ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
When Angel Kotchea felt a hard tug on the line of her fishing rod, there was little indication of what she was about to pull out of Fisherman Lake.
Angel Kotchea, 16, weighs the 25.1-pound jackfish that won her the grand prize in the youth jackfish division at the Fisherman Lake Fishing Derby outside of Fort Liard. - photo courtesy of Janna Deneron
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It was only when Kotchea, 16, began pulling the fish out of the hole drilled through the lake ice and the line on her homemade fishing rod began to come apart that she realized she'd caught a big one. When she finally saw her catch, Kotchea said she was surprised.
On March 30, using a minnow-baited hook, the teenager caught a 25.1-pound Northern pike, commonly known as a jackfish, which won her the grand prize in the youth jackfish division of the Fisherman Lake Fishing Derby. The catch was 4.1 pounds larger than the fish that helped Sharon Duntra win the grand prize in the adult jackfish division.
Kotchea's catch caused quite a stir during the first weekend of the annual derby.
"It was huge," said Janna Deneron, who organized the derby on behalf of Acho Dene Koe First Nation. "Everyone took off running in her direction to look at it."
Deneron said she's never seen a jackfish that large caught during the derby. Kotchea became an instant sensation as people took pictures of her and the fish, which measured 1.14 metres.
Fort Liard residents look forward to the annual derby, said Deneron. People used snowmobiles and four wheelers to make the approximately hour-long trip from the hamlet to the lake for the event.
Approximately 80 people participated in the first weekend of the derby March 29 to 31 while around 20 people joined in the second weekend, April 6 to 7, when the weather was a bit colder, said Deneron. Most of the anglers gathered at the pre-drilled holes on the side of the lake closest to Pointed Mountain.
Most of the anglers make their own fishing rods using a stick and fishing line, or any kind of twine they can find. Raw bacon and minnows were the most popular bait.
Deneron learned the importance of watching your line the hard way when she tried fixing hers in the snow while she went to take some photos. By the time she came back it had disappeared into the hole.
"It's not a good idea to leave it sitting there," she said with a laugh.
Not everyone managed to extract their fish from the holes as cleanly as Kotchea did. A few people had their fish slip off their hook at the last second, leaving no choice but to scoop their catch out of the icy water by hand, said Deneron. With lots of generous prize donations, the derby was a success, she said.
