In all, some 450 participants were at Lake McSwain for the derby, held on April 7 and 8.“We had a lot of fish caught, and we had lot of fun,” said Bret Theodozio, MID Parks and Recreation Director.
The largest trout was caught by Nathan Martinez from Gilroy and weighed in at 4.12 pounds. He received $200. Four of the 50 tagged trout were also caught by four anglers, netting each of them $938.75.
Immediately prior to the derby, 2,000 pounds of trout were planted in Lake McSwain. That’s in addition to ongoing regular plants that have resumed since the end of the drought.
Fifty of the trout had received tags with numbers ranging from 1 to 50. A total of four tags were brought in to split the $3,755 pot this weekend. As usual, three tags were set aside (numbers 1, 2, and 3) with prizes ranging from $2,000 to $500. None of those specially tagged trout were brought in during the derby.
The four anglers to catch the tagged trout included:
Jeffrey Stout from Winton
Daniel Meneses III from Turlock
Brandon Nguyen from San Jose
Danny Nguyen from San Jose
The #1 tagged trout will still net a $500 prize through July 1, 2018 – if the angler bringing in the tag was a registered participant in the Spring 2018 derby.
“It was another great derby,” said Theodozio. “Congratulations to all of the winners. And congratulations to all of those who caught trout this weekend, whether it had a tag or not.” Added Theodozio: “There are still plenty of trout, and plants are being made regularly. With the great spring weather around the corner, this is an excellent time to come up to the lakes.”
For more information about recreation at Lakes McClure and McSwain visit www.LakeMcClure.com
Source: MID