LAC LA BICHE - The second annual La Biche Walleye Cup is less than a month away. Last summer almost 150 anglers from across the country hit the waters of Lac La Biche Lake in a series of daily fishing challenges to land the biggest walleye in the catch and release tournament. Attendees had a chance to not only win the title for the biggest catch but an opportunity to win a portion of the $60,000 in cash prizes.
With final preparations taking place for this year's tournament, organizers are seeking financial assistance to support the competition scheduled for the June 10 weekend.
Under Lac La Biche County’s Event Grant Program, organizers hoped to secure $10,000 to fund the event's activities and offset the entry fees and ticket sales, according to the funding application.
Considering, that the event presents the opportunity to not only showcase Lac La Biche but to support tourism, the county council approved the $10,000 request for the event. Especially, due to last year's pilot event which was hosted during the COVID-19 pandemic but was a major success, said Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov.
“Even last year with the COVID restrictions I thought it was very well attended. It puts the lake and Lac La Biche County on the map,” he said, adding that the tournament could grow even bigger. “It could definitely grow, it’s a part of a circuit and I think that we should definitely support it.”
Provincial rules
While the event had a great first year, provincial fishing regulations will likely put a hold on any significant growth in entries, said Coun. Darlene Beniuk.
“Alberta Fish and Wildlife allows 82, two-person teams, so that’s how the 160 total is arrived at…you can’t have any more than that because I’m sure we probably could but according to regulations we cannot,” said Beniuk.
Economic boost
While the funding for $10,000 is likely to be approved, there are caveats in place for the public funds. If the event raises more than $5,000 in surplus proceeds, those funds will have to be returned to the municipality, says Carl Kurppa, the County’s Grants and Community Funding Coordinator.
“With our grant program, what the exception is that if an event makes a certain amount of money there is clawback on it, so if you approve $10,000 and there are revenues that exceed $5,000, in that case we will claw back.”
Ultimately, the event falls within county council’s initiatives to boost tourism and create a welcoming active community, said Coun. Lorin Tkachuk
“It’s a great event and the more people we can bring into the community the better. They're going to be staying in campsites and hotels.”
The county’s Event Grant Program has a total budget of $58,900 for events in 2022, with additional funds provided for signature events. To date, a total of about $14,000 has been utilized for other applications. Currently, a total of $21,000 is pending through applications which include the La Biche Walleye Cup.
