WILTON — The eighth annual Holland Strong Ice Fishing Derby will be held as planned 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on Wilson Lake.
In a Facebook post Jan. 11, organizer Deb Roberts noted a decision on whether to hold the derby or not would be made Jan. 25. Ice thickness concerns have led to the cancellation of several derbies across the state this year. The derby has been held in Wilton since 2020.
“There is plenty of fishable ice on Wilson Lake in Wilton so we plan to go ahead with the derby this coming weekend,” Roberts wrote in another Facebook post Sunday night, Jan. 22. “We highly recommend NO cars or trucks on the ice! And of course each individual is responsible for their own safety and needs to check the ice conditions wherever you decide to fish. It’s been a crazy year so far! See you all on Saturday!”
In a video posted from earlier in the day, Roberts said ice conditions had not improved enough for it to be safe to drive cars or trucks onto the ice.
The Hollandstrong Community Foundation was created in memory of Roberts’ son, Michael Holland who died when the SS El Faro sank on Oct. 1, 2015, near the Bahamas. The foundation has provided scholarships to graduating seniors from three area school districts. It was also instrumental in obtaining grant funding to replace obsolete tennis courts in Jay with three new, ADA-compliant courts along with new LED lights and walkways.
Operation ReBoot Outdoors, a non-profit whose “mission is to use outdoors activities to help our veteran/LEO brothers/sisters to “reset their internal compass to true north” held a derby Jan. 21 on Great Pond in Belgrade. Almost $31,761 was raised to support its campaign to make its outdoor recreational therapy accessible to all veterans, law enforcement officers, and service members regardless of ability.
This year’s Holland Strong derby has $3,500 in cash prizes up for grabs including a larger adult first prize of $1,300 as well as expanded youth prize categories, Roberts wrote previously. Youth longest togue will receive $400, longest brook trout or salmon [by rule salmon must be at least 16 inches] $300, longest any other species [pickerel, bass, perch] $200, and shortest legal fish [any species] $100, she noted.
Other features of this year’s derby include:
• Hollandstrong goodie bags will be given the first 30 youth who stop by the derby shack.
• Traps for Kids program will set up at the boat launch. More information about them can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/trapsforkids/.
• Isaac’s Place food truck will set up at the boat launch. More information about them can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/isaacsplacemaine .
• Shelley’s Hometown Market in East Wilton will still be offering delivery.
• Jyssica Grover (Mike’s stepsister) will set up at the boat launch to sell some Hollandstrong merchandise made by her with some of the proceeds going to the Hollandstrong Scholarship.
There are over $11,000 in sponsorships and as of Jan. 12 over 60 raffle prizes.
Registration is $5 each, with each person needing to be registered individually this year. Online registration ends Friday, Jan. 27, at 9 p.m. Registrations will also be taken 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the boat launch.
Visit www.hollandstrong.org to registrater or purchase raffle tickets, Hollandstong t-shirts, pullovers, and decals.
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