Thousands seek $83,000 jackpot in Estonia fishing test
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People fish during a traditional ice fishing competition on a lake near Viljandi February 16, 2013. Several thousand fishing lovers took part in the event to try to catch 130 marked fishes to win prize money. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
VILJANDI, Estonia (AFP) - Thousands took to the ice of a frozen lake in southern Estonia on Saturday in the hopes of catching the big one - a marked fish worth a 50,000 euro (S$82,672) jackpot.
Sadly it was the one that got away, despite the 6,500 people who tried their luck at the Estonian Gold Fish Festival on Lake Viljandi, organisers said.
The annual festival saw 130 marked fish released into the lake a week earlier. To win the jackpot contestants had to catch at least 17 marked fish from three different types and the jackpot fish.
Nursing student Merike Maetaga, a 28-year-old from Tartu, came away the day's big winner by catching a marked fish worth 3,000 euros.
