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Tickets will soon be arriving for the 5th annual Crowsnest Pass Lions Club Fishing Derby, which will take place at Lees Lake on February 21st.
The annual catch and release derby moves from Beaver Mines Lake to Lees Lake this year, a decision that the Lions Club is very happy with.
“This lake is better because it is a lot closer,” said Lions President Robert Duff.
Tickets, which have yet to arrive, will be available for up to 200 participants, for $20 each.
“We have a lot of people eagerly awaiting tickets, we’re just waiting for them to arrive,” said Duff.
The derby is open to participants of all ages, and proceeds will be used to fund community programs.
Cash prizes will be awarded to those who catch the largest fish, with $750 being awarded for 1st place, $500 for 2nd place, $250 for 3rd place, $100 for 4th place, and $50 for the secret measurement.
In addition, the club will also be selling 50-50 tickets, and raffling off tickets to win a 32-inch LCD flatscreen television, and a Bradley smoker.
Last year, 150 people participated in the derby at Beaver Mines Lake, catching a total of 545 fish, the longest of which was measured at 40 centimetres.
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development regularly attends, in order to ensure things go smoothly, and that the catch and release rule is being adhered to. |
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Rumours have been circulating recently that the derby would be cancelled altogether as a result of fish death at Beaver Mines Lake.
The rumour was that a chlorine leak from nearby Camp Impeesa had caused all the Rainbow and Bull Trout in the lake to die off.
“There is no evidence to support that,” said Fisheries Biologist Matthew Coombs for Blairmore Fish and Wildlife.
According to Coombs, Senior Fisheries Biologist Daryl Wig went out to the lake to investigate the fish death after hearing about it, and observed approximately 50 dead fish along the shoreline.
Unfortunately, an exact cause of death could not be determined, but biologists believe it had nothing to do with chlorine.
“We believe it was an isolated occurrence, and people have continued to catch fish at that lake since it happened,” said Coombs.
Common causes of winter fish kill can range from the dying off of growing underwater plants, which limits the amount of oxygen in the water, or a sudden overabundance of plant growth, or even extremely thick ice and snow on the lake.
These situations are not uncommon in the Crowsnest Pass, as even Lees Lake has experienced winter fish kill within the last few years, and similar situations have been reported at Phillips Lake.
For more information on the Fishing Derby, or to purchase tickets once they arrive, contact Robert Duff at 403-562-2878.
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