Iqaluit Cod Derby back by popular demand

Winter darkness is making way for sunny skies and fishing derby season in Iqaluit. Two derbies are slated to take place around the Nunavut capital this weekend.

Meda Baines, Andrea Anderson and Malaiya Lucassie responded to the many elders and anglers who had been asking when this year’s cod derby would be held — by organizing it.

Organizers Malaiya Lucassie, left, and Meda Baines are pictured here in their tent on the causeway, during the 2023 Iqaluit Cod Derby. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)

“We said ‘OK,’ so we had five weeks of planning time this time,” Lucassie said.

She and her team launched the derby in 2020, on the Victoria Day long weekend. It continued annually until organizers took a year off last year.

“Life happens. Put it that way,” Lucassie said, of last year’s break. “To be honest, I don’t like fishing, but I like running the derby because I get to see everyone smiling and having a wonderful time.”

That is what more than 1,000 people did in 2023. Some participants parked on the causeway and walked out to the sea ice, while others ventured out with their snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and sleds.

Many fishers stayed on the ice through the entire weekend, including the winning angler, Monica Nuqinga, who spent her weekend living and sleeping on Iqaluit’s sea ice before winning with her 36.9-centimetre catch.

“We’re going to see 500 to 600 people on the ice all weekend, so that’s what I run these cod derbies for,” Lucassie said.

The boundaries are unchanged this year, with Koojessee Inlet west of Iqaluit available for fishing.

Topping the strict list of rules is: no alcohol.

“If we find out that somebody’s drinking on the ice and they have registered, they’re immediately disqualified,” Lucassie said.

Contestants are responsible for drilling their own holes. The entrance fee is $20 and registration through the derby’s Facebook page closes Friday at 6 p.m.

Prizes have yet to be finalized, but whoever catches the longest fish will earn $8,000, two return airline tickets to Ottawa from Canadian North and a toboggan.

Meda Baines measures a cod during the 2023 Iqaluit Cod Derby. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)

Second place is $5,000 and a toboggan and third place is $3,000 and a toboggan.

A second fishing competition is scheduled to take place Saturday, organized by Ilitaqsiniq, the Nunavut Literacy Council, which focuses on cultural programming in the territory.

The Ilitaqsiniq Char Ice Fishing Derby runs from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Nunngarut Lake, located across the bay approximately 35 kilometres northwest along the main overland route between Iqaluit and Kimmirut.

“I think it’s good for the community (to have two derby options) because some people won’t be able to get a ride out to Nunngarut Lake and they’ll be able to easily go to the cod derby,” said James Mearns, an Ilitaqsiniq program co-ordinator.

Last year, at the inaugural char derby, approximately 400 people participated and 40 fish were caught, Mearns said.

No registration is required. Fishers can just show up and enter a fish caught within the derby hours, he said.

There will be multiple prizes in the children’s, adult and elder categories, including two Canadian North return airline tickets to Ottawa and a 12-foot qamutik as the top prize.

Dozens of volunteers and sponsors have stepped up in support of both derbies.

Environment Canada’s forecast for the region this weekend calls for -1C temperatures with a mix of cloud and snow dipping to -2C with a chance of snow or rain on Sunday.