The bitterly cold temperatures experienced in late January and early February were just what the doctor ordered for Saturday’s 51st Annual Fishing Derby on Maple Lake.
Unlike recent years when the contest had to be limited, or called off altogether, it’s all systems go for the 2026 event…
“We have over 20 inches of ice, and that’s kind of our landmark for having what we call a full-on, drive-on contest. So you can bring vehicles. You know, if it’s less than that, a lot of times we would probably say ATVs and snowmobiles only. But we looked at the long-range forecast early in January, and we said…this is good, lack of snow, and 20 inches off the access and other areas are also making 20 inches now, so we anticipate no problems at all.”
Derby Co-Chair Greg Thomes says the only request that organizers have is for people to keep their trucks a good distance away from one another on the ice to minimize the weight on any given spot…
“You hear about it every year, people just stack vehicles on top of vehicles, and all of a sudden there’s a problem.”
Saturday’s event begins at noon, and runs until 3 PM. A number of kid-friendly events will be held. For those who will be fishing, the 51st largest northern pike wins an Ice Castle fish house. A happy hour with a DJ will be held in the tent from 3 to 4, followed by the after party on the ice from 5 to 8 PM.
Shuttle bus service will run to and from the lake approximately every 10 minutes.
Complete information is available at; www.maplelakefishingderby.com.
