Young anglers relax while they wait for a bite on their lines during the Lions Club Fishing Derby on Saturday afternoon at Fort Borst Park in Centralia. Saturday marked the opening of the lowland lake trout season and over a hundred people lined the shores of the park pond to compete in the fishing derby.
Adelyn McNew, 11, of Toutle, landed a sizable rainbow trout along the bank of South County Park Pond on Saturday with the help of her mother Donna.
In this April 27, 2013 file photo, anglers stand along the banks at Fort Borst Pond as they compete in the Lions Club Fishing Derby in Centralia.
One lucky angler lands a rainbow trout on a dock of South County Park Pond during Saturday's youth fishing derby. More than 150 prizes were awarded to successful anglers by the Lions Club.
Families lined the banks and birds filled the sky on Saturday at South County Park Pond. Everyone was hoping to take home a fish or two during the third annual youth fishing derby sponsored by the Lions Club.
A successful angler uses a branch as a makeshift stringer to hold his catch at the third annual youth fishing derby at South County Park Pond on Saturday.
The highly anticipated annual lowland lake angling season is just around the corner with April 22 slated as the official opening day.
That quick approaching opener means that local service groups and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are busy getting things in order for a six-month season that will see plenty of fishing derbies and opportunities for anglers of all stripes.
“Although many lakes are open year-round, the fourth Saturday in April marks the traditional start of the lowland lakes fishing season, when hundreds of thousands of anglers are expected to turn out to fish,” said Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW inland fish program manager, in a press release.
As part of that effort, WDFW crews have been busy stocking more than 16 million trout and kokanee in lakes and ponds across the state. That tally includes 2.3 million catchable size trout, about 150,000 larger 1-pound trout and vast truckloads of fingerling trout that have been growing to catchable size since last year.
In recent weeks, the WDFW continued it’s local trout stocking efforts by visiting area ponds in Lewis, Cowlitz and Clark counties. Out in Mossyrock on March 16, trusty Swofford Pond was planted with 4,200 half pound rainbows. On March 20, Longview’s crown jewel, Lake Sacajawea, was planted with 3,083 half pound rainbows, and Klineline Pond in Vancouver was planted with 1,500 half pound rainbows.
Thiesfield noted that the opening weekend is a time when success rates will likely be higher than normal due to those stocking efforts and what should be prime weather conditions.
“When I was a kid, I had a difficult time sleeping the night before opening day. It’s so exciting to get out there and fish, and opening weekend is just an excellent time to introduce fishing to kids and beginners,” Thiesfield said in the press release.
In Centralia, the Lions Club will help to kick the season off with it’s annual youth fishing derby at Fort Borst Park Pond on April 22. The Lions Club has hosted the derby every year since 1972. Entry is free for any eligible angler ages 3-14. Last year, nearly 300 young anglers participated. Free hot dogs are provided for all anglers, and raffle prizes are awarded throughout the day. Participants need only provide their own fishing pole, and those without personal gear may be able to use loaner gear at the derby.
Last year, Fort Borst Park Pond was stocked with about 2,400 half-pound rainbow trout and 250 triploid trout weighing 1 pound or more just a week before the event. A similar effort is expected this year. The Fort Borst Park Pond youth derby traditionally begins at 9 a.m., with registration opening around 8:30 a.m. Registration closes at noon. All registered anglers will be eligible for one of 50 prizes that will be awarded via random drawing.
Lion’s Club member Bill Scholl has been spearheading an effort to build a wheelchair accessible ramp and dock at Fort Borst Park Pond and was hoping to have the dock completed in time for this year’s derby. That plan fell behind schedule, though, and Scholl now says he is hopeful the dock will be in place for next year’s event.
“We’ve missed our deadline for this year but I’m still gathering money on it,” said Scholl, who explained that flooding in February pushed the pond water level up over the bank.
That high water event indicated that additional engineering needed to be done in order to accommodate similar flooding in the future. Scholl said the needed engineering is currently in the works.
In Toledo, the Lions Club Fishing Derby is set for May 13. That derby is open to children under the age of 15, and all participants must be accompanied by an adult guardian. The competitive fishing will cast off at 8 a.m. and run through 1 p.m.
Prizes will be awarded for the largest trout caught during the official derby hours. Parking cost $10 and there is a $1 entry fee for each youth entry. Proceeds from the derby are used to fund scholarships through the Toledo Lions Club.
On Friday, April 6, Klineline Pond, in Vancouver, Washington, will close to the general public in advance of the Kids Fish-In. The pond will remain closed on April 7-8 except for registered participants in the derby. A new load of several thousand trout will be stocked in pond nets the day before the Fish-In and more than 2,500 children are expected to participate in the popular annual event.
In Grays Harbor County, Failor Lake will open up for kids-only fishing derby on April 15 from 8 a.m until noon. Children age 14 and younger will be able to participate in the derby sponsored by the Grays Harbor Poggie Club. The lake will then close again until the regularly scheduled lowland lake trout opener on April 22. Also in Grays Harbor, Bowers Lake (also known as Vance Creek Pond 1), will be open through April 9 to anglers 14 and under and those at least 70 years of age, as well as anglers with a disability status and their designated harvester. Bowers Lake will reopen to the general public on April 22 in addition to Lake Inez (Vance Creek Pond 2).
In Pierce County, a veterans fishing event will force Silver Lake to close on April 15. The derby, known as Heroes on the Waters (Northwest Chapter), is open to pre-registered veterans only who will be toted around the lake on boats captained by Heroes on the Water volunteers.
Additionally, the WDFW will be running a season long fishing derby that encompasses a wide smattering of lakes and ponds across the state. During their trout stocking effort 1,000 tagged fish will be planted, which when caught can be turned in for prizes that are provided by licensed dealers and other sponsors from around the state. The total value of available prizes exceeds $25,000 in value.
A complete list of lakes with prize fish and details on how to claim derby prizes can be found online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/derby.
The lowland lake season will run through Oct. 31. In order to participate in the season-long WDFW fishing derby, anglers must possess a valid freshwater or combination fishing license. Fish stocking schedules by county and lake are available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/statewide/.
