Goin’ fishin’! – Ice fishing derbies about to start

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Awards presentation at the 2018 Great Benson Fishing Derby. This year's derby takes place Feb. 26-27. (Photo courtesy of Fair Haven Rotary Club Facebook page)

If there’s one thing you can count on in Vermont, especially this winter, it’s ice, lots of it on lakes and ponds across the state. This year, residents and out-of-state anglers are gearing up for a series of ice fishing derbies, beginning next weekend.

Fishermen will have a chance to show off their ice-fishing skills and catch their share of brown trout, large- and smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and more at 21 derbies registered with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

Here’s a look at some upcoming events:

Benson

The Benson Fish and Game Club is hosting its Down Home Derby on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 5 and 6. Eligible species are northern pike, walleye, bass, trout, three yellow perch and others (salmon are included with trout). The derby will be open to all Vermont waters and Lake Champlain and will close at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 6. Derby headquarters will be at the Benson Town Office on Stage Road in Benson. Prizes will consist of fish category cash prizes and cash prize drawings, with prizes totaling 85% of derby ticket sales. Tickets are available at bait shops, local businesses and at derby headquarters. For more information, visit the Benson Fish and Game Club Facebook page, ticket sale locations or contact Thomas Bartholomew at 802-537-2468 or [email protected] or Brittany Coutermarsh at 802-417-1014.

Poultney

The Poultney Fish and Game Club will host its annual Frosty Derby on Sunday, Feb. 13, on Lake St. Catherine from daylight to 4 p.m. All fish must be caught the day of and checked in by 4 p.m. at derby headquarters at Lake St. Catherine State Park. $1,400 will be awarded in four categories for fish caught on Lake St. Catherine. Tickets are available at Tom’s Bait and Tackle, Mart’s Sporting Goods and the East Poultney General Store and will be available for purchase until 11 a.m. on Feb. 13. Organizers ask that fish be turned in as soon as possible on the day of the derby. The Poultney Fish and Game Club reserves the right to reject any fish. For more information, contact Travis Baptie at 802-287-4009.

Castleton

The Castleton Lions Club will sponsor its 42nd annual Lake Bomoseen Ice Fishing Derby on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 19 and 20 on Lake Bomoseen. This year’s derby is in memory of Tom Evanoika and “Bomoseen” Bob Newton. The derby will feature $6,000 in available prizes. Headquarters and check-in are at Crystal Beach Recreational Area on Route 30 in Bomoseen. Entry fee is $20, and ticket holders will be eligible for the drawing of numerous prizes, including a guided salmon tour for four on Lake Ontario, $100 gift certificates from Lake Bomoseen Lodge and Taproom and Carl Durfee’s Store, $50 gift certificates from Scotch Hill Brewery and Woodard Marine and a 50/50 raffle. Tickets are available at Tom’s Bait and Tackle and at the headquarters on the day of the derby. For more information call Rob at Tom’s Bait and Tackle at 802-265-8654 or John Brough at 802-265-7996.

Fair Haven

The Fair Haven Rotary Club will sponsor the 50th annual Great Benson Fishing Derby on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26-27. Derby headquarters and check-in will be at Crystal Beach on Vermont Route 30N on the east shore of Lake Bomoseen. More than $10,000 in cash prizes will be awarded. Entry fees are $25 for adults for the derby and raffle and $5 for those 12 and under for the derby and youth raffle. Tickets are available at Tom’s Bait and Tackle, Bomoseen; Ed’s Bait Shop, West Haven; Mart’s Sporting Goods, Poultney; and Hawk Hill Gun & Tackle, Brandon. Derby hotline is 802-273-FISH. For more information, contact Dave Calvi at 802-265-3640.

These four derbies are part of the eighth annual Central Vermont Lakes Region Ice Fishing Series. Prizes for the series will include $500 for first place, sponsored by Tom’s Bait and Tackle, $200 for second place and $100 for third place. First-place fish will garner 5 points, second-place 3 points and third-place 1 point. Points will be awarded for each adult fish category, and 5 bonus points will be awarded for a paid ticket for each derby, totaling 20 points for participation in all four derbies. Prize presentation will take place at the Great Benson Fishing Derby on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 3 p.m. For tickets or more information, call Tom’s Bait and Tackle at 802-265-8654 or Ed’s Bait at 802-265-3388.

All four fishing derbies are part of the eighth annual Central Vermont Lakes Region Ice Fishing Series. (Photo courtesy of Tom’s Bait and Tackle Facebook page)