The Otter Lake branch of the Native Alliance of Quebec put on its first fishing derby over the weekend, which saw over 100 people gather on a slushy Farm Lake in the hopes of luring a winning catch.

“The fishing has been fantastic,” said Chuck Burke, one of the event organizers, around lunch on Saturday.

“Today we’re over 26 fish.”

Kassandra Fleury and Kim Ayotte tied for first prize, each catching a fish that measured 15 and ¾ inches.

They shared the winning prize of $500 which was donated by B and B Snow Services.

The organization also awarded Korbyn Keller of Westmeath a sportsman of the day award. Burke said the 10-year-old was one of the first to register at 5:30 a.m. and was one of the most dedicated fishermen he’d seen in years.

An all-day darts tournament was also held at the Otter Lake community centre, organized to coincide with the fishing derby, and the event was capped off with an evening performance from local band Dukes of Charteris who donated their time to the event.

Burke, who is Algonquin and Ojibwe, organized the event along with Lise Dagenais, and reached out to Stacey Lafleur to take the lead on the darts tournament.

He said the Native Alliance, which represents Indigenous people off reserve, was looking for a way to do something both fun and beneficial for the community, and so he suggested it use the event as a food drive for local food bank Bouffe Pontiac.

By mid-day, donations filled three large plastic containers. Every donator was entered to win a fishing trip, courtesy of Lac Forant Outfitters.

The event brought in almost $5,000 in door prizes and prizes for the winners donated from the community.
Burke said that the organization does its best to present the awards in Algonquin, as well as English and French, as the tournament took place on the unceded territory of the Algonquin people.

Lafleur said that it was nice to see people come out to support the community.

“We had a good turnout and next year it might be even better,” Lafleur said. “It’s nice to help the community and come out for a good day of fun.”