Darius Shahheydari
CALUMET ISLAND
March 6-7, 2020
Down by the Ottawa River at Grand Calumet Island, the Bryson Grand Calumet Portage (B.GC.P) fire brigade organized a fishing derby this past Saturday.
A total of forty contestants were . . .
split up into teams scattered across the frozen water of Bertrand’s Bay. Each team had it’s own station set up with lawn chairs and rods piercing through the thick blanket of ice. Snowmobiles and four-wheelers circled the premises.
Darcy Burnett, a firefighter with the B.GC.P, explained how the contest was set up.
Teams had their biggest catch weighed on a scale. Whoever caught the heaviest fish was deemed the winner.
The first place team is awarded with a trophy and a weekend at the ZEC fishing and camping resort in St. Patrice. Second place received a $100 cash prize and third, a $50 cash prize.
Chantal Lante, Eric Menard and his father Bob Menard won the contest.
Participants brought their own food, like hot dogs and hamburgers. According to Grand Calumet Island, Mayor Serge Newberry, it is a tradition for the brigade to bring chili for the participants, as well.
Saturday’s mild temperatures meant that larger vehicles could not go on the ice. Given the clear skies and lack of wind, however, Newberry said this is where the cons stop.
“It’s actually really good conditions when it’s hot out,” he said.
This derby did not always remain a consistent annual event.
“We took a couple of years off. This is our third official year doing it in a row,” Burnett said.
