RANKIN INLET
Darren Ikakhik had never won a penny in prize money during the annual Rankin Inlet Fishing Derby until earlier this month.
Darren Ikakhik shows his winning trout catch of 47.25 inches out on the land during the annual Rankin Inlet Fishing Derby earlier this month. - photo courtesy of Darren Ikakhik |
But this year he made up for it in a big way.
Ikakhik hauled out a mammoth fish that measured out at 47.75 inches on May 24 to claim the $5,000 top prize for trout in this year's
derby.
Monica Shouldice took the $5,000 top spot for cod with her catch of 24.75 inches.
Ikakhik doesn't have any secret fishing holes, preferring, instead, to join his fellow anglers around Peter Lake.
He said his family went to the northeast of Peter Lake in 2015 without much success, so he decided to switch-it up and head all the way to the end of the lake this
year.
"I heard quite a few people head up to the area around the end of the lake so, when we were going out, I decided I'd try my luck at that spot if I saw people here and there along on the way," said Ikakhik.
"I didn't expect to land a fish of that size, and I actually got that monster within the first half-hour we were fishing.
"About 10 minutes later my wife, Amy, dropped one and I got it again right away and it took seventh place.
"We never caught another fish all weekend."
Ikakhik said going out fishing during the derby is more of a family outing than anything else.
He said heading out, his family was pretty sure everyone would have fun even if they didn't catch anything.
"Me, my wife and our four kids - we all had a lot of fun out there, eating lots, playing card games and playing outside, while the kids also had fun driving the Ski-Doo along the lake.
"It was about 35 to 40 miles from Rankin to where we did our fishing, I'd say.
"The ride out to the lake was pretty good, and there were lots of people all-over when we got there.
"On Sunday morning the snow was kind of soft and I didn't want us to be the last out of there and risk getting stuck, so we left when we started to see people going.
"It was soft and watery heading back but we didn't have any problems."
