On a cold January morning, dozens of ice fishing shacks dot the western edge of Long Lake in St. Agatha, Maine — part of the annual, two-day Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby.
Rena Daigle uses a large auger to carve a hole in the ice to set up a flag trap. A few feet away, her sister Barbara Cyr stands over a hole in the ice, holding a fishing pole and tugging it up and down, or “jigging” as ice fishers call it.
They both live in St. Agatha and have been participating in the derby for 10 years. But they’re not just there for the fish.
“I don’t come out here too much for fishing,” she said. “It’s to be outside and to be with other people.”
For a lot of Maine, summertime is when tourism booms and people get outside. But for northern and inland Mainers, the winter is a busy season, as people take advantage of the ice and snow.
Gus Elliot hangs his first catch of the day on the side of his heated fishing shanty. He said he and his family like being able to get to know the other ice fishers.
“It’s like a little community, you get to get out and see the friends you don’t get to see all summer long,” he said.
The Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby just celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. It’s the state’s largest, and a fundraiser for the Edgar J. Paradis Cancer Fund. This year, over 2,100 people participated across 10 bodies of water in northern Maine.
Paul Bernier, the derby’s director, said for a lot of people in the area, ice fishing is a go-to form of outdoor recreation.
“In northern Maine, up here, you've got two options,” he said. “If you're a sportsman, you're either gonna fish or snowmobile. That's it.”
And this year’s lack of snow has made it difficult for snowmobilers. Bernier said that has only made the fishing derby more important as a source for outdoor recreation.
JP Paradis travels from North Carolina back to his hometown of Fort Kent every year to participate in the derby. He said he’s noticed less and less snow.
“It’s awesome that they’re getting this turn out,” Paradis said. “This is a big event, and especially this year, because there is hardly any snow, snowmobiling isn’t very good, and skiing isn’t very good.”
Jennifer Daigle owns the Lakeview Restaurant in St. Agatha. The restaurant acts as a home base for derby organizers and hosts the opening ceremony that draws a large crowd. She said the derby brings new people to the area, which helps local businesses.
“The event is definitely a major boost,” she said. “It’s a trickle effect, it affects not only the restaurants, but the grocery stores, the camps, Airbnbs and hotels, the gas stations, all the way down to the lumber store and redemption center.”
Daigle said she’s proud of her small town and is glad to help the derby in any way she can.
Reno Voisine is from Frenchville and is a lifelong ice fisherman. He’s been a part of the derby since its start. He said he likes the community aspect of the event.
“It’s just a winter getaway, it’s something to do, if you catch fish, it’s a bonus, if not, there’s camaraderie and the people around you,” he said. “If it's too slow, we’ll play cornhole, we’ll play cribbage. It’s about the gathering of the people together. Like in the winter, everyone stays cabined up, but with this it gives them the chance to get out and meet and get some fresh air.”
Voisine is out on the lake with his brother, nephew and 10-year-old grandnephew, Blake. Blake said he’s hoping to catch any type of fish he can. But he said “it doesn’t really matter.” Blake said he just likes being able to fish with three generations of his family.
