We have a (new) winner! Winterport man drawn for drift boat trip

Some years, giving away our annual drift boat trip is a breeze. I make one phone call, the winner celebrates wildly at the good news, and come Father’s Day, we meet up in Greenville for a wonderful day of fishing with guide Dan Legere.

Guide Dan Legere of the Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville (right) takes a photo of Jasper Walsh fishing in the East Outlet of the Kennebec River during a drift boat trip on Sunday, June 15, 2012. Walsh, of Newburgh, won the BDN’s annual “Win a Drift Boat Trip” contest. When Legere stopped on a sandbar to prepare lunch, Walsh was tempted by rising fish in the river and waded in to cast flies to them. BDN photo by John Holyoke

Simple.

But some years, the process isn’t that simple, as the angler whose name is drawn isn’t available, or falls ill.

This year, we’ve had a pair of cancellations, and sadly, the winner that I announced earlier in May — Jeanine Curtis of Ellsworth — has had to pull her name from consideration because of a professional conflict. Another previous winner also had to withdraw because of health issues.

So back to the cyber-hopper we went, looking for another randomly generated name. And today, I’m happy to report that this year’s (hopefully final) winner of our annual “Win a Drift Boat Trip” is Brandon Prescott of Winterport.

This marks the 15th edition of our popular contest, which wouldn’t be possible without the participation of Legere, who is one of the top guides in the state.

So on June 18, Prescott and I will head to Greenville and spend a splendid day on the East Outlet of the Kennebec with Legere, catching fish, telling stories, and eating like kings.

At least, that’s the plan … for now.

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.