THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
After 25 years at the helm of the Fort Smith Ice Fishing Derby, Richard Mercredi is stepping away from the leadership of the popular community event.

Richard Mercredi, who is stepping away from the leadership of the Fort Smith Ice Fishing Derby after 25 years, displays some of the trophies he has won at the event over the years. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

It's hardly because he doesn't like fishing anymore, but rather because he wants to spend more time on the land.

"I'm going to let someone else do it, because we want to spend more time fishing," he said, referring to himself and his wife, Barb Mercredi, who has also helped run the fishing derby for about 15 years.

It is sort of sad to consider no longer leading the fishing derby, but the time has come, he said. "The years just kind of go by."

Mercredi said he and his wife are retired now, and the time is right to do other things.

The derby - held this year from March 27 to 29 - is run by an informal group, and Mercredi described his role as kind of like a chairperson.

That role includes things like calling meetings, picking a date, meeting sponsors, creating posters, marking trails, looking for volunteers, setting up tents and more.

"It's busy," he said of the chairperson's tasks, which begin each January.

However, Mercredi is assisted by volunteers in the informal group.

"Because you can't do it alone," he said. "We have a team of people that have been with us for quite a while, and they come and go. Over the years, some people have been there a long time."

Mercredi has not yet found his replacement.

"I think it's time somebody took it over," he said. "There are younger people out there and they've got more energy and more time, maybe."

Mercredi said he doesn't have anyone in mind as a successor.

"We're just talking to the community and hoping that somebody will step up and say, 'Hey, I can do this,'" he said. "It takes somebody who can organize and get people together."

Since the fishing derby started in 1990, Mercredi figures he has organized 25 events. Two derbies were cancelled in that time - one because of lack of snow and last year's because of overflow on the lakes east of Fort Smith - but he said he had done all the preparations for one, but not last year's event.

Mercredi said he stayed involved for 25 years because he enjoys fishing and especially likes to see young people introduced to the sport.

"I always say the kids are our future fishermen," he said. "Right now, there are some of the kids that are 30 years old or more that were out there fishing when we started. They were just little guys, and now they're taller than I am."

The 67-year-old retired from the GNWT over six years ago. His 38-year career with the territorial government began as an electrician and concluded with eight years as the South Slave superintendent with the Department of Public Works and Services.

Mercredi co-founded the fishing derby in 1990 with Sholto Douglas and the late Dave Dragon.

"We just wanted to get out there and get a fishing derby going, because a lot of people like fishing," said Mercredi, adding it would also get people on the land and be a family event.

For the first derby, there were 45 participants.

"It took a little bit to get it going because, at the start, mainly we had just fishermen," recalled Mercredi. "We ran it for two or three years, maybe, and then we added a children's category because we said it's not fair for the kids to be fishing against the adults. They're not going to win anything."

That increased the participation of children under 15 years of age, as high as 27 in one year.

"It's more of a family thing now," said Mercredi. The ice fishing derby once attracted a record high of 127 participants, but the average is between 60 and 90. This year, there were 70 registered fishers, some accompanied by spouses and other family members. The event takes place at three lakes - Natawa, Blackman and Jackfish - which are about 55 km east of Fort Smith. While he is not planning to be chairperson of the fishing derby any longer, Mercredi said he will stay involved in the event, which he has won three times.

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