Greg Morin holds up his $100,000 cheque. (Facebook/ Montreal Lake 13th Annual Walleye Derby)

By Nigel Maxwell

Big fish

P.A. man reels in $100K prize

Mar 25, 2019 | 5:00 PM

Prince Albert’s Greg Morin has 100,000 reasons to be grateful for competing in his first ever fish derby on Saturday.

Morin’s first catch of the day, held up as the biggest fish at the 2019 Montreal Lake Fish Derby and earned him a $100,000 prize. Morin told paNOW, it took him about 30 seconds to reach his hole after the horn blew to start the competition.

“As soon as my hook hit the bottom of the ground and I locked my reel I didn’t even jig it once and I pulled up that 4.265 pound walleye. So I pretty much caught the fish the first minute of the derby,” he said.

Morin said he started commercial fishing when he was about eight years old, but up until this past weekend had never tried his hand at an actual competition. He said having to wait six hours to hear the final result, was nerveracking.

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“I caught a few small ones after that but didn’t weight them because they were too small,” he said.

When asked what his plans were with his winnings, Morin said he wanted to take care of his family.

“I’m just going to take my family shopping right now. I don’t have any major plans with the money yet,” he said.

There were over 2,100 participants in last weekend’s competition. In addition to the actual grand prize, many of the fishermen/women engaged in side bets and had a chance to win up to $20,000. Profits from the event went to the Montreal Lake Sports, Culture and Recreation board.

Distribution of the fish derby profits according to the MLCN sports, culture and recreation board manual. (Facebook/ Montreal Lake Walleye Derby)

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell