He's endeavouring to assemble a core group of five fly fishers and some alternates to compete in the inaugural Canadian Fly Fishing Championships in Russell, Man., in September.

"I'm hoping. I've been waiting for this to happen for a long, long time," he said. "I think it would be a hoot."

Stark, who has been fly fishing for decades, said he has met others on the Kakisa River who share his passion. But he's trying to identify experienced and determined anglers from various NWT communities.

Fly fishing involves the casting of a line with a very light hook, or fly, as opposed to using a weighted lure.

Although some fly fishers can only think of their pastime as a peaceful, leisurely activity, Stark said the competition would be an opportunity to learn different styles and techniques of fishing and meet many people.

A point system, based on quantity and weight of the trout, will be used to determine the winner. Canada will send its best from that competition to the world championships, which have been held since 1981.

Canada has vied for the world title in the past, but always sent a hand-picked team rather than one that had qualified through a tournament, Stark said.

At the international level, the Europeans usually dominate, he noted.

"The Europeans have historically done a lot better because they have the tactics and skills for catching lots of small fish," he explained. "Whereas in Canada and the U.S. we tend to see a big fish and spend a lot of time working that fish."