Bundle up, die-hard fishermen.

It’ll be “fish-on” this weekend on Sebago Lake, blizzard and all.

Additional Photos

Fishing shacks rise out of deep snow drifts on Sebago Lake near the Sebago Station boat ramp in Standish. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

The organizers of Maine’s largest ice fishing tournaments said Friday that the Sebago Lake Derby and the Cumberland County Derby will happen as planned, regardless of what Mother Nature conjures up in this latest potential blizzard.

“Fishermen will fish in all types of weather,” said Deborah McPhail, president of the Sebago Lake Rotary Club, which organizes the annual derbies.

McPhail said registrations are down, with only about 350 submitted as of Friday afternoon, but that number will grow as the derby approaches. With the harsh fishing conditions being forecast, however, McPhail said she expects fewer fishermen than the 700 to 1,000 who typically register.

Of course, fewer fishermen means better odds for derby prizes, which range from gift cards to a new ATV, McPhail said. That said, McPhail said fishermen are being advised that “they fish at their own risk.”

The Maine Children’s Cancer Program Polar Dip – scheduled for noon Saturday at Raymond Beach – is taking place as planned, McPhail said. Depending on the weather, the fishing derby award ceremony planned for Sunday night could be canceled, however.

All of coastal Maine as well as inland areas as far north as Millinocket were under a blizzard watch on Friday in the latest in a string of snowstorms that have dumped several feet of snow on the region. The storm is expected to arrive Saturday afternoon and continue well into Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Areas of southern and coastal Maine could get an additional 12 to 16 inches of snow. But the weather service is warning of blizzard and potentially whiteout conditions caused by heavy snow and 25- to 35-mph winds, with gusts of up to 55 mph.

And it will be brutally cold.

The temperature near Windham was expected to drop to minus 13 on Friday night. While it is projected to warm up to a comparatively balmy 17 degrees by Saturday afternoon, strong winds will make it feel closer to minus 11. Temperatures on Sunday are expected to be in the middle to low teens, dropping below zero at night.

The Maine Warden Service “will be out in full force” to enforce the state’s fishing, snowmobiling and other laws as well as to assist with any emergency situations, said Sgt. Jason Luce. While Luce said most ice fishermen are accustomed to fishing in the cold, he is concerned that fishermen on the lake could become disoriented or lost if there are whiteout conditions.

“We hope people are dressed appropriately and have the proper equipment to sustain themselves if they get stranded out there in the cold,” Luce said. He also urged derby attendants to limit their alcohol consumption given the treacherous weather.

The warden service is advising fishermen to use extreme caution when venturing out into Sebago’s “big bay,” which only froze during the first week of February. Luce flew over the lake and said he doesn’t believe the big bay has safe ice.

“It has been cold, so it is making some ice,” Luce said. “But I have been doing this job for a long time and have been ice fishing for long enough that I know I like to have a lot of ice under me when I go out there.”

Many other areas of the lake popular with fishermen have between 12 and 18 inches of ice, McPhail said.

The Sebago Lake Derby has only been canceled twice in its 15-year history. Proceeds from the derby go to support Good Shepherd Food Bank, Camp Sunshine, Maine Children’s Cancer Program and others.

For more information, on the derbies, go to www.icefishingderby.com.

Correction: This story was updated at 12:40 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2015 to correct Deborah McPhail’s title.

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