago's population of lake trout, or togue, which has depleted the numbers of landlocked salmon. Togue out-compete salmon for food, so reducing the number has helped salmon rebound.

Regardless of the form the derby takes, Raymond Beach will be the site of an air show, food vendors, snowmobile events and a polar ice dip. Ice car races will be canceled if no safe location can be found, Noonan said.

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