Flin Flon MLA Clarence Pettersen delivered the following member’s statement in the legislature on Monday, May 25:
Mr. Speaker, on a warm Sunday in April, 570 anglers descended on Sally’s Beach for the first ever Flinty’s Fishing Derby!
In Bakers Narrow Provincial Park, the thick ice on Lake Athapap was covered with anglers all day long as they competed for different prizes.
Most were trying to catch one of the three previously tagged jackfish that were worth $25,000! It seems that those fish really didn’t want to be caught again, because nobody managed to reel them in.
But the anglers didn’t walk away empty-handed: Darren Whitbread took home the $21,000 grand prize for the largest fish of the day – a 75.25 cm long trout! With anglers traveling to Flin Flon from communities all over Manitoba, and even places like Calgary and Fort Frances, the event was a great success.
Flinty’s Fishing Derby demonstrates how dedicated the people of Flin Flon are to our community. It’s a great showcase of the abundance of wildlife and recreation opportunities we are lucky to have in Northern Manitoba.
I have to commend the organizers of the derby for putting it together so professionally.
Members of the Flin Flon Rotary Club worked tirelessly to make sure the event went off without a hitch. They enlisted the help of the Flin Flon Fire Department to drill 900 holes in the lake, secured some fantastic prizes for the winners, including a fourteen foot boat, airfare between Flin Flon and Winnipeg and vacation packages for Bakers Narrow Lodge.
In the end they managed to raise $16,000 for the Flin Flon Rotary Club!
Congratulations to the Rotarians, volunteers and participants who made the first ever Flinty’s Fishing Derby such a success. I look forward to seeing this event happen for many years to come!
