ARVIAT
A large percentage of the community headed out to fish for pike and trout in the annual Arviat Fishing Derby earlier this month.

Lakisha Flynn took the $6,000 top prize for trout with her catch of 97 centimetres, while Norma-Jean Kablutsiak earned $6,000 for her 106-centimetre pike.

Fishing derby committee member Gleason Uppahuak said this year's derby went very well.

He said the fishing derby is an extremely popular event in his community.

"We were lucky this year with no snow, and pretty good overall weather for the derby," said Uppahuak.

"We've had a great turnout for our annual derby for the past 10 years now.

"We have a 100-mile limit and a lot of people go a long ways to fish.

"But most of the families just go out for quality family time, and, if they happen to catch a big fish, great, but the main thing is just spending time together."

A number of Arviat fishers looking to grab the big prize money head all the way out to Upper Maguse Lake.

Uppahuak said some spots, about 80 or 90 miles from Arviat, are known to have great fishing.

"We catch some nice fish here, but we're not close to the size of the fish we see being caught every year in Rankin Inlet.

"They catch monster trout around Rankin.

"Darren Ikakhik's winning trout this year was almost four-feet long.

"That's not a fish, it's a dinosaur."

Uppahuak said Arviat offers large prizes each year because the derbies are so popular, and that's what the majority of people want.

He said the prize monies are raised by holding bingos, and the cash is split 50-50 between trout and pike.

"We keep it the same so everyone has a chance at the prize money.

"People love to fish in Arviat.

"We have one committee that handles trout and pike together, and then two separate committees hold the derbies for cod and ugly fish.

"The derbies are extremely popular here, and we owe the hamlet a big thanks for making bingo slots available to hold them every year."

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