By Jeremy Couso
The 24th annual Lassen Sportsmen’s Club Junior Fishing Derby was held Saturday morning along Susanville’s waterways; the banks of both Paiute Creek and the Susan River were packed with more than 550 young anglers looking to catch the ‘big one.’
Kids showed up bright and early to check-in, eat breakfast and register for derby prizes on a morning that featured better weather than the event has seen in years. The sun was shining, the day warmed-up quickly and kids were bringing in their limits before 8 o’clock rolled around.
The best fishing in town? In the Susan River behind the high school there is a deep dark pool of slow moving water where kids were pulling them out left and right. Big fish too!
Zachary, who is 10 years-old and had a stringer of fish to prove his expertise, told me that the big ones were hitting hard on Power Bait… as he reeled in yet another.
At both the Lassen Street Bridge and behind the Little League Park the young anglers were filling up stringers with good looking fish. Up along the Bizz Johnson at Hobo Camp fish were scarcer, but reports were that kids had caught some big ones in there.
Along Paiute Creek in Memorial Park you found parents who attended the derby as children and are now returning with their own families. Grandparents teaching little ones how to bait a hook, or burly manly-men concentrating hard as they undo the tangle of fishing line at the end of a pink Barbie fishing pole.
It was a great day… one the kids will remember for a long time.
Results
GIRLS ages 2 to 5
- 1st Peyton Bertrand…………..5 lb 4 oz at 22“
- 2nd Mataya Ward ……………3 lb 4 oz at 19¼”
- 3rd Hailey Mankins …………3 lb 1 oz at 19¾”
BOYS ages 2 to 5
- 1st Peter English III ………..3 lb 2 oz at 19½“
- 2nd Bradley Simoni………..2 lb 15 oz at 18½”
- 3rd Taden McKernan …….2 lb 13 oz at 19¼”
GIRLS ages 6 to 15
- 1st Elizabeth Mahnke…….. 3 lb 8 oz at 19¾“
- 2nd Caitlyn Rickett …………. 3 lb 8 oz at 19½”
- 3rd Alexas Hatwig…………… 2 lb 11 oz at 19”
BOYS ages 6 to 15
- 1st Ethan Nygard …………….. 6 lb 3 oz at 24“
- 2nd Jeramiah Bernardy…… 6 lb 0 oz at 22½”
- 3rd Caleb Rickett…………… 5 lb 8 oz at 21½”
Sportsmenship awards were presented to Jeramiah Chaffee, Lucas Tersteege and Hollin Thimas.
