Comment on Maine’s most unusual ice fishing derby has begun

Before long, most of the state’s lakes and ponds will likely be covered by a thick coat of ice, and ice anglers will be out there enjoying some productive fishing. As soon as that happens — and reports are already indicating that some small ponds have begun to see some fishing action — one statewide ice fishing competition will rev up. Wes Ashe of Brewer has organized Maine’s Ice Fishin’ Derby & Benefit for the past decade, and he and his fellow anglers are ready for the 10th annual edition of the event. “When the derby began there were just a few of us — all fisheries graduate students at UMaine,” Ashe said. A year later, after his high school friend Alec Cyr died after a battle with cancer, Ashe decided the fishing derby needed a bigger purpose. “It really hits home when a high school buddy passes away, so I wanted to honor him and his family and donate half the proceeds to his newborn son’s education fund,” Ashe said.