Snowmobiles, ice fishing tents and brightly coloured snowsuits flooded Farm Lake on Saturday for Otter Lake’s annual fishing derby, organized by the town’s recreation association for the last four years.
The day started bright and early with a breakfast put on by the recreation association. In the parking lot, Scooters Bar & Grill was selling homemade Otter Tails to snack on. The evening featured a D.J. and Presley said the party went late.
“We opened the doors in the morning at 6 a.m.,” said organizer Shane Presley. “And we didn’t close them until after midnight. It was a great success.”
Over 150 holes were cut in the thick ice throughout the day, each monitored by someone hopeful to take home this year’s fishing derby prize for the longest fish.
Presley said of the 219 entries in this year’s frosty competition, only 10 brought in a fish to be measured.
Kolt Gauthier took home first prize with a fish of 14.75 inches. There was a tie for second place with Philippe Francoeur and Jason Brown both catching a fish of 14.5 inches. In third place was Kassandra Fleury’s fish, at 11 inches.
Temperatures on the ice with the wind were below negative 20 degrees Celsius at some points of the day, but did not deter brothers Maddox and Grayson Presley, who were cold but hopeful inside their ice fishing tent.
Their mother, Chantal Villeneuve, said that they were cold down to the bone after being out there for just an hour and a half. But despite that, she said that they were having fun. It was the family’s fourth time participating in the fishing derby, something Villeneuve said has become a family tradition.
“We’ve done this every year, and for all the years that the RA has held the derby,” Villeneuve said. “The boys are in the tent joking about the smoke coming out of their mouths.”
