Bass American flag Hubbardston Ice Fishing Derby
Hosted by Hubbardston Rod & Gun Club · Est. 1947 hubbardstonrodandgun.com

Annual · All Ages Welcome

One Pond.
One Day.
Biggest Fish Wins.
Catch Fish!

Drop a line with your neighbors on Bent/Sawyer Pond for a morning of tip-ups, thermoses, and bragging rights that last all winter.

Date
Feb 20Saturday, 2027 · + Google Cal · + Any Calendar
Lines In
7:00 AMCheck-in from 5:30
Location
Bent/Sawyer PondAcross from Rietta Ranch, Rt 68 · Maps · Waze
Entry
Adult$25
Kids 12 & under$15
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How to Register Prizes & Rules Derby Photos
Derby Day

Live Leaderboard

Updated from the weigh station as fish come in — no need to refresh, this updates live.

Leaderboard opens derby morning — check back Feb 20!
Win Without Fishing

50/50 Raffle Pot

Open to everyone on site, no fishing required — the pot grows all morning and the draw happens at the awards ceremony.

50/50 Raffle Pot
Opens derby morning
What You Could Win

Categories & Prizes

Three species, one weigh-in station. The top four fish in each species win cash — and young anglers get their own prize on top. Proceeds after costs go toward pond stocking and youth fishing gear.

Pickerel

Minimum 16" to weigh in, tip of mouth to tip of tail.

1ST$125
2ND$75
3RD$50
4TH$20
Youth, 12 & under: biggest pickerel wins donated gear.

Bass

Minimum 14" to weigh in, tip of mouth to tip of tail.

1ST$125
2ND$75
3RD$50
4TH$20
Youth, 12 & under: biggest bass wins donated gear.

Perch

Minimum 8" to weigh in, tip of mouth to tip of tail.

1ST$125
2ND$75
3RD$50
4TH$20
Youth, 12 & under: biggest perch wins donated gear.

The cash places are open to anglers of any age — a youth catch that ranks in the top 4 by weight wins that cash prize too, on top of the youth prize.

Prizes increase if the derby draws more than 100 entrants — last year topped 130. All prizes are awarded after the derby, back at the club.

The Basics

Rules

Eleven rules, short enough to read before your coffee’s cold.

Fishing

  1. 01Each angler may fish up to five lines total, in any combination of jigging rods and tip-ups, per state regulations.
  2. 02Fish must be caught on Bent/Sawyer Pond, during derby hours, to qualify — no fish from other waters or other days.
  3. 03No holes may be cut before 7:00 AM.

Weigh-in

  1. 04All entries are weighed live at the single official scale in the middle of the pond — look for the Bass American flag. No outside scales or self-reported weights, and dead fish will not be accepted; bring an extra bucket to keep your catch swimming until weigh-in.
  2. 05Minimum length to weigh in: 14" for bass, 16" for pickerel, 8" for perch — measured tip of the mouth to tip of the tail. All state regulations must be followed.
  3. 06Final weigh-in cutoff is 2:30 PM. If you're not in the weigh-in line by then, your fish can't be weighed.
  4. 07Ties go to whichever fish was weighed in first. Hubbardston Rod & Gun Club rulings on eligibility are final.
  5. 08Youth anglers (12 & under) can win in both places: a youth catch is ranked in its youth category and also competes in the open category for that species, so one fish can win a youth prize and an open-category cash prize.

Safety

  1. 09Ice conditions are each angler's own responsibility. We recommend a minimum of 4" of solid, clear ice before heading out, and spud bars/cleats are strongly encouraged.
  2. 10If the ice isn't safe on derby morning, we'll move to the posted rain/thaw date rather than cancel outright.
  3. 11Please respect the pond: carry in, carry out, and leave no trash behind. No fires or motorized vehicles are permitted on the ice.
Dress for It

Ice & Weather

The forecast for derby morning shows up here as the date gets close.

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Plan Your Morning

Schedule & Logistics

Everything runs off the ice at Bent/Sawyer Pond, across from Rietta Ranch on Rt 68 — plenty of parking and a warming hut.

5:30 AM
Check-in
Pay entry — look for the tents at the edge of the ice
7:00 AM
Lines in — derby begins
Fish anywhere within the marked derby area
2:00 PM
Lines out
Fishing ends for the day — get your last fish to the scale before the cutoff
2:30 PM
Final weigh-in cutoff
Scale closes sharp — if you're not in line by 2:30, your fish can't be weighed
Back at the Club
Meal
Head over to the Hubbardston Rod & Gun Club, 35 Williamsville Rd (Maps) · Waze for a hot meal made by our derby volunteers, free for all registered anglers
After Eating
Awards ceremony
Prizes by category, awarded back at the club
Hourly Cash Drawings

Cash drawings run every hour from 7 AM to 2 PM — amounts will be posted here.

