The New England L.L. Bean Bill Koch League Festival

This is an optional event for Moosehead BKL Club members

The New England L.L. Bean Bill Koch Youth Ski League (NEBKYSL) Festival is the marquee event of the New England Nordic Ski Association Bill Koch Youth Ski League. This league has the mission to introduce young people to the lifelong sport of cross-country skiing, and the many associated health, fitness, and social benefits, in a fun, inclusive, and safe environment. This fun youth festival will feature racing, as well as a wide range of non-competitive winter activities. Skiers of all ability levels from kindergarten up to 8th grade are welcome!

Visit the festival website for more information

2025 Moosehead Lake Togue Derby

RULES: This derby is for lake trout (togue) caught in Moosehead Lake only. No other fish can be entered. All fish entered in the derby must be caught between 12:01 am Friday, January 31st and the close of the derby at 4:00 pm February 2nd. You must be in line at 4:00 pm February 2nd, 2025 to have your fish weighed to be included in the derby. Derby ticket sales end at 3:00 pm on Friday January 31st, 2025 at Old Town Trading Post and at 12:00 pm Saturday, February 1st, 2025 all other locations and internet sales. You must have a valid entry form to have your fish weighed.

Fish can be weighed at the Bartley Event Center (241 Pritham Ave) in Greenville or the Moosehead Bait and Tackle in Rockwood. Weigh stations will be open Friday 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Saturday 4:00 pm –6:00 pm and Sunday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. All fish must be free of ice, snow, & visible bait and/or tackle before weighing.

The legal bag limit on Moosehead Lake is 1 togue over 18 inches. Participants are reminded if they keep a togue over 18” to register for a prize, they must legally consume that fish before keeping another togue over 18”.

Entrants with a potential winning fish will be required to provide the judges with the exact location of their catch. The top three winners will be required to sign an affidavit that their winning entries were caught in Moosehead Lake between January 31 and February 2, 2025 and may be subject to interviews by the judges. All winning fish may be retained and closely examined by the judges. In all matters, the decision of the derby judges will be final.

The derby will be postponed by NREC in the event that Moosehead Lake does not have a safe thickness of ice and the derby will be rescheduled. All Maine Ice Fishing Regulations must be followed and all winners unless exempt will be required to provide proof of a valid fishing license.

Three prizes will be awarded for the first, second, and third largest togue. Winners will be ranked by weight. First tiebreaker will be the longest length; second tiebreaker will be the earlier time weighed. In all matters, the decision of the derby judges will be final. Prizes for the three largest togue are $1,500 - 1st place, $500 - 2nd place, and $250 - 3rd place.

We will draw door prizes from entry tickets Saturday evening and post the results on the Moosehead Lake Togue Derby Facebook page. Please do not show up at the weigh station for the drawing. There will be only 1 entry per ticket into the door prize drawing. This is the primary name, address, and phone number on the ticket. However, all names on a family ticket may enter a fish into the derby. Children’s names on the family ticket and names from the additional youth drawing tickets will be entered into a separate drawing. First prize is a RESIDENT lifetime fishing license if the winner is age 15 or younger. If the winner is not eligible for the Resident lifetime license, they will receive $250.

We will have all prizes at the Greenville Weigh-in station on Sunday from 9am-4pm so you can pick them up on the way out of town.

We will attempt to notify winners on Monday and Tuesday after the derby. Winners have until the end of the 2026 Moosehead Lake Togue Derby (1 year) to pick up prizes at the Moosehead Region Visitors’ Center.

The winners of the pew pews will have to successfully complete the required background check . Indian Hill Trading Post will coordinate the necessary paperwork. The winners of the two pew pews must be 18 year old or older. The winners of the pew pews have the option to take $300 instead.

As a final note: We are encouraging anglers to harvest their limit of smaller togue to help control the population. IFW states that additional harvest is needed to keep the population in check and ensure good growth for togue, salmon and brook trout. The derby has been very successful in helping to manage the fisheries on Moosehead Lake. Let’s keep it up!