Ice Fishing the Big Whiteshell Derby

I recently had the opportunity to fish the first annual Big Whiteshell Derby in the Whiteshell Provincial Park. I will say I don’t fish many competitive fishing events but this was put on by people I know well and I felt like the format suited my strengths as a multispecies anglers. I went in with the mentality of having fun and getting to know some new people. I will explain what made it enjoyable for me and perhaps you may want to consider entering next year.

The Format and Fishing

I feel like being able to fish for multiple species is a skill that is not often showcased enough in the competitive fishing world aside from some online fishing tournaments. In this derby, the only boundary is the lake itself. There are prizes for most species in that lake and there are all sorts of categories. It’s a catch, photo and release format which means all fish are eligible. This allows you to either play to your strengths or try to win multiple categories in you’re ambitious enough. In my opinion, I enjoy this more than the typical derby format where participants are confined to a small area. I will say though lake accessibility will depend on the conditions. Snowmobiles are typically unmatched in the Whiteshell although trucks were able to get on this year.

Big Whiteshell Lake is a good sized lake in the Whiteshell Provincial Park. For a road accessible lake, it has decent fishing for multiple species including crappies, perch, tullibee, pike and walleye (though winter walleyes in that lake are really tough). The lake itself is quite large which gives you several options to fish. This gives a lot of ways to fish and every fish is important. Register every fish because you never know what you might win.

For myself I was able to find a few good sized crappies, some small northern pike and a few perch. I feel like while I was happy with my results there was still some room for improvement. Would personally like a way to find bigger pike but that’s how a derby is. There is always some element of luck. My catches were enough to net me a few prizes at least.

Prizes and Sponsors

Like many fishing events here, the local businesses have helped out a lot with the prizes. I do enjoy seeing the fishing community work together to make these events happen. The list of sponsors can be found on the event’s Instagram page which I will link below. Of course there is also the Big Whiteshell Lodge that hosted the event. They are a pretty solid group of people who I like to support. A good amount was raised for the Children’s Hospital Foundation as well.

I personally managed to win some categories that earned some cash and a Striker suit. The door prizes were pretty solid as well which made up a good chunk of the entry fee. Not sure how next year will play out but I feel it can only get better.

Last Thoughts

I commend the organizers for making this happen. I thought it was a pretty well run derby and I am glad to take part. It was planned in only a few weeks but it was quite smooth. I got to meet many other anglers and had some good conversations.

If you’re an avid multispecies ice angler, consider signing up next time for a good time, nice atmosphere and support for a good cause. More information can be found on their Instagram page. There will be a YouTube video about this whole event which I’ll add here once it’s completed.