On fin ice
Big turnout for fishing derby in Gairloch
GAIRLOCH — Bob Ferguson would have been proud of the turnout. The inaugural Bob Ferguson Memorial Ice Fishing Derby, named in honour of the local entrepreneur and avid outdoorsman, was held Feb. 16 at Gairloch Lake, and well over 200 people showed up. Some of them swapped old stories about Ferguson, who passed away in June 2019 at 80 years of age. “It was probably one of the better ones we’ve had in several years,” said Erik MacPherson, president of the Pictou County Rivers Association (PCRA), the group that has been organizing the ice fishing derby for years. “We had 180 kids registered and there were probably 250 people out on the ice. We did a count around 10 a.m. and there were 80 cars lined up on the road.” The ice fishing derby had been originally scheduled to take place on Feb. 15 but extreme cold weather and wind chill prompted organizers to postpone it for 24 hours. “The executive felt we stood a better chance of getting more kids out on Sunday. The weather that day was much better for the kids,” MacPherson said. But some who showed up at the lake on Saturday decided to get in some fishing, even with the postponement. Robert Heighton, formerly of River John and now living in Tatamagouche, Colchester County, brought his daughters Hailee and Natalie for the experience. “We were coming for the derby so we figured we’d come and enjoy it anyway,” he said, as he and the girls protected themselves from the elements with a fabric tent, as a space heater kept the tent warm. In December, Gairloch Lake was stocked with about 2,000 trout by the PCRA. The largest fish caught during the derby was 32 centimetres in length, MacPherson said, and several of the biggest fish were hauled in by kids who had registered for the derby. The PCRA meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Westville library and are always looking for new members.