A record 123 fishermen cast their lines on Saturday in hopes of reeling in the biggest catch at the annual fishing derby hosted by Groupe L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet.
“It’s really a record,” said group volunteer member Guylaine La Salle of the turnout, the highest in the seven-year history of the event.
La Salle said the money raised from this year’s tournament will be used to complete phase three of the group’s current project, a revitalization of the cemetery behind the Island’s Ste-Anne church. She said the group will be looking for help identifying the 200-some people buried in the graveyard.
She said this year’s event, as always, featured donations from local businesses, including all of the burger patties from the Island’s butcher and a cash prize for the kids’ division from Renovations Delta Inc. and Newberry Roofing.
“We had many generous people this year,” La Salle said.
After a long day gone fishing, participants moored their boats and returned to the municipal dock for the awards ceremony.
Alexandre Plouffe took top spot in the adult division with a 6.6-pound pike, while Jack Mignault won the kids’ division with a 4.7-pound bass. Olivia Malette’s and Blair Burnett’s 2.9-pound catches saw them split the first-place teen prize. All prizes were worth $200.
Irene Pieschke Belleau, a volunteer with the group, said it was nice to see people come out to enjoy a nice day on the river in spite of Saturday’s sweaty temperatures, which rose above 30 degrees.
“Today is a really good turnout, we are really lucky – even if the weather is hot,” she said.
La Salle said that beyond the fundraising, it is always a good feeling to see people use the tournament to spend some quality time among friends and family.
“This is why we put it on,” she said, looking on as a father-son duo returned to weigh their possible prize catches. “It’s a reunion, and at four o’ clock it’s full here. It’s incredible.”
