Yellowknife (May 03/06) - Fishing with footwear isn't for everyone, but in Coral Harbour, they have learned the trick.

For the annual crab jigging contest, you need a few simple items: some bait, fishing line, but, most of all, a sturdy sock.

Ronnie Ningeongan, the recreation co-ordinator in the hamlet, explains that the sock matters.

"There are different methods (for jigging crab), but we told people to use a sport sock. You can use any bait," said Ningeongan.

The method is very simple. Take a sock and stuff it with bait. Pick something that you think crabs will like. Ningeongan's advice is "these crabs really like meat."

Tie the sock to a fishing line, lower it through a hole in the ice, and wait for a claw to grab on.

Once the crab ­ slowed by the frigid water ­ grabs on to the sock, it won't let go. Pull in the sock and the crab and you're in business.

"The biggest crabs we get are about six inches across the shell," said Ningeongan.

While it may be the high-profile event of Easter weekend in Coral Harbour, the crab contest is far from the only event. There were three hours of games at the community hall and an Easter egg hunt.

Snowmobile races are common in Nunavut's hamlets, but the one in Coral Harbour has a bit more skill involved.

You have to tie a caribou skin to your qamutiik and then attach a five-gallon can. If it falls off, you have to lift it back on and keep going.