Rankin Inlet (May 24/06) - The prizes were big and the fish even bigger at the annual fishing derby in Rankin Inlet this past week.

Fishing derby committee member Lorne Kusugak said organizers are pleased with this year's event.

He said a lot of work goes into the derby, which attracts hundreds of anglers.

"This sounds like an easy thing to put together, but people here take their fishing derby seriously," Kusugak said.

"The trick is to run it the way that benefits the most people.

"There were a lot more people happy than upset this year, so things went well."

Kusugak said one issue raised every derby is whether to set boundaries on how far people can go to fish.

He said some people say fish shouldn't be caught too far from the community.

"I ran a call-in show about a month before the derby to hear people's thoughts on how we should run the event.

"A clear majority of the callers said people should be allowed to fish where they want, so that's what we did.

"We'll ask the people how they want the derby run again next year."

Kusugak said the whole premise of the derby is based on the honour system.

He said if anyone cheats, it's their neighbours they're being dishonest with.

"I would hope there's enough honour among our people that we don't have to worry about fish being entered illegally.

"I don't believe the people of Rankin Inlet would risk dishonouring themselves to win an airline ticket."

Kusugak said he's always impressed by the support given to the derby by the business community.

He said four airlines donated tickets and every business gave what it could.

"It's not easy for a business when everyone who runs an event knocks on the door for donations.

"Their generosity shows the level of community spirit we have in Rankin."

Kusugak laughs when asked why so many women win the top prizes every year.

He said women seem to have more patience than their male counterparts.

"It's also sheer determination on their part.

"A lot of women are fishing at 3 a.m. while their family is in the tent sleeping.

"They can spend hours fishing, while men seem to need more tea breaks."