Dylan Stoney, left, Temara Veevee, and Ross Kooneeliusie take turns jigging for cod on Sunday in Iqaluit. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Jigging for cash and prizes in Iqaluit
Cod derby attracts more than 800 people to the sea ice for May long weekend
Fish is on the menu for a lot of households in Iqaluit this week following two well-attended fishing derbies held over the May long weekend.
The 2025 Cod Derby attracted more than 800 registrants of all ages to the sea ice on Koojessee Inlet next to the city, from 6 a.m. Friday through 6 p.m. Monday.
Davidee Kolola, left, whose fish measured 38.5 centimetres, accepts his prize from Iqaluit Cod Derby organizer Malaiya Lucassie. (Photo courtesy of Malaiya Lucassie)
“It went awesome,” said Malaiya Lucassie, one of the organizers of the grassroots event, in the waning minutes of the competition.
“All the people are still fishing and everyone’s happy.”
Happiest of all at the end of the day, perhaps, was Davidee Kolola, whose fish measured 38.5 centimetres, tied with Paul Irngaut’s fish. The scale broke the tie, with Kolola’s fish edging out Irngaut’s catch by 8.5 grams to win himself the top prize of $10,000, Canadian North airline tickets and a toboggan.
In all, one dozen fishers took home more than $26,000 in cash prizes in addition to merchandise donated by sponsors.
At age two, Gemma Nutarariaq was the youngest fisher to record a catch. Elisapee Davidee, 73, was the oldest to record a catch, although the oldest registered fisher was 80 years old.
The derby was a dry event, with no alcohol allowed.
“Iqaluit doesn’t have many family-focused events, and we’re proud to say the cod derby has become a beloved tradition,” Lucassie said. “If all goes well, we’ll see you again in May 2026 for another exciting cod derby.”
Meanwhile, a daylong Arctic char fishing derby ran until 3 p.m. Saturday on Nunngarut Lake, located across the bay approximately 35 kilometres southwest of Iqaluit.
The char derby was organized by Ilitaqsiniq, formally known as the Nunavut Literacy Council.
Riley Angnatsiak, left, Saila Nakashuk and Jacob Nakashuk enjoy playing in the sun Sunday during the Iqaluit Cod Derby. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Jigging in southern Canada is illegal, when you jig you can tear out the eyes, belly, mouth and basically kill the fish if you don’t actually catch it.
So how is this legal here?
Absolutely wrong. You’re talking about snagging fish, not jigging. Jigging is just using an up-and-down motion with a lure to entice a fish to bite the lure. It’s legal all over Canada. How do you think they ice-fish down south? By jigging. Snagging fish is catching a fish by hooking it through any part of the body other than the mouth, which is illegal in southern Canada and only legal in Nunavut for subsistence harvesting, but illegal for sport fishing.