Shasta Trout Derby May 6-7

Shasta lake, photo by Sharon Waranius

by Gary Heffley
4-26-2017
Website

The Kokanee Power sponsored Shasta Lake Classic Team Tourney Trout and Salmon Tournament will be held  this May 6 and 7. Entries for this great event can be made through the afternoon of May 5 with a cost of $150. per angler. Team will consist of one angler or more, with only one team per boat.

A top prize of $3,000 awaits the winning team, with second and third winning $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. In fact, the top 25 teams will win cash awards...based on 200 teams participating. A great dinner, which is included in the entry fee, will be held at the Lakehead Lions Club Saturday evening at 7:00pm with no host cocktails beginning at 6:00pm. A raffle with numerous great prizes will be held that evening as well as part of the festivities.

Fishing time will begin at 6:00am every morning with the weigh-in held at the Basshole Bar and Grill from 4-5pm on Saturday and 2-3pm on Sunday. As noted in the entry rules, schedule your time accordingly as no late weigh-ins will be accepted.  As this is a combination salmon and trout derby, rules are set for a diversified creel.  Only two king salmon and one brown trout are allowed to be included and weighed each day in a team's stringer. Rainbow trout are the dominant target species in the lake but large browns and salmon often supply the winning “kicker” weights.

Trout fishing should be outstanding but reports are tough to come by. Harold Jones of Sugarloaf Cottages, who is one of the major sponsors and hosts for the event, noted that there has just not been a lot of trout anglers on the lake. Bass fishing has been getting the majority of the attention. But Harold mentioned that there are some quality trout being released into the lake this week.

One of the major projects that Kokanee Power is involved in, in part through derbies such as this, is working with resorts to support trout rearing pens on the lake. Healthy, strong fish that retain wild characteristics are raised in these pens and grow to 2 to 5 pound size before being released into the lake to complement wild and hatchery reared trout. According to Harold, the trout from the various lake pen locations, including those located at his dock, will be released by Friday.  These trout will definitely boost the odds for anglers looking to score a winning combination of trout..

Visit Kokanee Power's website for more information, rules and entry information.

Gary Heffley has been a valued contributor to MyOutdoorBuddy for over 10 years serving as manager, sales representative and reporter for much of Northern California. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves to fish and write about his adventures. He has a long history in the Sporting Goods field and uses that extensive experience to impart his wisdom in his writing.