WILTON – Scores of ice-fishing fans took advantage a clear and sunny day Saturday, Feb. 16, to participate in the 5th annual Michael J. Rowe Memorial Ice Fishing Derby on Wilson Lake. The event is presented by the Wilton Fish & Game Association, attracting anglers of all ages.
Named for Michael J. Rowe, who died in a tragic woods accident, the derby helps raise money to support a scholarship fund in his name. Many of the Rowe family members were on hand to congratulate the youth winner.
The biggest fish caught Saturday was a togue caught by Jamie Rogers in the adult category. The fish tipped the scales at 6.459 pounds. Also in the adult category, Deb Roberts scored with a brook trout that weighed 0.947 pounds. There was not any salmon registered in the adult division.
Youth anglers posted some big fish, too. Cole Baker won first prize in the Youth category, catching a togue weighing 5.555 pounds. He won a complete boxed set of Max-traps, a strainer, bait bucket and other items.
Samantha Davis scored in the Youth Salmon category with a fish that weighed 1.851 pounds. Caden Hewett-Adams won for Youth Bass with a fish weighing 0.925 pounds.
Jacob Ouellette won the prize for the smallest fish, with a yellow perch that weighed 0.132 pounds and measured 7 and one-eighth inch. There were no fish registered for brook trout or white perch in the youth division.
In keeping with the event’s tradition to help boost youth fishing, there was also a workshop for beginning anglers, and one of the biggest prizes of the event is a Youth Lifetime Fishing License, which was donated by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. The winner of that prize was Tessa Coliter.
Other big prizes included a power auger was won by Patricia Toothaker of Farmington, and an ice chisel won by Ella Adams of Livermore Falls.
