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| Travis Knight was a triple winner during the Annual Sebago Lake Togue Derby on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11. Knight caught the largest fish Saturday for a $100 prize and was awarded the First Place Derby prize of $500 for catching the largest fish in the tournament. Knight also was the winner of the derby's Togue Pool Lottery for a $100 prize making him a triple winner at the event. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
In addition, Travis entered all the Togue he caught into the Togue Pool Lottery and was one of the lucky winners to be drawn by lottery for $100.
So for doing a fun activity that he was probably going to do anyway, Travis walked away with $700 - not a bad return for a weekend’s work.
The weather for the derby could not have been better with a sunny and 75-degree day on Saturday and a cloudy but warm day on Sunday. Most importantly, the wind, for which Sebago Lake is famous, did not show up either day making boating most pleasant. Typically, the wind picks up in the afternoon and 3- to 4-foot rollers can make boating very unpleasant and potentially unsafe for the unprepared.
One of the objectives for Maine State Inland Fisheries and Wildlife was to remove as many togue from the lake as possible to lessen the competition for other species, such as salmon, who compete for survival and a diminishing set of forage fish.
The 125 figure is somewhat understated, said Chapin, because fishermen, who knew they did not have a
competitive fish for the Top 10 slots, simply elected to skip the weigh in and took their fish home to cook. Fish that fishermen turned in, but did not want to keep, were mostly given to an Orthodox Greek Church that was planning a big fish fry. The remainder went home with association members, also destined for the pot.
The association will use the proceeds from the derby to payout the cash prizes and fund resident Maine Youth Lifetime Licenses. A drawing will be held at the association’s October meeting to determine which kids will get the licenses which cost the association either $150 or $300 depending upon the age of the child. With such a license, children can fish in any Maine inland water for free for the rest of their lives regardless of their age or state of residency.
For those anglers who have been saying, “the lake is fished out…there are no big fish left” check again, because the top-five places in the derby were all fish over 10 pounds which is a nice-sized fish caught anywhere,” Chapin said.
According to Chapin, if this derby sounds like something you would like to try, mark your calendar for the weekend after Labor Day 2023. Registration forms will be available in area convenience stores and tackle shops in the month preceding the event.
The derby is always held the weekend after Labor Day to take advantage of the good weather, the decline in tourists, and boating is still a pleasure.
For more information about the Sebago Lake Anglers’ Association, call Chapin at 207-655-1028. < 
So for doing a fun activity that he was probably going to do anyway, Travis walked away with $700 - not a bad return for a weekend’s work.
The weather for the derby could not have been better with a sunny and 75-degree day on Saturday and a cloudy but warm day on Sunday. Most importantly, the wind, for which Sebago Lake is famous, did not show up either day making boating most pleasant. Typically, the wind picks up in the afternoon and 3- to 4-foot rollers can make boating very unpleasant and potentially unsafe for the unprepared.
Sebago Lake Anglers’ Association President Bob Chapin said that the derby had just over 90 men and women participate in the two-day derby, and they turned in over 125 fish for the Togue Pool Lottery.
One of the objectives for Maine State Inland Fisheries and Wildlife was to remove as many togue from the lake as possible to lessen the competition for other species, such as salmon, who compete for survival and a diminishing set of forage fish.
The 125 figure is somewhat understated, said Chapin, because fishermen, who knew they did not have a
competitive fish for the Top 10 slots, simply elected to skip the weigh in and took their fish home to cook. Fish that fishermen turned in, but did not want to keep, were mostly given to an Orthodox Greek Church that was planning a big fish fry. The remainder went home with association members, also destined for the pot.
The association will use the proceeds from the derby to payout the cash prizes and fund resident Maine Youth Lifetime Licenses. A drawing will be held at the association’s October meeting to determine which kids will get the licenses which cost the association either $150 or $300 depending upon the age of the child. With such a license, children can fish in any Maine inland water for free for the rest of their lives regardless of their age or state of residency.
For those anglers who have been saying, “the lake is fished out…there are no big fish left” check again, because the top-five places in the derby were all fish over 10 pounds which is a nice-sized fish caught anywhere,” Chapin said.
According to Chapin, if this derby sounds like something you would like to try, mark your calendar for the weekend after Labor Day 2023. Registration forms will be available in area convenience stores and tackle shops in the month preceding the event.
The derby is always held the weekend after Labor Day to take advantage of the good weather, the decline in tourists, and boating is still a pleasure.
For more information about the Sebago Lake Anglers’ Association, call Chapin at 207-655-1028. <
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