Credit: MID

April 11, 2019 - More than 400 anglers descended on Lake McSwain this past weekend for the 24th annual Spring Trout Derby.

In total, eleven tagged fish were caught, and the largest trout caught weighed in at 8 pounds, eight ounces.

“This was an absolutely fantastic weekend,” said MID Parks and Recreation Director Brooke Gutierrez. “We were catching fish up here, everyone had a good time and the weather couldn’t have been better.”

In all, some 475 participants were at Lake McSwain for the derby, held on April 6 and 7.

The largest trout, weighing 8 pounds and 8 ounces, was caught by Martin Ramirez of Modesto, netting him $200.

Meanwhile, eleven of the 50 tagged trout were also caught.

With a prize pool set at $3,905, nine anglers will divide up the payout.

Juan Perez, of Merced, and Jack Wilkerson, of Atwater, both hauled in two tagged fish and will receive $710 each.

The remaining payees of the pool will receive $355 each for bringing in a single tagged fish.

Those winners include:
Ray Cruz of San Jose
Frank Miguel of Hilmar
Steve Hendrix of Ceres
Connie Souza of Gustine
Lonny Teeter of Los Banos
Daszray Foster of Merced
Mike Espino of Gilroy

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. 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 #1 tagged trout will still net a $500 prize through July 1, 2019 – if the angler bringing in the tag was a registered participant in the Spring 2019 derby.

For more information about recreation at Lakes McClure and McSwain visit www.LakeMcClure.com
Source: MID