By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
MADAWASKA LAKE — As about 250 people were fortunate to experience during the annual Youth Ice Fishing Day on Madawaska Lake, Sunday was a great day for ice fishing.
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It took the dedication of hard-working volunteers to make the annual Youth Ice Fishing Day run smoothly. Volunteers included, from left, front row: Ken Haney, Sara Anderson, Kendra Coffin, Caragan Haney and Jeff Bouchard. Back row: Jerry McLaughlin, Dave Anderson, Denise McCormack, Herm Tourcotte, Karyn Thornton, Marc Johnson and Ked Coffin. Other volunteers not pictured included Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bill Schofield, Charles Newsome, Josh McCormack, Bryce Coffin, Colby Johnson, Pat McCormack, Ed Christie and Tony Riasseto.
With temperatures peaking in the mid-30s during the event, the annual ice fishing event experienced its best turnout ever, according to event co-coordinator Sara Anderson, co-owner of Northstar Variety in New Sweden.
“The weather was awesome — we caught some fish and had a great time,” she said. “There was no slush on the ice, the kids stayed dry all day and everyone was happy.”
Sara and Dave Anderson, Northstar Variety co-owners, orchestrated the event with Sportsmen’s Inc. and their approximate 50 members — a partnership that started five annual Youth Ice Fishing Days ago in 2005.
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There was plenty of excitement to go around as fishermen tended to their traps, strewn about Madawaska Lake.
Sara says that Sportsmen’s Inc. is a perfect partner to help put on the annual Youth Ice Fishing Day.
“Anything that brings kids outdoors, they’re supportive of,” Sara explained. “Kids have so much keeping them inside these days, between their Xboxes and computers, [the ice fishing event] is a good opportunity to get the kids outside.”
Socializing was a large part of the day, as community members took advantage of the warm weather (by Aroostook standards, at least), catching up with friends on the shores of Madawaska Lake and enjoying a winter barbecue.
Word of mouth draws a bigger and bigger crowd to the event every year; this year’s event was so large that despite 90 pounds of meat grilled up for hungry fishermen and women, by the end of the afternoon “[the kitchen] was cleaned right out.”
Many local vendors chipped in to ensure participants had an optimal ice-fishing experience: Coke and Pepsi distributors donated soda, Maine Distributors donated water, Country Kitchen provided the hamburger buns and hotdog rolls, RM Snacks donated a whole bunch of chips, S.W. Collins donated the lumber organizers used to build a kitchen on the ice, Soderberg Construction provided plenty of parking space for participants and Peterson Septic donated a portable toilet for the event.
Participants and supporters also contributed funds to help defer event costs.
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P.J. Thornton, at left, and Coleson Theriault, at right, enjoy a fun day of fishing with their fathers, John and Cole, respectively.
Sara expressed her thanks to all the individuals who contributed to the event.
“We couldn’t have done it without them,” she said, expressing a special thanks to Bub Anderson and Sheldon Landeen, both of New Sweden, for their generous donations.
For New Sweden, the annual ice fishing event has become a late-winter social staple.
Though the Andersons and members of Sportsmen’s Inc. decided to take a reprieve from coordinating the event last year, the community whole-heartedly embraced the event’s comeback this year, turning out in record numbers. Nearly 100 youths participated in the traditional winter fishing event, and when the fish weren’t biting, the kids went sliding.
“Even though the kids didn’t catch a ton of fish, they had a lot of fun,” Sara said.
The occasional flickering flags of a catch were enough to bring kids swarming onto the ice from the snowy banks to watch excitedly as the fish was extracted from the chilly waters — Sara says that the largest catch of the day was 14.5 inches long, caught by Coleson Theriault of Caribou. Kids caught about a dozen trout and a bunch of perch during the ice fishing event.
Regardless of whether or not youths were able to pull dinner out of the lake, every kid went home with a prize.
Thanks to the efforts of Sportsman’s Inc., the first 80 youths on the ice went home with brand-new ice fishing traps. Other youths received event T-shirts and hats.
Though coordinating the ice fishing event means a lot of hard work for the volunteers, they find giving back to the community to be a rewarding experience.
“My favorite part is seeing the kids running around having a blast, especially when they catch a fish,” Sara said.
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Coleson Theriault proudly displays his 14.5-inch brook trout that he caught with his brand new trap — one of 80 issued to young fishermen who attended the annual Youth Ice Fishing Day.
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Winning the tote sled raffle was Dwayne Blackwell.
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Volunteers orchestrating the annual Youth Ice Fishing Day didn’t need the shore to cook up 45 pounds of hamburgers and hotdogs — a bit of lumber and a bit of know-how was all it took to construct an ice-friendly kitchen that fed many hungry (and happy) patrons.
