WILTON — Wilson Lake has 17 inches of ice, according to Bruce Dyke of Wilton.

The Wilton Fish and Game Association is looking for estimates on when that amount of ice will be out this year.

Dyke, caretaker of the The Wilson Lake Ice Out, is again accepting entries with the month, day, hour and minute of ice out with an entry fee of $5 for the Fish & Game 2014 Ice Out contest. The closest entry wins a cash prize of $100.

The ice is considered “out” when a boat can travel from the boat launch to the island without touching ice.

Dyke revived the contest last year after a few years without one. Lew Yeaton of Wilton guessed the date of April 20 at 9:09 a.m. and came the closest last year. He won $100.

April 20 was also the date for the first original recording of ice out in 1889, the first documented year. Since then, the date of ice out has been documented with only two years missed. 

Of those 124 years, 88 ice-out dates fell in April and 35 in May. The ice was out on April 4 in 2010 and on May 12 in 1893. 

Dyke is one of only six caretakers of the information over the years.

It only went out one time in March, Dyke previously said.

Dyke won the annual contest in 1979. He generally sticks to guesses within a couple days of his birth date, April 23, he said.

Funds raised by the contest help the association’s programs. Wilton Fish & Game Association members promote good sportsmanship and conservation of wildlife and natural resources.

Entry forms with the $5 fee can be mailed to Bruce Dyke, P.O. Box 605, Wilton, ME 04294 or he can be contacted at 645-2131 or at jdmosher@hotmail.com.

abryant@sunjournal.com