Ice fishing enthusiasts may catch their entries for the Sebago Lake Rotary Club Derby Fest anywhere in Maine, now that the popular tournament has been expanded statewide.

For the first time in its history, the event, scheduled for Feb. 24 through 26, has been opened up to include all lakes in Maine because the ice on parts of Sebago is still not safe.

This isn’t the first time weather has caused problems with the derby. In 2002, Sebago failed to freeze over and the charity event had to be cancelled; the prizes given away by lottery. Since that year, the club has secured a license to hold the derby statewide in case the problem recurred.

“Actually, we’re sad it’s not happening on Sebago but we’re intrigued to see how a statewide derby will go,” said Tom Noonan, organizer of the tournament.

Under the new rules, togue is now only one of eight species that are eligible to win prizes. Pike, black crappie, white and yellow perch, pickerel, muskie and brown trout may also be submitted at official weigh stations scattered throughout the state.

Rotarians will man these six stations, each equipped with certified and calibrated scales. Locations include Raymond, Augusta, Greenville, Brewer and Presque Isle.

Though Sebago isn’t completely frozen, according to Francis Brautigam, biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, competitors may still fish the lake. But opening the derby up to other lakes will cut down on the numbers of people and vehicles weighing down the ice.

“Fishing has some inherent risks,” Brautigam said. “It’s up to individuals to decide what’s safe and what’s not.”

Noonan adds that it’s not just Sebago that has sections of thin ice. He recommends that people talk to locals where they plan to fish to find out which areas are safe.

The new rules and added locations have some worried about the possibility of cheating. Noonan says there is a procedure in place to prevent dishonesty from being a factor.

“We are aware that not everybody that comes in to fish is Mother Teresa and we try to take precautions to eliminate cheating,” Noonan said. “We’re certainly going to be vigilant. If someone’s cheating, we’ll know about it within 24 to 48 hours.”

Other Derby Fest events will go on as scheduled but organizers admit they have no idea how many people will attend. Last year, they had crowds of 20,000 with about 6,000 fishing, earning local charities nearly $120,000.

This year’s derby will once again give away about $30,000 in prizes. But next year, if approved by the legislature, the prize pool could be as high as $100,000 for the event.

Addison resident Steve Emerson’s winning fish last year came from a “secret” location off the southern tip of Frye Island. This year, that location may not be suitable for fishing, as Sebago Lake has yet to completely freeze over, causing the annual Derby Fest to spread out to lakes across the state. Courtesy photo

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