- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,005
ISABELLA DERBY -- ONS-matthews -- 5mar09
Isabella trout fishing derby to feature $200,000 in cash
By JIM MATTHEWS Outdoor News Service
The 20th Annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby will be held April 4-6, and this year it features 1,000 tagged trout worth from $20 in cash all the way up to $20,000. In past years, the top tagged trout was worth $10,000, but this year there will be 10 trout wearing $10,000 tags and the new top prize of 20 grand.
"There's going to be a lot of money swimming around in that lake," said Fred Roach, the tournament director. "And we want them all to be caught."
Then he chuckled. "If that happened, it might make it more difficult for us to get insurance in the future -- or the price would sure go up."
In past years, from 10 to 20 percent of the tagged trout have been caught during the three-day event held Saturday through Monday. And twice in the previous 19 years, the $10,000 tagged trout was caught.
Roach said the tournament committee wanted to make a big splash for the event's 20th anniversary. At its first meeting last year planning this year's derby, Roach suggested they put in 20 fish with $10,000 tags.
"They all looked at me like I was nuts," he laughed.
But they did end up with half that as 10 local businesses stepped forward to each buy the insurance for one $10,000 tagged trout, and the Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce decided to up the top prize and paid the bill for the $20,000 fish.
Last year, just over 5,000 anglers fished the derby and 116 of the 1,000 tagged fish were caught with the top tag a $500 fish. In 2006, the last time a $10,000 tagged trout was landed, there were 3,900 anglers in the event and they landed 311 tagged fish. Those numbers suggest there's a good chance at least one of the top prizes will be caught this year, and probably more than one.
The 1,000 tagged trout are released just prior to the event from four pontoon boats all over the lake.
In addition, the tournament committee has trout pens where they have been feeding 13,000 rainbows placed in those pens in November. The trout have been fed twice a day by a corp of 33 local volunteers and the fish are now from one to two pounds. All of those fish will be released before the derby.
The Department of Fish and Game is currently stocking Isabella at least twice a month and has been all winter, and they usually put in a bonus load of rainbows before the derby weekend. The first of two 1,200-pound loads of trophy trout -- Alper's rainbows from two to three pounds -- was planted Feb. 24th, and the second load will go in the week before the derby.
As in previous years, it's not a question of whether entrants will catch trout, it's just whether or not any will be tagged fish.
Entry fee is $15 per angler or $35 per family (husband, wife and up to three kids 15 and under) if registration is before March 15. After that, the price jumps to $20 per person and $45 per family. Complete rules and registration forms are available on line at 20th Annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby.
Roach said that as of Wednesday this week, they already had about 1,000 early registrations -- about 850 more than last year this time.
Isabella trout fishing derby to feature $200,000 in cash
By JIM MATTHEWS Outdoor News Service
The 20th Annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby will be held April 4-6, and this year it features 1,000 tagged trout worth from $20 in cash all the way up to $20,000. In past years, the top tagged trout was worth $10,000, but this year there will be 10 trout wearing $10,000 tags and the new top prize of 20 grand.
"There's going to be a lot of money swimming around in that lake," said Fred Roach, the tournament director. "And we want them all to be caught."
Then he chuckled. "If that happened, it might make it more difficult for us to get insurance in the future -- or the price would sure go up."
In past years, from 10 to 20 percent of the tagged trout have been caught during the three-day event held Saturday through Monday. And twice in the previous 19 years, the $10,000 tagged trout was caught.
Roach said the tournament committee wanted to make a big splash for the event's 20th anniversary. At its first meeting last year planning this year's derby, Roach suggested they put in 20 fish with $10,000 tags.
"They all looked at me like I was nuts," he laughed.
But they did end up with half that as 10 local businesses stepped forward to each buy the insurance for one $10,000 tagged trout, and the Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce decided to up the top prize and paid the bill for the $20,000 fish.
Last year, just over 5,000 anglers fished the derby and 116 of the 1,000 tagged fish were caught with the top tag a $500 fish. In 2006, the last time a $10,000 tagged trout was landed, there were 3,900 anglers in the event and they landed 311 tagged fish. Those numbers suggest there's a good chance at least one of the top prizes will be caught this year, and probably more than one.
The 1,000 tagged trout are released just prior to the event from four pontoon boats all over the lake.
In addition, the tournament committee has trout pens where they have been feeding 13,000 rainbows placed in those pens in November. The trout have been fed twice a day by a corp of 33 local volunteers and the fish are now from one to two pounds. All of those fish will be released before the derby.
The Department of Fish and Game is currently stocking Isabella at least twice a month and has been all winter, and they usually put in a bonus load of rainbows before the derby weekend. The first of two 1,200-pound loads of trophy trout -- Alper's rainbows from two to three pounds -- was planted Feb. 24th, and the second load will go in the week before the derby.
As in previous years, it's not a question of whether entrants will catch trout, it's just whether or not any will be tagged fish.
Entry fee is $15 per angler or $35 per family (husband, wife and up to three kids 15 and under) if registration is before March 15. After that, the price jumps to $20 per person and $45 per family. Complete rules and registration forms are available on line at 20th Annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby.
Roach said that as of Wednesday this week, they already had about 1,000 early registrations -- about 850 more than last year this time.
