FORT KENT, Maine — Fishermen from the St. John Valley and beyond will have a chance to see if they can catch the biggest muskie from Friday to Sunday during the 22nd annual Fort Kent International Muskie Derby.
A new addition to this year’s event is a competition in honor of Erik Gardner, an Allagash man who recently lost a battle to cancer. The competition will pay $200 a day for the biggest fish brought in during each of the three days of the event.
Muskie Derby President Dennis Cyr said that normally only $100 is given out for the largest fish of the day during the competition. He said the competition for Gardner was organized by his former classmates.
Cyr said that about 40 sponsors have donated to the event. And each weigh station has about four or five volunteers. He said on Tuesday that while there are normally weigh stations in both Fort Kent and Grand Isle, he has not heard back from the Grand Isle volunteers yet.
“It appears that the weigh station will just be in Fort Kent,” he said.
The weigh station will be in the Up North Outdoors parking lot on 23 West Main Street. Jeff Augusta, who operates Up North Outdoors store, also takes registrations for the derby.
Augusta said the store also offers all the equipment someone would need to participate in the derby, including poles, vests, nets, lures, and fishing line.
The purse this year, as with past years, will be $10,000. The cash prize for the largest fish of the weekend will be $2,000 and the second-largest will get $1,500. Cyr said the cash prizes are broken down into 12 spots after that. Fish have to be at least 38 inches long to qualify.
The event also includes a bass competition, with $1,000 being awarded for the largest bass.
“They’re huge bass,” Cyr said. “They average over, or close to, 20 inches long.”
The derby involves the entire St. John River and its tributaries, encouraging fishing throughout the region.
“We do the derby to try to provide some economic impact for the local businesses during the summer months,” Cyr said.
He said the derby originally started because muskies were considered an invasive species.
“We decided to make the muskie something of value, and started the derby on the premise that we might as well take advantage of them being there,” he said.
He encouraged anyone curious to stop by the Fort Kent weigh station and see the fish.
“They look like a freshwater alligator,” he said. “A lot of people have never seen them, and they’re always amazed at the size of these fish.”
Cyr said the derby is always looking for volunteers, and that anyone interested is welcome to stop by the station on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to help out.
“It’s a chance to handle the big fish, weigh them, and to hear all of the stories,” he said. “The fishermen always have good stories.”
