It's time to try your luck catching the big one and this is why

Not only is it the Louis Riel Day long weekend, it's also time to fish for free in Manitoba. This weekend is Family Fishing weekend and from Saturday to Monday, anglers can fish without a licence in the province, except in national parks where a federal angling licence is still required.

Anglers must follow all possession limits and size restrictions during this weekend including regulations for specific individual waters.

With our province claiming to have more than 100 00 lakes, it is no surprise fishing is a popular pastime. In the summer, you can cast a line from the shore, but in the winter, it means getting on the lakes and rivers we sometimes swim in and drilling a hole and that can sometimes be an issue if you don't own the proper equipment. This is where the Austin Fire Department comes in.

This Saturday, the department is back with its 3rd annual Ice Fishing Derby on Jackson Lake, just south of Sidney and chief Jeff Zacharias says they will even drill the hole for you.

"The road comes right to the front and we'll have a trailer there for registration. From there, we can bring you on the ice and drill a hole, you just need to bring your own fishing rod and favourite lures. It runs from 8 to 2 and it's a fundraiser for the department. The day itself is actually free and the fundraising is mostly the raffle and door prizes, we've had some great community sponsors. We just hope to have some good community interaction with it."

The first couple of events have been very successful and Zacharias adds it is a real family affair.

"We're hoping the whole community can come and enjoy the day, and enjoy our fantastic Manitoba winters. We'll also have a skating rink that's all cleared off, the team has been working hard clearing it off and flooding it. Lots of door prizes and raffles, even a smallest fish prize. Lunch will be served probably from 12 to 1.  We recently just had the privilege of being able to purchase a thermal imaging drone that we plan to use to make our jobs safer and easier and it's support from things like this that allowed us to do that.

The bonfire to keep people warm has always been popular 

The event in Austin isn't the only one on this weekend either. Sunday, people can try their luck with the Portage Wildlife Clubs 4th annual family derby at Delta Beach. This one runs from 9 to 3 and will have around $5000 in cash and prizes up for grabs with proceeds from the event going back to the club to support the work they do in the region.