Fishing derbies coming this weekend

CHELAN / Manson - The water in Lake Chelan might still be too cold to swim in, but with the weather getting progressively warmer, it is perfect for fishing, and this weekend, residents in Chelan and Manson will have the opportunity to participate in one or two fishing derbies. 

The first one is put on by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and is free for anyone with a valid fishing license. 

The 2017 Trout Fishing Derby runs from Saturday, April 22 through Halloween and will hand out over $25,000 in prizes. There are over 900 tagged fish, stocked in over 100 lakes with Wapato Lake and Beehive Reservoir (near Wenachee) being the only two participating lakes in Chelan County. 

Each tagged fish has a corresponding dealer and prize, and in order to claim a prize, the angler must contact WDFW by phone at (360) 902-2464 and provide the tag information. WDFW will then provide specific donor prize information corresponding to the tag and the angler will have to present the tag at the donor’s place of business to claim the prize. After Halloween, remaining tags have to be phoned in for redemption by Friday, Nov. 3. 

For more information go to http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/derby/

For a more competitive fishing derby, the fourth annual Something Catchy Kokanee Derby will run this Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23.

The prizes will go to the biggest kokanee, the most boat weight - top 10 fish - a smallest kokanee, biggest lake trout, biggest cutthroat and biggest rainbow trout. 

Something Catchy Founder Jason Williams said rods and reels from Velocity and a whole bunch of gear and manufacturers will be at the event as well. 

Williams said the event has been growing steadily since the first event four years ago 

“The first year we had 56 boats, then the second year we were flirting with 100, but last year was the biggest and we had 120 tickets sold and gave away 20 other tickets,” Williams said. “As of now, we have 102 tickets sold with another 20-30 kids.” 

Ultimately, Williams is trying to promote fishing to kids and get them outdoors instead of sitting on the couch stuck in technology. 

Anglers will have until 5 p.m. Saturday to make it back down to Chelan to weigh their fish and then the final weigh in is at noon on Sunday. 

For more information go to 

https://us.eventbu.com/chelan/something-catchy-kokanee-derby/1961376.amp

Zach Johnson can be reached at lcmeditor@gmail.com or (509)682-2213