Branden Bennett, left, helps Jackson Shepard, 9, and his brother, Thomas, 5, check their trap Saturday during the 12th Jack Traps Youth Ice Fishing Derby at Cochnewagon Lake in Monmouth. The free derby is open to those 12 or younger and features free traps, skimmers, bait nets, buckets and bait. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

The free fishing derby at Cochnewagon Lake in Monmouth is for the community and not competitive. There are no weigh-ins, and all participants are given free traps, skimmers, bait nets, buckets and bait. The lake is stocked with brook trout for the event by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. With the help of sponsors, lifetime fishing licenses are awarded as prizes to participants 12 or younger.

Alex St. Amand, 11, left, checks the trap Saturday as Allora Johnson, 5, watches and Axel St. Amand, 8, right, untangles the line on his trap. The youngsters from Oxford came to the 12th Jack Traps Youth Ice Fishing Derby at Cochnewagon Lake in Monmouth with their great-aunt and great-uncle to get out onto the ice. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

A group from Lewiston gets a ride Saturday around Cochnewagon Lake during the 12th annual Jack Traps Youth Ice Fishing Derby in Monmouth. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Brandon Bennett helps his daughter, Paige, 10, change her foot warmers Saturday as her sister, Everly, 5, keeps a close eye on the process. The girls, who are experienced in ice fishing, are participating in the 12th Jack Traps Youth Ice Fishing Derby at Cochnewagon Lake in Monmouth. Every year, the derby buys lifetime fishing licenses to give to some of the young participants. The last time the derby was held, in 2020, Paige won one of the lifetime licenses. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Chase Fay, left and Emmett Wilson, both 9 and from Clinton, watch their puck glide Saturday toward Ozzie the dog at Cochnewagon Lake in Monmouth. The boys say they have a hockey game planned for later in the day and have brought their sticks to play around. Emmett’s father, Steve, has shoveled the spot on the ice for the boys to play. “It helps kill the time between (ice fishing) flags,” Steve says. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal


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