Aerial view of the Montreal Lake Walleye Derby. (MLWD/Facebook)  

By Doug Lett

Montreal Lake Walleye Derby

Montreal Lake Walleye Derby cashing in

Feb 6, 2023 | 3:07 PM

It’s hard to believe that a four pound six ounce walleye could net you more money than most people earn in a year.

But that’s one of the attractions of the Montreal Lake Walleye Derby, where the grand prize is $100,000.

“I believe it was four pounds, six ounces” said Montreal Lake Vice Chief Dean Henderson, of the 2022 winning fish. He’s one of the organizers behind the annual event, which this year is scheduled for March 18th. “The fisherman was from Cumberland House.”

Henderson said while many people like ice fishing, it’s the cash that really brings them in.

The grand prize winner from the 2022 Montreal Lake Walleye Derby. (MLWD/Facebook)

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“Obviously, it’s the $100,000 Grand Prize. It’s straight cash, you know, is a big attraction. And I think our total payout in cash, money is $182,500,” he said.

It sounds like a lot of money, and it is. But Henderson said Montreal Lake Cree Nation benefits even more. Last year the derby cleared $180,000 after all the bills were paid, he said, and the money gets funneled back into the community.

“Everything that we do goes back into our minor sports program it all goes toward youth, sport culture and recreation,” he said, explaining it funds programs for people at Montreal Lake, as well as Little Red and members in urban settings.

But it’s a big undertaking. He said the tournament attracts people from Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and even northern Ontario.

Last year the event brought in more than 2,600 people. Tickets this year are $150 if you buy early, and $175 if you buy them on site.

The derby is a six-hour catch and release event, and they are hoping this year’s numbers will surpass 2022.

“I think it’s safe to say we have never heard of any other bigger fishing tournament in Canada that’s for an ice fishing tournament,” Henderson said.

The Vanity Cup at Tobin Lake also offers a $100,000 grand prize, but it’s an open water event that takes place in the fall.

Planning for the Montreal Lake derby takes months, and a team of people. They’ve started hiring a company out of Manitoba to pre-drill the holes people will use.

“He was able to punch out those holes in about six hours. [A total of] 3,750 holes with four machines. It’s a lot faster and saves us the worry of drilling holes,” Henderson said. He explained if the holes are drilled too far in advance, they freeze over again.

Also included in the event is a canteen, and hourly 50-50 draws that approach $15,000 per draw. Money from that goes towards programs at the Montreal Lake School, and Henderson said last year it brought in around $78,000.

While it sounds like a lot of people doing a lot of fishing, a fisheries biologist says the impact on fish populations is actually quite minimal.

“Last year I think there was 165 walleye caught and 25 northern pike that were caught, and all of the fish were successfully released alive, so minimal impact,” Murray Koob, a sport fisheries biologist with Saskatchewan Environment, said.

Koob added any sport fishing competition in the province involving walleye is required to be catch and release, because walleye is such a high demand fish.

“The Montreal Lake event has been going on for 15 years, and they’ve really gotten to where they run a good quality event,” he said. “They know what they’re doing.”

For Henderson, the team work involved has been key.

“It’s a solid team effort that makes this happen,” he said. “It’s a community effort.”

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douglett@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @DougLettSK