WILTON – Held on a beautiful Saturday, winners of the 3rd Annual Michael J. Rowe Memorial Ice Fishing Derby sponsored by the Wilton Fish & Game members were announced at the end of the daylong event.
Heaviest overall fish of the day was caught by Zackery Plante of Rhode Island winning with a togue that weighed in at 4.629 and was 24 inches long. Plante won a 10-inch Eskimo Auger, and also in the heaviest fish in the youth category he received the Commemorative Box Set of Max-traps. Both prizes were donated by Max-traps.
In the remaining youth classes Mason Willett won with his salmon at 2.028 lbs. 18 inches; Dylan Eldridge won with his brook trout at .705 lbs. 12 inches; Avari Hewett won with a pickerel at 3.064 lbs. 23 ¼ inches. There was no bass caught.
The smallest fish winner was Ellie Pelletier with her yellow perch weighing .132 lbs. and 7 ½ inches long. Pelletier won a 4-foot Max-Trap donated by Max-Traps. Each winner in the youth class won a Bucket Buddy, $25 cash, Max-Trap with line, and skimmer.
In the adult categories: Reid Bond won an Eskimo Pop-Up Tent by catching a togue weighing 4.1 lbs. and 23 ½ inches long; Sam Thibault with a salmon at 1.675 lbs. and 15 ½ inches long received a large Jet Sled donated by Spruce Mtn. Bait & Tackle. There was no brook trout entered.
Sponsors for the event were:
Wood-Mizer Northern New England-Ross & Maureen Clair, Wilton Lions Club, Friends of Wilson Lake, Franklin Savings Bank, Sandy River Farm Supply, University Credit Union, Shelley’s Hometown Market, Jean Castonguay Excavation, and PalletOne of Maine.
Door prizes were donated by:
Max-traps, Narrow Gauge Cinema, Expenet, Wilton Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, Basil’s Pizza & Sub, Wilton Hardware, Our Village Market, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Black Bear Graphics, Tractor Supply, Tinny’s Automotive Outlet, BackWoods Bait & Tackle, Douin’s Market, Jack’s Trading Post, Spruce Mtn. Bait & Tackle, Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers, Jana LaBrecque, Farmington House of Pizza, Natanis Point Campground, Falls General Store, NAPA, L.L. Cote, Subway, Les Harding & Gail Dolan, Black Mountain of Maine, Steve’s Market, Robin’s Bait Shop, Reny’s, Shelly’s Hometown Market, Imelda’s, Lisa Bryant Photography, Orr’s Septic, Brady’s Snowmobile & ATV Equipment, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, My Dad’s Place, Chuck Wagon Restaurant, Fitness Style and University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
The area organizations and businesses have been very generous in their support to this event. Please try to remember to shop local and thank them when you can, organizers said.
Participants for the derby represented 37 Maine towns, two from Massachusetts, and five people from Florida.
Was the $1000 tagged fish caught?
no the tagged fish was not caught