An Ice Fisherman Was Booted from a Canadian Walleye Derby Over Dishonest Accusations. There Was $100,000 on the Line

An angler competing in a walleye derby on Saskatchewan’s Montreal Lake was kicked out of the ice-fishing match Saturday after being accused of dishonest. The disqualified angler, whose id has not been made public, was reportedly in first place and $100,000 in prize cash. 

The incident is now beneath investigation, in keeping with a press release from the Montreal Lake Cree Nation, which hosted the occasion and mentioned “the person was requested to depart the fishing space” after the alleged rule violation occurred. The assertion offered few different particulars, and the organizers of the Montreal Lake 18th Annual Walleye Derby didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Outside Life.

“The matter stays beneath investigation, together with potential allegations of fraud,” the assertion reads. “The First Nation is cooperating totally with Saskatchewan’s Security Company and the [Royal Canadian Mounted Police], as they examine the matter.”

The RCMP’s Waskesiu Lake detachment confirmed with CBC Information that it’s overseeing the fraud investigation. The workplace didn’t present extra info or reply to requests for remark from OL.

CBC did, nonetheless, converse with one other angler on the occasion, Dreydan Morin, who received first place and took residence the $100,000 examine to his household. Morin’s profitable fish was a 2.5-pound walleye he’d caught early within the catch-and-release match.

“I went up [to the leaderboard] and there was a man main, and I obtained knocked all the way down to second,” Morin instructed the information outlet. “I got here again round, and my title was again up on the leaderboard. They instructed me they disqualified the man.”

Morin’s fish and the fish that was disqualified had been the one two walleyes caught in the course of the six-hour occasion, in keeping with SaskLakes, a neighborhood fishing web site. The remainder of the fish caught had been all pike. This left Morin alone on the walleye leaderboard on the finish of the derby — despite the fact that, as one Fb person famous, there have been greater than 2,500 fishermen collaborating.

A video from Saturday’s derby has been extensively circulated on social media. The clip, which is unverified, claims to point out the disqualified walleye being pulled via the ice.

The First Nation famous in its assertion that over the native derby’s 18-year historical past, “there have been no recognized incidents of fraud,” and that Saturday’s incident doesn’t compromise the integrity of the occasion.  

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“If violations are confirmed, Montreal Lake Cree Nation will help all enforcement measures and prosecutions, the place deemed crucial, in accordance with the legislation,” the assertion reads. “The First Nation stays dedicated to making sure a good and respectful occasion for all individuals.”

Fraud of greater than $5,000 is a severe offense in Saskatchewan and different Canadian provinces. It carries a most penalty of 14 years imprisonment, in keeping with the Division of Justice Canada.