Among the 500 anglers participating in a Manitoba ice-fishing derby last weekend were Theodore Muskego and his dad Glenn. They’d driven 500 miles to Cross Lake from their homes near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border to compete. The local tournament, hosted by Loretta’s Burgerstand, offered a $100,000 top prize for the largest fish caught.
With just a few minutes left in the derby, Muskego hooked giant pike, his biggest fish of the day. As time was running out in the one-day event, Theodore struggled to land the fish, which still had to be measured to be considered for the cash prize.
“I was getting more worried when they said two minutes left, and I was fighting with my rod, and the reel was just stuck,” Muskego told Global News. “So I threw my reel. I just put my hand in the water and got up, started pulling the fish up. Still can’t believe it.”
With only seconds left to enter his fish, Theodore, who was wearing heavy winter clothing and boots, put his big pike in a bucket and ran as fast as he could to the derby’s measuring station. Other anglers and onlookers cheered him on.
He made it to the station with just 35 seconds left on the tournament clock. His winning pike measured around 39 inches, which was more than enough to take the grand prize of $100,000. Muskego raised his big pike high to show the crowd his fish, and shouts rang out across the frozen lake.
“It was nice to see people cheering him and everybody came to that measuring station to look,” derby organizer Loretta Ross told the local news outlet.
Glenn, the elder Muskego, finished in 22nd place and won $200. He’d paid his son’s entry fee of $500 as a birthday gift, and Theodore brought Glenn out in his wheelchair so they could fish the derby together.
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Theodore said he plans to use the big winnings to buy a truck, pay some bills, and take his children on vacation.
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