Anglers looking for a day of fun on a beautiful Maine lake may want to head to the Milo area this weekend, as the venerable Schoodic Lake Ice Fishing Derby returns for its 58th edition.
The derby rules allow participants to fish Schoodic, Ebeemee, Seboeis and Boyd lakes. Fishing will take place on Feb. 15 to 16, and proceeds benefit Milo Fire Department charities and events.
The derby is traditionally among the state’s most popular, with between 2,000 and 4,000 people purchasing tickets each year.
The grand shore prize for this year’s derby is a 2019 Sportsman ATV. Shore prizes worth a total of $3,200 are also up for grabs. Among the top prizes: A Husqvarna chainsaw, a getaway to Plymouth, Massachusetts, a TCA Compass rifle and a two-night stay at Cole’s Moosehorn Cabins.
Shore prizes will be awarded to people who purchase a $10 derby ticket, whether they end up fishing or not.
Among the more unusual shore prizes: A cord of cut, split and delivered firewood and a septic tank cleaning.
Anglers will be vying for cash prizes in a number of categories. The largest salmon, lake trout or brook trout will earn a lucky angler $400, while second place for each species takes home $200 and third place earns $100. Those catching cusk, perch, pickerel or bass will be competing for a $200 first prize and a $100 second prize.
The derby will also up some cool prizes in a drawing among fish that are registered. An ice auger, a Yeti cooler, five Heritage ice fishing traps and an ice fishing shelter top that list. In all, those drawings include prizes worth $2,000.
