SEBAGO – As the Sebago Lake Rotary Derbyfest approaches, Jordan’s Store gets ready.

The store bumps up its inventory of chips, sandwich supplies and other eats. Calls go out for extra help during the crunch.

And then there are the stingers — dozens and dozens of fishing lures in various colors — that must be stocked to supply ice fishermen with whatever the fish are apparently biting at the moment.

Maine’s largest ice fishing derby starts today with two events for youths. The all-age derby will run Saturday and Sunday.

The derby has drawn as many as 6,000 anglers to the region in past years — which means a lot of winter business for those who feed, supply, house and entertain fishermen and their families.

This year, fishermen will be eligible to win a $100,000 prize for breaking the state record for togue: 31 pounds, 8 ounces, caught by Hollis Grindle of Ellsworth at Beech Hill Pond in Otis in 1958.

Barbara Cutting, who keeps the books for Jordan’s Store, says the derby can be the busiest time until Memorial Day weekend.

The derby brings a summer-like bustle to the store as fishermen stock up on their equipment, said Jeff Cutting, Barbara’s son and the store manager.

“It will be a lot more traffic. I’ll start early in the morning and go all day long,” Jeff Cutting said from behind a deli area framed by a collection of mounted fish.

Mark Daigle and Tim Bolduc, fishing buddies from Fremont, N.H., bought their fishing licenses Thursday and planned to make more purchases later.

“We figure the $100,000 will cover the couple of lures we’re going to buy,” Daigle said.

With at least a few thousand participants expected this year, the economic impact of the event is significant, said the derby’s director, Tom Noonan.

“Most people make a weekend of it,” he said, and some are coming from as far away as North Carolina.

The turnout is not as strong for the Sebago Lake Rotary Derbyfest now that the Rotary runs a separate statewide derby that lets some Maine fishermen stay closer to home, said Barbara Clark, executive director of the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. This year’s statewide derby is scheduled March 5-6.

Still, the Sebago Lake derby helps a range of businesses, Clark said. Some anglers’ family members don’t fish, so shops and places like the Seacoast Fun Park in Windham get more traffic, she said.

Activities like the ice shack contest and snowmobiling also draw people who aren’t necessarily fishing. “It’s a huge community event that attracts all kinds of people,” Clark said.

For the White Pines Inn in Raymond, the derby is crucial, said owner Mark Libby. About half of the inn’s 11 rooms are booked a year in advance and the others fill up weeks before the derby.

The inn also does good business when the area’s snowmobile trails are in good condition while those in Massachusetts aren’t so good, Libby said. This year, Massachusetts’ trails seem to be in good shape.

“The fishing derby is key,” Libby said. “It’s fun and we look forward to it from a business perspective.”

At T.J.’s Sandwich Shop in Standish, owner T.J. Davis said the derby can bring the kind of business he sees on the Fourth of July. The boost is especially welcome this winter, the worst he’s had in his 16 years in business.

With his shop’s proximity to the boat launch area, Davis expects about 500 customers each day. “I’ll open up 4 o’clock on Saturday. We’ll be humming by 5,” he said.

Across the street at the Corner House Cafe, Rich Robinson can’t as easily predict the traffic for his two-year-old business. Last year, the early morning was slow but stragglers started coming off the ice, looking for a bite, around 9 a.m.

“I’ll probably open at 5,” he said. “If the lights are on, people will come in.”

Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 791-6383 or at:

akim@pressherald.com