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Region E -- Moosehead LakeLast weekend’s First Annual Moosehead Lake Togue Derby was a tremendous success. We have had an over-abundance of small lake trout in the big lake for the past 15 years and they have severely reduced the number of smelts; which are critical to both salmon and lake trout growth. Although we have seen some improvements from time to time, we have not been able to reach our established goals for growth and average size for these prized gamefish. The derby was one of several strategies in our efforts to reduce the number of small lake trout in the lake in order to improve the forage base.The Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce organized the derby with support from Greenville’s favorite NASCAR personality, Ricky Craven. The derby raised thousands of dollars for several charities including: The Children’s Miracle Network and the James Alleson Foundation. Some of the proceeds will also be dedicated to a Fisheries Enhancement/Internship program with the Natural Resource Education Center in Greenville (NREC). This cooperative program between NREC and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will create college internships for fisheries management and research projects in the Moosehead Lake Region.Nearly 500 derby entries were sold including many family tickets. There were a lot of kids on the ice this weekend taking advantage of the good weather, fast fishing, and liberal bag limits. This year’s first prize for the biggest fish was $1,500 and it went to Paul Thomas of Corinth with a very nice 8.29 lb lake trout. Second place went to James Bragdon with a 7.15 lb fish and third place went to Penny Hatch with a 4.03 lb fish. There also were over 60 prizes in the fish pool. Everything from hats to free pizzas to ice traps was up for grabs in this pool. Anglers received a ticket in the fish pool for each lake trout that was registered. A total of 2,024 lake trout were registered during the 2-day event. This is a great start at thinning down the togue.Three big door prizes were drawn from the entry tickets and anglers did not have to register a fish to win. Thomas Reinheart of Hampden won the Grand Prize, very substantial ice fishing package donated by Indian Hill Trading Post. Jacob Hacket of Greenville Jct won second prize, a cedar deck donated by Moosehead Cedar Log Homes. Loriann Milligan of Peru won third prize, a 2-night stay at Evergreen Lodge.It was a great weekend of family fun and fishing. The town was really bustling with activity. There were a lot of happy anglers on the lake, many who had never been to the lake. We saw anglers from as far away Vermont, Portland, and Augusta. The derby will help us meet our fishery goals for the lake. It will also provide funds for several great charities, including reinvesting some of the proceeds into the future fisheries management of the region. It created a very busy winter weekend for local businesses. It will provide future college students interested in natural resource management with an opportunity for an internship. There were many winners all around this weekend!We want to thank Craig Watt and Bob Hamer of the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce for adopting this project and really making it happen. They did a great job in a short period of time and exceeded all expectations. Many local businesses really stepped up and donated prizes for the derby. Thanks to Dan Legere of the Maine Guide Fly Shop, Brad and Maggie Scott of Moosehead Bait and Tackle, and others that volunteered to man the weigh-in stations all weekend. Finally, thanks to all the anglers that came to Moosehead Lake over the weekend. We hope to see you on the ice later this winter and again next year at the Second Annual Moosehead Lake Togue Derby.-- Tim Obrey, Regional Fisheries Biologist, Moosehead Lake Region