NREC slates 10th annual Togue Derby

It’s time to kick 2016 out the door and start a new year. Why not get 2017 started with some good luck by winning a prize during the 10th annual Moosehead Lake Togue Derby with Ricky Craven?
Yes, it’s been 10 years since the inception of the derby. The event was implemented as a management technique to help reduce the overabundant togue population in Maine’s largest lake. The derby was certainly a success from that perspective and the togue, salmon and brook trout are enjoying much better growing conditions. Of course, catching fat and sassy fish makes the anglers happy, too.
The upcoming derby will be held Jan. 27-29. We have the same format as last year with big cash prizes for the three biggest togue brought into the weigh station. Best of all, if you don’t like to ice fish, but would still like to win a great prize, just buy a ticket and you are in the running for a possible vacation to Las Vegas, Orlando or Pennsylvania Dutch country. That’s right, no fish are needed to win any of the door prizes.
Last year we had over 70 prizes, including firearms, several weekend getaways, a boat load of gift certificates and cash. We will also hold the special youth raffle again this year. Some lucky child will be the recipient of a lifetime resident fishing license. We are gathering other great youth prizes, too. Children listed on a family derby ticket are automatically entered once and you can separately or additionally buy chances in the youth raffle for just $5. This is a great way to support NREC and its mission while having an opportunity to take home a prize.
The derby continues to be a terrific community event and fundraiser for a local non- profit. The Natural Resource Education Center at Moosehead (NREC) organizes the derby, which brings an estimated 1,000-3,000 visitors from all over Maine and New England to the region for a weekend of fishing, food and fun.
Funds from the derby are used to support a number of NREC’s activities. Over the years, funds from the ticket sales were used to help construct a fish weir that was used to evaluate the wild brook trout population on Moosehead Lake. NREC has also paid for college and high school interns to assist the local fisheries biologists during the summer field season. This is a tremendous opportunity for students aspiring to become resource managers.
NREC’s Maine Woods Explorers Program also benefits from the derby. This program, for children ages 8-14, melds outdoor recreation with outdoor education to create a summer of fun-filled adventures. Last year, NREC offered seven weeks of hiking, canoeing, kayaking, shooting, fishing and boating. The expanded programming was made possible by hiring an educational leader and two college interns to conduct the courses, and funds from the derby and Wild and Tame Dinner helped pay for staff.
Join us for this year’s Wild and Tame Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Masonic Hall on Pritham Avenue when we will have some excellent moose, venison and turkey dishes and then dole out the door prizes. If it all works out, Ricky Craven will be on hand to swap fishing stories with us.
Tickets for the derby are on sale right now at NRECmoosehead.org. You can also get them locally at Indian Hill Trading Post, Lucky Bait, The Stress Free Moose, Moosehead Bait and Tackle, Mountain’s Market and Van Raymond Outfitters.
Stay up to date on all the derby news by going to the NRECmoosehead Facebook page and hit “Like”.