Children from all over central Maine flocked to a pair of private ponds last weekend for the Dexter Fish & Game Association’s Kids Fishing Derby.

In all, 178 children tried their luck on angling for 200 stocked trout in ponds owned by Mike Roderka and Shirley Page.

Fifteen trout were caught in each pond, and a variety of awards were handed out.

At Page’s pond, the awards:

First limit of three trout by 5-year-old Kyrestain Cronkite of Veazie won the girls award, while 4-year-old Cody Shaw of Corinna took the boys title.

Biggest fish, girl: Jessica Kent, 11, from St. Albans, who caught a 101/2-inch rainbow trout; boy: Jacob Richards, 5, of Palmyra, who caught a 91/2-inch rainbow. Michaela Phinney, 6, of Pittsfield earned an honorable mention.

At Roderka’s pond:

Makayla Cole, 4, from Cambridge was the first girl to catch her limit of three trout; 12-year-old Ben Gould of Ripley was the first boy.

Cole also won the biggest fish award for girls with her 14-inch rainbow. Mitchell Herrick, 11, of Cambridge caught a 15-inch white sucker, while Jeff Thompson, 15, of Garland, earned an honorable mention.

Lifetime licenses were awarded in two age groups. For ages 5 and younger, the winner was Brooke Robbins of Newport. For the 6-15 group, John Washburn of Hartland earned the prize.

Fish for free this weekend

While many avid anglers willingly ante up and pay for a seasonal fishing license each year, others may not do so because they feel they don’t fish enough to make the purchase worthwhile.

Those looking to give fishing a try … and avoid paying the price … can do so today and Sunday, with the state’s Free Fishing Weekend.

The program waives one major fishing rule for the weekend: Anglers don’t have to have a license to enjoy tossing a lure, trolling a smelt, or casting a fly.

The state sponsors two free fishing weekends each year. One is held on Presidents Day weekend, while the other coincides with Father’s Day weekend.

The free fishing does not apply to anyone who has had their license suspended by the state.

County stocking meeting set

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will hold a public meeting to discuss fish stocking, ice fishing, and other outdoor issues on July 11.

The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Fox Auditorium at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

DIFW Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin will be on hand to answer questions and address concerns.

Rep. Troy Jackson of Fort Kent and Sen. John Martin of Eagle Lake helped arrange the meeting because of concerns people have expressed regarding the stocking of fish in Aroostook County.

“I have talked to a lot of people who do not feel that fish stocking is done in an equitable way,” Jackson said. “I think it will do a lot of good to have the commissioner come up and listen to people’s concerns. Maybe we can make a change.”

For more information, contact Jackson at 834-4081.

To submit an item for publication in the Outdoor Notebook, send e-mail to jholyoke@bangordailynews.net, fax to 990-8092 or mail information to Outdoor Notebook, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor, Maine, 04402-1329.