Children sat anxiously by wooden traps, peering into a hole in the ice, waiting for a fish to bite on Saturday at the Lincoln County Fish & Game Association’s Youth Ice Fishing Day on Pemaquid Pond. The event was held in collaboration with Pemaquid Watershed Association and Medomak Valley Land Trust.
Traps and equipment were provided for children who did not have their own. Kelly Tynan, of Waldoboro, said she had been fishing before, but it was her “very first time ice fishing.”
It was their second time ice fishing for Ben and Anna Leavitt of Wiscasset, who guarded a lucky hole, landing three perch by lunchtime.
The Baty family of Round Pond, on the other hand, were veteran fisherman. When asked how often he fished, Michael Baty said, “every time I get the chance.”
While Michael checked his trap, his twin brother Kyle and older brother Daniel were busy chipping out a new hole, after their ice auger overheated. Kyle said there was two feet of ice on the pond and they only had another foot to go before they could set their trap.
There was a good crowd of children and plenty of helpers. “We have a really good turnout,” Mike Witte (Inland Fish & Wildlife) commented.
Alli and Alex Fracasso came from Connecticut to participate with their Uncle Andy of Waldoboro.
Friends Parker Hennessey, of Warren, and Samuel White, of Waldoboro, shared a hole and used a jig fishing rod. Although they did not have much luck in the morning, they enthusiastically watched their trap in hopes of landing a fish.
Duncan Morrell, 8, of Waldoboro, had the catch of the morning with a fine brook trout.
Children tended their traps, played games and enjoyed hotdogs and goodies. The smiles on their faces and their laughter were great indications the fishing day was a huge success.
