The Pushaw Lake Ice Fishing Derby took place this past weekend, sponsored by the Pushaw Lake Snowmobile Club.
Eighty-four people registered while more than 100 visited the clubhouse for food, heat and conversation. Some attended just to participate in prize drawings while others hoped to weigh their catch for a fish prize.
Participants competed in both youth and adult categories, with biggest fish awards for bass, pickerel, white perch, pike and crappie. Many prizes were donated, including cash, trophies, fishing gear and gift cards. Local bait shops and other sponsors contributed time, money or prizes.
Friends Bait Shop provided bait for four winning categories: youth bass, adult white perch, youth pickerel and adult pike.
Owner Mike Brasslett said he also gave winners cash, gift cards, a pocket knife and winter hats as a special thanks for using his bait. He credited his success to Scott and Nichole Brasslett. “I couldn’t do it without their help, honestly,” he said.
Loring Outdoors boosted the grand prize for the biggest pike. Adult winner Wyatt Horning received a 24-inch basket with liner and a tackle bag for his 13.44-pound, 37-inch pike. Youth winner Cruz Nadeau took home an 18-inch basket for his 12.72-pound, 38 ¼-inch pike.
Trevor Weymouth’s pike (left), 11.2 pounds and 36 inches long. Brantley Pierce (middle) with his youth division winning pickerel, 2.58 pounds and 21.5 inches long. Nick Bowman (right) landed a 10.36-pound, 33-inch pike during the derby. Credit: Photos courtesy of Trevor Weymouth, Brantley Pierce and Nick Bowman.
Brown’s Bait sold suckers for the derby. At one point, bait buyers appeared on the leaderboard in the bass and pike categories. While they didn’t place, some large pike were landed Saturday, including Trevor Weymouth’s 11.2-pound, 36-inch fish and Nick Bowman’s 10.36-pound, 33-inch catch.
Brantley Pierce took first in the youth pickerel division with a 2.58-pound, 21 ½-inch fish, while the adult division was won with a 2.7-pound, 22 ¼-inch fish.
First-time derby participant Mary Dorr caught several bass and briefly held first place before Zackary Linquist landed a 5.32-pound, 20 ¾-inch fish to take the lead.
She also caught her first pike. “Not a big one, but he certainly had a mouth full of teeth,” she said. Dorr added that she had a great time and plans to fish the lake again.
Meghan Snook (left) with her 1.73-pound, 15-inch crappie. Eli Snook (middle), caught a personal-best 3.97-pound largemouth bass. Mary Dorr (right) caught her first-ever northern pike while fishing the Pushaw Lake Derby. Credit: Photos courtesy of Eli Snook, Meghan Snook and Mary Dorr.
Meghan Snook fished with her son Eli all weekend, tying for first in crappie with a 1.73-pound, 15-inch fish. Eli didn’t place, but he caught his personal best largemouth at 3.97 pounds.
Father-son duo John and Damin Taylor also placed in their respective adult and youth categories for white perch and bass.
Participants shared their experiences on social media, including siblings Olivia and Cole Hill. Friend Chris Albert wrote on their Pine State Pursuit page that late January and February feel like a second November.
“Both are marathons, however, instead of spending every free moment cutting a deer track in hopes of catching up with a bruiser, this time of year we spend our weekends hopping from derby to derby, anxious and full of hope that we may in fact, catch the big one.”
Albert said the day was less about catching fish and more about enjoying the Maine outdoors with friends. A bolt falling out of an auger didn’t slow the action. Watching his wife Hannah and Olivia pull up perch, pickerel and even a pike, and spotting two eagles circling above the shack, made for a memorable derby.
“Until next time, hopefully we’ll have caught the big one and have quite a tale to tell along with it,” he wrote.