Fund raising fishing derby set for Sunday

Jake's Charity Fishing Derby has become an annual event in Lake Tahoe for the past 15 years. It began as a fundraiser for a scholarship in memory of a North Lake Tahoe student, Lisa Valenzuela. This year it will be held on Sunday, May 31. This year's recipient of the proceeds will be the Boy Scout Troop No. 266.

The annual derby, hosted by Jake's on the Lake restaurant in Tahoe City, offers a prize for the largest of three species found in the lake. The largest Mackinaw, rainbow trout and brown trout each have a prize associated with it. This year the prizes are as follows: $1,000 for the largest Mackinaw, $500 for the largest brown and $250 for the largest rainbow.

Each year the entrants have a great time and the entry fee of $50 helps to raise money for a great cause. The entry fee also includes a T-shirt, a breakfast buffet brunch (brunch 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at Jake's that I am told is great, and a raffle.

Fishing hours on Lake Tahoe begin one hour before sunrise so anglers can get an early start to their fishing. The tournament closes at noon. Low light conditions are particularly good for catching large fish, but even more so in Tahoe because of its great water clarity.

Anglers must register by 5 p.m. Saturday, May 30 at either Jake's or Pete 'n Peters in Tahoe City. Anyone who pays the registration fee is eligible to participate.

People who do not fish can still participate by attending the breakfast buffet and contributing $18 per adult or $12 per child. While I do not normally promote fishing derbies, a tournament in Lake Tahoe is definitely something that I can get behind.

Even if you are only an occasional angler or one fishing Lake Tahoe for the first time, I would urge you to participate since the funds go to a great cause in furthering a young person's education. Who knows? You may be the lucky angler to win one of the prizes. While it helps to be an experienced angler, there is always that element of luck. I am a firm believer that there is more than a little luck involved in hooking and landing that really big fish!

There have been some good reports of anglers catching some pretty nice fish both from boats and shore this year in Tahoe. It sounds as though this year may be shaping up to be one of the best derbies ever.

I would also like to thank local resident Robert Frohlich, who sent me the update on this year's tournament so I could pass it along to you folks.

I wish all the anglers the best of luck and a great day on the water with family and friends. Fishing is a great family sport and this is a great cause as well.

For more information, rules and regulations, or if you wish to donate a prize for the charity raffle, call 583-0188. Jake's on the Lake is located at 780 North Lake Blvd. in Tahoe City's Boatworks Mall. Check out their website at www.jakestahoe.com.