MONMOUTH – The passion fishermen have for their sport is the reason the statewide part of the Sebago Lake Rotary Derby was created five years ago.
And that passion was evident Saturday as dedicated sportsmen and women ventured onto the ice in the pouring rain.
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Master Maine Guide John Farrell and past prizewinner Les Crooker fished Lake Annabessacook in Winthrop, quite happy with their outing.
“Real fishermen don’t mind the rain. It’s not a bother,” said Crooker, who took third place for pickerel two years ago.
Farrell hauled in a 13-pound, 13.76-inch Northern pike that stood in second place as of 5 p.m. Saturday, and he was eager to find out today how he placed in the two-day statewide contest.
“We’re having a good day. We just ate a big Spanish rice,” Farrell grinned, with a nod to the ice shack.
The Maine Statewide Derby began in 2006 when poor ice conditions forced the cancellation of the Sebago derby.
Organizers weren’t planning to bring it back, but fishermen loved it.
Since then Sebago derby founder Tom Noonan has held both derbies — until last year when both were cancelled due to poor ice.
A year later there are 20 weigh stations in outposts across the state, down from 24 bait-shop and variety-store weigh stations.
There are about 1,500 fishermen registered this year, down from 2,000 two years ago.
“No doubt cancelling last year hurt them,” said Tim Jackson, owner of a Monmouth ice-trap dealership and weigh station.
By 2 p.m. Saturday a slow stream of wet fishermen started filing in to Jack Traps in Monmouth to weigh fish.
Warren Burnham and cousin Shawn Boulgier let their kids quit early due to the rain. The local fishing party had started at 5 a.m.
“We got stuck three times this morning in the slush. We had to take the sled off the snowmobile and get it out,” Burnham said.
Noonan says it is this breed of outdoors folks who will one day push the statewide registration numbers to 10,000.
“I could see us tripling the number very easily,” Noonan said.
Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:
dfleming@pressherald.com
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