Slim’s Fishing Derby set for this weekend with $1,000 grand prize

Feb. 10, 2026

Jimmy Douglass, an avid outdoorsman in whose honor the fishing derby was created. Douglass passed away in a snowmobile accident. Photo courtesy of Slim’s Fishing Derby.

By Jessica Hardy

Slim’s Fishing Derby, an event created in honor of  James “Jimmy” Douglass of Deer Isle will be held on Feb.14-15. Ice fishing will take place on ponds and lakes across the Blue Hill Peninsula, with weigh-in at a central location.

The grand prize is $1,000. All proceeds benefit the Jimmy Douglass Memorial Scholarship fund, named for Douglass, who passed away 18 years ago in a snowmobile accident. Registration is $15 for adults and free for children 15 and under.

“He was an avid fisherman and had a great love for the outdoors. He definitely would love this derby and how it is still going strong in his memory,” Jeff Douglass said of his brother, Jimmy.

“It starts with family and friends enjoying an outdoor tradition on the ice but it ends with creating opportunities for [high school] seniors long after the ice melts,” said Shauna Larrabee, one of the organizers.

Local sponsorships and ticket sales contribute to the scholarship fund, equipment and prizes for the weekend event. Last year, the committee gave out three scholarships for high school seniors in Hancock County totaling $2,500. In the last 17 years, the event has only missed three events due to unsafe ice conditions.

"His friends are still loyal to him as they put on this ice fishing derby every year through the Deer Isle Fire Department, which he was a member of," said Joanna Douglass said, Douglass’s mother.

The derby is run by a small committee of volunteers, many of whom were close friends with Douglass, and who keep his memory alive with support from local businesses to help fund the event.

A lifetime fishing license will be awarded to a lucky young angler in honor of Bonnie Billings, who established the prize years ago for the derby. Photo courtesy of Slim’s Fishing Derby.

“He would have loved this event, as he loved any chance to get together with his friends,” Ryan Hardy said about his best friend. 

Every year, the Bonnie Billing’s Lifetime fishing license is awarded as a prize, in honor of Billings, who sponsored the award years ago. In the past 16 years, the derby has awarded 18 lifetime fishing licenses for anglers under 12.

Categories for the derby include salmon, trout, bass and pickerel. Weigh-in for catches by adults is on Saturday from 3-5 pm, and Sunday is the kids category from 2-5, both at the Toddy Pond boat landing in Orland.

“Derby attendance [has sometimes been] primarily affected by weather conditions, but has been declining since the Covid era. But with lower ticket sales and declining donations, it is getting harder to cover the rising cost of equipment and prizes,” committee member Jesse Larrabee said.

For more details of this year’s event, head to the derby’s Facebook page.