The Boothbay Region Fish & Game Association's Kids Ice Fishing Derby, held on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Wiley Pond in Boothbay, was hailed by organizers as a big success.

"We had 35 kids from ages three to 14 enter the event," said club member Lou Scala, who was in charge of registration, "which was more than we anticipated. There were lots of adults as well, so we probably had 50 or 60 people out on the ice."

The weather cooperated as well, with temperatures in the mid-30s and little wind. The pond's surface was slushy due to the previous Thursday's snowfall, but with 15 inches or so of ice underneath, safety was not a concern.

The fishing for over 500 stocked brook trout started off slow, but action picked up as the morning progressed with more and more "flags" going up, indicating fish were biting or on the line. Most entrants used traditional ice traps with worms as bait, although some tried their hand at jigging artificial lures.

The majority of the trout caught ranged from seven to nine inches, and most were released. A good number of larger ones were also iced, which kept club volunteers with tape measures and notebooks busy moving around the pond on foot or ATV to record the angler's name, the length of the fish, and the time caught.

Many entrants took a break to visit the club house to warm up, where a newly-installed wood stove was pumping out plenty of heat thanks to the efforts of members Dennis Blackman and Ken Anderson. Board members Heather Lewis and Blaisette Gauthier offered hot dogs, sandwiches, muffins,and cupcakes for sale, along with free coffee, hot chocolate, and fruit drinks.

The club house was packed for the 2 p.m. awards ceremony. Draco Peaslee was the grand prize winner with a trout of 14.5 inches, good for a check for $50.  Carina Peaslee came in second with a 13.25-incher, and won $25. Third place and a check for $10 went to Shawn Gamage for a 13-inch brookie, with Chelsea Graves right behind with another 13-incher that also brought $10. Courtney Meader rounded out the pack in fifth place with a trout of 12 inches, and took home a check for $10.

Door prizes of rod and reel outfits and a tackle box were awarded to lucky young participants holding winning tickets.

"It turned out to be a terrific event," said club member Rusty Court, who commandeered the jammed parking lot. "Word is going to get out, and if we hold the derby again next winter we may have to bus people in from the high school!"

Ice fishing for kids under 16 continues at Wiley Pond through February 28.  As of March 1, it will be closed to all fishing until the regular open-water season begins on April 1. All club firing ranges remain closed until March 1.