Sunny skies, thick ice and lots of big catches for ice fishing derby
Nearly seven pound togue wins the day, but plenty of big trout, pickerel and bass caught during annual two-day ice fishing event
Jensyn Snow, 4, and sister, Evelyn, 6, hold a bass caught on Woods Pond, also called Third Pond. Photo by Tyler Snow.
Feb. 17, 2026
By Jessica Hardy
Under sunny skies and on thick ice, anglers dotted the ponds of the Blue Hill Peninsula last weekend for Slim’s Ice Fishing Derby.
“There was no shortage of young anglers proudly standing in line to weigh their catch,” said Jesse Larrabee, a derby coordinator.
Helen Douglass spotting a salmon caught by her husband Jeffery Douglass. Photo by Rabah Ghannam.
Zachary Torrey with his almost three-pound Brookie. Photo courtesy of Slim’s Ice Fishing Derby.
The annual event took place on Feb. 14-15 on ponds across the Blue Hill Peninsula. Over 416 tickets were sold to the event and more than 76 fish were weighed and measured by Greg Burr, a retired Maine state fish biologist.
At the end of the day Sunday, the biggest fish caught went to Chris Kane with a togue, also called a lake trout, weighing in at 6.88 pounds and 26.99 inches.
“It is heartwarming to see so many families enjoying the event together,” Larrabee said.
The derby committee said the event raised over $6,100 toward the Jimmy Douglass Memorial Book award that provides scholarships to local students. In addition, over $4,500 in cash and prizes were given out, including more than 30 Heritage ice traps handed out to young anglers to help promote the favorite pastime, Larrabee said.
“These funds help ensure we are able to continue to award $3,500 annually to three Hancock County high school seniors looking to further their education,” Larrabee said. “Our thanks go out to all the derby participants. Your continued support, dedication, and participation in our event helps us to promote the sport of ice fishing to the younger participants.”
Participants of all ages caught fish ranging from bass, brown trout, togue, salmon, brook trout and pickerel. First place winners are as follows:
Chris Kane, togue (lake trout), 6.88 pounds and 26.99 inches.
Zachary and Derek Torrey: Brook trout, 2.78 pounds and 18.32 inches.
Michael Soule, pickerel: 4.94 pounds and 26.67 inches.
Bryce Schneider, bass, 5.34 pounds and 20.17 inches.
James Hatch, Brown trout, 3.26 pounds and 19.98 inches.
Daniel Smith, salmon, 2.65 pounds and 21.39 inches.
“I love fishing, so catching this at the derby was pretty amazing. I’m already looking forward to next year,” Zachary Torrey said.
The Grand Prize Winner of $1,000 went to Stephan Erland. The Bonnie Billings Lifetime Licenses were awarded to Garth Flynn and Lianna Johnson.
“Jimmy was definitely looking over everyone with the great weather. Definitely a great way to celebrate him,” Jeff Douglass said about his brother.
For more on the weekend’s events, check out Slim’s Fishing Derby Facebook page.
Jackson Turner, 9, with his brother, Ryan, 6 holding their big bass. Photo courtesy of Slim’s Ice Fishing Derby.
