MEREDITH — Anglers of all ages braved chilly temperatures and thinner-than-average ice on Lake Winnipesaukee for the 33rd Great Rotary Ice Fishing Derby this weekend.

Unsafe conditions kept heavy trucks and equipment off Meredith Bay, but there were lots of other bays and lakes with adequate ice thickness and lots of fish to be hooked. On Saturday, ice on 19-Mile-Bay in Tuftonboro, for instance, was nearly a foot thick. The friends and family of Michelle Langlois of Tuftonboro warmed themselves in front of a portable fire pit near their bobhouse, where they'd been cooking all day.

“We've been here since 7 a.m.,'' she said. “We've had sausages, biscuits and gravy, and chili,” but no fish.

Her son Gage, 7, and sister-in-law Michelle Mancini of Rhode Island enjoyed some skating while waiting for the fish to bite. This was Mancini's first ice fishing derby.

“It's awesome. I enjoy everything about it. It's a good time, and it's great being outdoors,” she said, bundled up and undaunted by the chill. “It's perfect.”

Langlois said this year's conditions were iffy, but the ice was about a foot thick where they decided to set up camp at 19-Mile-Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee.

On Meredith Bay, veteran ice anglers Phil and Denise Vachon of Manchester said the ice in their area was between 6 and 8 inches thick. They set up camp, with a lightweight portable hunting hut serving as their bobhouse and shelter from the wind.

Frying burgers on a portable stove, the Vachons said they kept a close eye on ice conditions this year. “We were thinking it might be canceled,” said Phil. The last time the derby was canceled because of thin ice was about 10 years ago.

Absent from Meredith Bay this year were the trucks, snowmobiles, tractors, ATVs and 800-pound mini-mansion bobhouses of last year. The ice was safe for foot traffic, with access through Hesky Park, but participants were encouraged to wear ice cleats or creepers.

“It's nicer and a lot quieter this year without the (motorized vehicles) on the ice,” said Denise, who one year earned a $100 derby raffle prize. Lucky winners in a ticket drawing can win up to $5,000, and top prizes this year include ice tractors valued at more than $21,000.

“Wouldn't it be nice to win one of those,” she said.

Meredith Rotary Club member and derby Chairman Tracy Aquilla said final ticket numbers will be available later, but just before noon Saturday, about 1,600 tickets, at $30 each, had been sold.

“That's pretty good considering the conditions,” he said, noting that A.J.'s Bait and Tackle sold more tickets than usual, about 500 this year. Last year, more then 5,000 tickets were sold, netting about $150,000 in sales. The amount raised by the event this year will determine how many scholarships the Rotary Club will award. “This is our largest fundraiser by far; it's our bread and butter,” said Aquilla.

Club organizers work closely with New Hampshire Fish and Game officials to monitor ice safety and the quality of the fishery. Aquilla said the club pays to stock and tag rainbow trout in Winnipesaukee, Lake Winnisquam, Little Squam Lake, Lake Wentworth and Ossipee Lake.

The fishing derby is a boost to local tourism, noted Aquilla.

This year's top prize is a John Deere XUV 825i Camo UTV valued at $24,000; second prize is an SUV. There will also be $100 cash prizes awarded every 15 minutes for ticket holders at derby headquarters on Meredith Bay.