A fun weekend at the Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby

ST. AGATHA, Maine (WAGM) - The annual Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby took place in St.Agatha this weekend. News Source 8′s Isaac Potter was there and has the story.

Many fishers from around the state of Maine and some parts of Canada took part in the annual Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby in St. Agatha. The Ice Fishing Derby is a popular event in the County that started back in 2006. The event has consisted of cash and prizes totally over 45 thousand dollars. Paul Bernier is the longtime Chairman of the Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby, and says the weekend is all about people coming together and donating for a good cause.

Paul Bernier, Chairman of the Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby, says “Just getting out and having a good time, and the cause is a big part of it. We sponsor the Edgar J Paradis cancer fund, and the Northern Maine Medical Center foundation. It’s a big incentive for us to keep doing this.”

Jacob Bernier is Paul’s son and helped volunteer for the event. He says he used to participate in the derby, and has come back to help his dad run the event.

Jacob Bernier: “Well when I was younger I use to fish in the derby, but I mean my father is not going to want to deal with this forever, so somebody is going to have to keep it going. So it is kind of why me and my buddies got into it. We are going to try and keep things going when Paul gets done.”

Going into the event, there was some concern about thick enough ice on the lake. Bernier says he was glad they had enough ice to keep going with the event.

Paul Bernier: “I’ll be honest, it was late and coming with the ice conditions. They showed up in the last week, week in a half, We made some good ice. There is a lot of snow, there is slush and things like that. Overall as far as ice, there is enough for snowmobiles.

Both Berniers say the best part of having this event is seeing the families come together.

Paul Bernier: “You see a lot of kids and the expressions on their face and things like that. It makes it well worth it for us. But the family atmosphere, we pushed that very hard.”

Jacob Bernier: “You see the kids come in with a nice big salmon, and they are all smiles. That is the fun part about it, everybody is having fun.”

While it may have been a cold weekend for fishing, it was all about having fun and spending time with friends and families. Isaac Potter News Source 8.”

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