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ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
To Nezioa Duntra, the fish her father helped her pull from Fisherman Lake seemed only slightly smaller than she is.

Her 17.5-pound catch won Nezioa first place in the children's jackfish category of the annual Fort Liard Fishing Derby. Her fish was three pounds heavier than the fish that won Dolly Klondike first place in the adult's jackfish category.

Nezioa, 10, caught the fish during the first weekend of the derby, held March 17 to 18. She was at the lake with her father Jim Duntra and mother Margaret Fantasque.

Using a piece of wood with some fishing line attached and a new fish hook, Nezioa's first catch was a small fish. About five minutes later she had another bite on her hook.

"My dad helped me to get it up," she said. "It was hard to get out."

'I got scared'

Nezioa said the fish was the largest she'd ever seen.

"I got scared," she said.

The annual fishing derby is a highly anticipated event in Fort Liard, said Janna Deneron, who organized the event.

"People look forward to it every year and it's always a good turn out," she said.

During the first weekend, the wind and blowing snow cleared late Saturday afternoon and approximately 32 people went fishing.

Despite worse weather on March 18, more people came to the lake, which is located approximately 45 km from Fort Liard, although most stayed in the band's cabin where hot drinks and hotdogs were provided.

The weather for the second weekend – March 24 to 25 – was better, said Deneron. Approximately 42 people were on the ice on Saturday and most were fishing, she said.

Participants did have to leave the ice for approximately half an hour when a snowstorm made it impossible to see from one side of the lake to the other.

It quickly cleared, however, and it was sunny again, said Deneron.

Over the course of the weekend, approximately 60 people participated in the derby, she said. Acho Dene Koe First Nation had volunteered to drill more than 30 holes in the lake ice so anglers just had to find one and drop a hook.

Most people just use a stick with some string or fishing line attached, she said. Popular bait includes bacon, a bit of a previously caught fish or store-bought minnows.

Because she was volunteering her time, Deneron decided to compete as well. When she caught a 12-pound jackfish Deneron thought her chances of winning a prize were very good.

"I was so sure I had first until my husband came along," she said.

Manny Vital caught a 13-pounder. The couple was sure he had secured first place and was getting ready to pack up their gear when Dolly Klondike came to weigh her 14.5-pound jackfish.

"We had a good laugh," Deneron said.

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