By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — Friends of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge will once again be opening up the Delima Pond for their annual fishing derby; anglers ages 16-and-under are encouraged to cast their lines in the contest on Saturday, June 11.
Last year 23 anglers caught their dinner by reeling in about 100 fish from the stocked pond on a drizzly afternoon. With the fish biting rain or shine during this year’s 8th annual derby is gearing up to be an excellent opportunity for fresh air and fishing.
Thought the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge was impacted by a sewage leak in early May, site contamination has been neutralized by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and pathogen levels at the site are back to normal — in fact, Delima Pond isn’t even connected with the formerly contaminated stream.
“The pond is so far upstream from the sewage leak that there’s no possibility of any contamination,” said Steve Agius, assistant manager of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.
Triply assuring fish/fisherman safety is the fact that the Delima Pond is stocked with brook trout the day before the derby. Raised at a hatchery, the fish at the end of an anglers’ line are a fresher version of similar store-bought fillets.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. and fishing takes place from 9-11:30 a.m. Weigh-in is open until 11:30 a.m.; awards and prizes will be named and distributed between 12 and 12:30.
Additional information about the derby can be obtained by calling 328-4634.
The Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge is located at 97 Refuge Road in Limestone.