Parking

Bent/Sawyer Pond is across from Rietta Ranch on Rt 68 — park directly across the street at Rietta Ranch and follow the signs onto the ice. Get directions (Maps) → · Waze

Sign-Up & Raffles

Pre-register at the club bar anytime before derby day to skip the line, or register on the ice starting at 5:30 AM — registration and raffle ticket sales are at the tents by the entrance, next to the porta-potty.

Bring

Auger, skimmer, bucket or sled, ice cleats, warm layers — and a two-way radio tuned to Channel 5 for derby updates and to reach the weigh station. A few loaner augers on hand for kids' entries.

Restrooms

Porta-potty at the entrance onto the ice, right by the registration tents.

Weather policy

Unsafe ice moves the derby to the posted rain/thaw date — watch the banner at the top of this page that morning, or turn on notifications on the leaderboard for an alert.

Thank You

Our Donors

This derby runs on donations from local businesses, not paid sponsorship packages — every business that chips in gets a name, a link to their site, and our thanks right here.

Win Something

Raffle Prizes

Two separate raffles on derby day: buy tickets for a shot at the prizes below, or enter the kids' raffle — most of that gear is donated by the community just for our young anglers.

Ticket Raffle

$5 per ticket, or $20 for 5. Three prize packages, winner's choice of gear or cash:

It Takes A Village

Thank You To Our Volunteers

The derby runs on people who show up before sunrise and stay past the last weigh-in — tickets in hand, clipboards ready, and a hot meal waiting back at the club.

Meal Crew

Cooking and serving the meal back at the club after the derby wraps up — a hot plate and a seat waiting for every angler.

50/50 Raffle Tent

Selling tickets from the tent at the edge of the ice all morning, and running the draw at awards.

Sign-Up Tent

Handling check-in right at the edge of the ice, rain, shine, or single-digit wind chill.

Want to lend a hand next year? Let the club know — we always need more hands.

Good To Know

FAQ

Do I need a fishing license?

Yes — anyone 16 or older needs a current Massachusetts freshwater fishing license. It's each angler's own responsibility to be properly licensed before fishing.

What happens if the ice isn't safe?

We check the ice in the days before the derby. If conditions aren't safe on the day, we move the event to our posted rain/thaw date rather than fish on bad ice.

Can I fish from a shanty or shelter?

Yes, portable shanties are welcome within the marked derby boundary. Please keep walkways clear for the safety sweep.

Where does my entry fee go?

After prizes and event costs, proceeds support the Hubbardston Rod & Gun Club's youth programs and pond stocking.

Which calendar link should I use?

"+ Google Cal" opens Google Calendar directly and only works if that's what you use. "+ Any Calendar" downloads a standard .ics file instead — tap it once it's downloaded (or the download notification) and your phone will offer to open it in whatever calendar app you actually have, Apple Calendar, Outlook, Samsung Calendar, or otherwise.

How do I get a phone notification when a new fish is logged?

Tap the 🔔 Notify me about new catches button in the Live Leaderboard section above, then allow notifications when your phone asks. The steps differ slightly by phone — iPhone owners, set this up a day or two before the derby so you're not fumbling with it on the ice.

Android

  1. 1Tap 🔔 Notify me about new catches in the Live Leaderboard section.
  2. 2Tap Allow on the prompt that pops up. That's it — you're all set.

Works well in Chrome, Brave, and Samsung Internet. DuckDuckGo blocks background alerts by design (it's built to limit background activity for privacy) — use one of the others if you want catch alerts to work.

🔋 If your phone's Battery Saver is on, or your browser app's battery setting is "Optimized"/"Restricted" instead of "Unrestricted," alerts can silently stop once your screen locks — common on Samsung phones, and more likely on a long cold day when batteries drain faster and Battery Saver kicks in on its own. In your phone's Settings, find the browser app (Chrome, Brave, etc.) → Battery, and set it to Unrestricted so it keeps working all day.

iPhone & iPad

⏰ Do this at home before derby day. It only takes a minute, and it's a lot easier with warm hands than on the ice.

iPhones only allow site notifications after the page is added to your Home Screen — a one-time setup:

  1. 1Open this site in the Safari app (the blue compass icon). Other browsers like Chrome can't do this step on iPhone.
  2. 2Tap the Share icon in the toolbar — a square with an arrow pointing up ⬆️. On iPhone it's usually at the bottom of the screen; on iPad, top-right.
  3. 3In the menu that pops up, scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.
  4. 4Tap Add in the top-right corner to confirm.
  5. 5Find the new Derby icon on your Home Screen (it looks like the site's icon, not the Safari compass) and open the site from there — not from Safari.
  6. 6Tap 🔔 Notify me about new catches, then tap Allow when asked. Done — you'll now get catch alerts even with the app closed.