BONNYVILLE – For the second year in a row, the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs will be hosting an Ice Fishing Derby to help raise money for the local Jr. A club while encouraging participants to get outside and enjoy time on the ice this Saturday.
“We are a non-for-profit and we struggled a lot with not being able to have events and dealing with reduced attendance at the games and things like that. So, we thought this would be a fun way to raise money and have people look forward to doing something,” said Michelle Pollock, the office manager for the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs.
Following last year’s derby, the organization has made some changes to the event by reducing entry costs and including a youth category.
“We found that having (youth) competing against the older dads and the fishers that have been doing it for forever, I think was a little discouraging,” said Pollock.
By having two categories, it should make the tournament a little more fun for the kids who come out and want to participate and compete.
“Between 45-50 registered last year, but there would have been more there because let’s say dad registered but he brought his entire family, or one fisher was participating in the tournament, but he could bring a whole tent full (of people) to have company,” she said.
As a further incentive of getting people out on the ice, the entry costs for the derby have also been lowered by $50.
“We didn't want to again limit the kids from registering. Last year, we did $150 for a registration and this year we lowered the price to $100 just to get more people involved,” she said, adding, the admission for the new youth category is $40.
“It isn’t a huge expense, but then kids really feel a part of the tournament,” Pollock added.
The catch-and-release fishing tournament for Northern Pike begins at 9 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. at Angling Lake, which is located just southeast of Bonnyville.
Anglers who manage to catch the largest pikes will have the chance to win over $10,000 in cash and prizes.
Pollock says people can register for the derby through the FishDonkey app right up until the tournament’s start time on Saturday morning.
“If anything changes or happens, everyone that is registered, we can contact them very quickly through the app, which will send them a text and email right away. So, if anything changes, they'll be notified,” explained Pollock.
With a substantial increase in snow compared to last year, she says it may be more challenging for all participants to drive onto the lake to set up. However, there will be ample space to park at the boat launch or the nearby hall.
The full list of rules for the event are as follows:
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This is a catch and release event
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Tents will be permitted.
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All fishing must comply with 2022 Alberta sportfishing guidelines and regulations.
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All contestants must supply a valid Alberta sportfishing license or provide proper documentation of their exemption.
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Northern Pike will be the only species accepted for measuring.
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All other species excluding northern pike must be released back into the lake in the most harmless way possible.
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All fish must be alive when measured.
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All participants must practice catch and release, no retention of fish is permitted.
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All decisions made by the tournament officials and committee are final.
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Fish can only be entered between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
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Grand Prize winners will be decided by three fish total lengths, biggest fish bonus pot will be awarded to the largest fish of all valid entries.
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Bait allowed per Alberta sportfishing guidelines for Angling Lake.
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No refunds will be granted.
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In the event of a tie, the first measured fish wins or the first three fish total.
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No fizzing of fish.
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Absolutely no passing of fish between contestants.
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Tournament will take place as long ice conditions are deemed safe.
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Event organizers are not responsible for any death, injury, theft, damage to property or any loss which may occur before, during or after the event.
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Additional Rules and Regulations can be found on the FishDonkey app.
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All AHS covid-19 protocols must be followed.
