Tommy Piawlock, 14, of Bethel waits for Roxbury Pond ice fishing derby chairman Jim Theriault to determine on Saturday afternoon if Piawlock’s perch on the measuring board at right was long enough to unseat leader Robert Worthley’s 12 3/4-inch perch. It wasn’t, so Worthley took home $100 for his 1-pound fish.

Ice fishermen listen Saturday to Jim Theriault, right center, as he calls off names of those who caught the biggest bass, perch, pickerel and trout at the Mexico Lions Club’s Larry Mercier Memorial Ice Fishing Derby at Roxbury Pond in Roxbury.

At Saturday’s Mexico Lions Club ice fishing derby at Roxbury Pond in Roxbury, Ann Carver, center, of Mexico, and her 2-year-old daughter Emily, check out the winning trout that netted Don Rose $150 for largest trout. Rose, of Albany Township, was watching behind the Carvers as event event chairman Jim Theriault, reading from the scale, said the fish weighed nearly 2 pounds and was 15 5/8 inches long.

During Saturday’s Larry Mercier Memorial Ice Fishing Derby at Roxbury Pond in Roxbury, 14-year-old twins Donny, left, and Tommy Piawlock of Bethel scrutinize the leader board only to learn that their fish weren’t long enough to unseat any leading anglers.

ROXBURY — Former bait shop owner Mike Foster of Sabattus and 14-year-old Bethel twins Donny and Tommy Piawlock thought their fish would unseat the leaders at the Larry Mercier Memorial Ice Fishing Derby held Saturday at Roxbury Pond.

With 40 minutes remaining in the event that attracted 500 anglers, Foster lugged a large bucket to the scale containing fish he and wife Linda Foster had caught. The Piawlock boys, who fished with their dad, Mike Piawlock, brought over the largest of their catch of 23 fish stacked in their arms and hands like firewood.

To their surprise, none of the fish was long enough to win.

“We only got beat by a little bit with each fish, but we had fun,” Mike Foster said. “It was good fishing. We caught bass, pickerel and brook trout.”

The Piawlocks caught three bass, five pickerel and 15 perch, all of which were laid out in the bed of Mike Piawlock’s pickup truck.

Mike Piawlock said they arrived at 6:30 a.m. to fish the middle of the pond during the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. derby.

The Fosters began fishing at 7:10 a.m.

Lengths they needed to beat were:

* Pickerel: Ross Hamel’s leading 25½-inch, 4½-pounder; Paul Perreault’s second-place 25¼-inch, 5-pound fish; and Brandon Knapp’s 23¾-inch, 3½-pounder in third place. No one unseated them, so Hamel won $200, Perreault got $150 and Knapp won $100.

* Bass: Arland Burgess’s leading 20-inch, 4 3/8-pounder; Mike Coulombe’s 16½-inch, 2 3/8-pound fish in second place; and Steve Bond’s third-place catch at 16½ inches, 2 pounds. Those standings stood, so Burgess won $200, Coulombe got $150 and Bond won $100.

* Largest perch: Robert Worthley’s 12¾-inch, 1-pounder. No one topped him, so he won $100.

* Largest trout: Don Rose with a brook trout measuring 15 5/8 inches long and weighing 1 7/8 pounds. Rose, of Albany Township, won $150.

“Our pickerel was the shortest, but the bass we only missed by half an inch,” Mike Foster said.

Event Chairman Jim Theriault said the Mexico Lions Club’s 31st annual derby attracted a near-record crowd. Each person paid $10 to enter.

“We got 500 people, which is awesome,” Theriault said. “Last year we had something like 426, so this is the biggest in recent years. There’s a lot of family fishing out there.”

He credited the huge turnout to the derby’s “excellent reputation” and the sunny weather with near-freezing temperatures.

The state also relaxed its fishing regulations for the weekend, allowing people to fish for free to promote Maine’s traditional Family Fishing Days.

Theriault said he was amazed by the amount of trout people were catching. He credited that to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, which stocked the pond last fall.

“Usually, we only get one or two trout, but they’re catching a lot of trout that are 14 inches to 14½ inches long,” he said.

“Last week, 11 people caught their two-fish limit — 22 trout — on the back side of the big island, and that’s unheard of here, because this is normally bass and pickerel.”

The derby is the club’s largest fundraiser. Proceeds go toward hearing aids and eye care in the River Valley area.

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A couple of ice anglers return to their vehicle after watching others bring in fish at the end of Saturday’s ice fishing derby on Roxbury Pond in Roxbury. A near-record crowd of 500 people of all ages participated, event Chairman Jim Theriault said.