Weekend fishing derbies set Events on Hancock County lakes, Brewer Lake, Fields Pond

Ice anglers looking to enjoy a day on their favorite lake can do so on Sunday … and may have the chance to win a prize.

The Mount Desert Island Rod & Gun Club will hold its annual ice fishing derby, and all lakes and ponds in Hancock County are eligible.

The grand prize of $1,000 cash will go to a lucky angler who enters a legal fish.

A new prize has been added this year and will go to the angler who registers the smallest legal togue. That prize is offered in order to thin out the overabundant lake trout that are present in many Hancock County waters.

The weigh-in will start at the Ellsworth Elks Club at 3:30 p.m. and end at 6 p.m.

Some other ice fishing options:

. The Orrington Rod & Gun Club derby is going on today and Sunday on Brewer Lake and Fields Pond.

The top shore prize is $100 worth of oil, while top fish prizes will net an angler $100 for the largest salmon and $75 for the top pickerel.

Tickets can be bought at Bob’s Cozy Corner Store, and the weigh-in will be held at the store as well.

. If you’re busy this weekend, perhaps you’ll want to mark Feb. 19-20 on your calendar for more ice fishing fun.

That’s when organizers will hold the 43rd annual Schoodic Lake Ice Fishing Derby.

The derby actually encompasses Schoodic, Ebeemee, and Seboeis lakes, and with more than $7,000 in shore prizes up for grabs, plenty of anglers will head to the Milo area for the event.

The grand prize is a 2005 Polaris 340 Classic, and a total of $12,000 in prizes will be awarded. Proceeds from the derby will benefit the Milo Fire Department.

Fish must be registered by 5:30 p.m. each day. Weigh-ins will be conducted at Lake View Plantation and Knight’s Landing in Brownville.

For more information, call 943-7326 or check the derby’s Web site at www.trcmaine.org.

. Another derby on the docket: the 2nd annual derby for the Pine Tree Camp on Feb. 26.

The derby is open to all legal waters in the state, and the weigh-in will be held at the Smithfield Village Store in Smithfield.

For more information, call Raymond Charles at 587-4761.

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.