Day one of the two-day Norway-Paris Fish & Game Association’s annual ice fishing derby brought cold weather, but, said event co-chair Leon Truman, the event is going well, and he expects to sell up to 2,000 tickets by the end of the event.
Proceeds from the event go toward sending area youth to the Maine Conservation School, which has a tuition of $500 per student; last year, the association sent about a dozen students, Truman said.
Ice fishermen from lakes and ponds across the state may enter and vie for various prizes, as long as they register and weigh their fish by sunset, according to the posted rules.
Junior participants are making their presence felt: as of Saturday afternoon, roughly half the catches were made by participating youth under 12, who win a prize with any catch.
Sunday at sunset the winners will be announced. The participant with largest fish in each species wins $50, and there are many other prizes, including a gun raffle and random-draw door prizes.
Folks wishing to get in out of the cold are welcome to relax at the Little Red Schoolhouse on Norway Lake, where refreshments are available. This is also where participants bring their fish in to be weighed and registered, and can check out how the competition is doing.
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