Manitoba family fishing derby raises $25K for Children's Hospital, CancerCare

More than $25,000 is ready to be donated to theCancerCare Manitoba Foundation and the Children's Hospital Foundationfollowing a family fun fishing derby in Selkirk, Man.

On Sunday, more than1,000 people gathered for the KidFishDerby at Selkirk's float plane base, catching 231 fish including a 22-inch pickerel.

Jim Hardy, a self-described avid fisherman,helped organize the derby.

"The KidsFishing for a Cure is a summer event that takes kids out from the cancer wards out fishing on the Red and so the [KidFish Derby in the winter] haskind of evolved into that," he said.

"Look at the weather, look at the people That's the big thing for us is the event happens and everybody has a great time."

And sitting around holes carved in the ice with friends,many of the derby's young fishers looked like they were.

Brayden Duncan, 11, said he showed up on Sunday for kids with cancer, and to brush up on his skills.

"So I can catch a bigger fishthan my dad," he said, smiling.

Although he hadn't caught anything yet,Ian Clark, 11, was waiting for something big.

"I'm hoping for probably a big Jack or something," he said.

For 11-year-oldMatthewPosthumus, the funwasn't so much aboutthe catch, but what happens afterward.

"Especially when you catch fish and you get to eatthem," he said.

The total raised surpassed KidFish'srecord from 2015, which was $23,000.