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FRESHWATER
8 July 21- August 4, 2017 VOL. 36 • ISS. 16
WHAT’ S HOT Continued from Pg 1
cob Hurd won the Mens’ Division Heavy Stringer weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces, while fishing in the Bridgeport area.
Nick Robles was the winner of $ 500.00 educational fund, sponsored this year by KokaneePower. org.
One angler won the $ 500.00 Adult Angler Grand Prize by winning the drawing of all of the adult participants in the derby.
The event featured over $ 4,000.00 in donated raffle prizes. Next year’ s tournament is scheduled for June 23, 2018.
“ The turnout was the biggest in 14 years,” said Ken Hoffman, board member
Kevin Murdock won the men’ s big fish division of the BFEF tournament by catching a 5 lb. 1 oz. rainbow at Bridgeport Reservoir.
Photo by ROSE DELGADO-LIERLY, Bridgeport.
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Chico 765 East Ave. Suite 170( 530) 897-0500 of BFEF.“ On the day after our event, Ex- Cel / Hot Ticket held their 50 / 50 tournament Skip Baker Memorial Tournament. They raised $ 400 for our organization.”
“ The fishing was above average in all of the Bridgeport area waters,” said Hoffman.“ They money raised will be put back into our stocking program.”
Anglers fished all over the Bridgeport area, but most of the big fish came out of Bridgeport Reservoir this year.
“ All of the adult participants’ tickets go into a cup and the grand prize winner is chosen in a drawing,” he explained.“ To win, all you have to do is participate in the derby; it doesn’ t matter whether you weighed in a fish or not.”
“ At the awards ceremony and dinner, we supplied gifts in addition to the category prizes and raffle prized. Every junior participant received a new rod / reel combo and a plaque whether they caught fish or not,” Hoffman noted
BFEF is a non-profit, all volunteer program. All donations are tax deductible.
BFEF also continues to plant tagged trophy trout.
If you catch one of these trout when fishing in the Bridgeport area, bring it to Ken’ s Sporting Goods for a picture, verification and to claim your gift certificate..
BFEF, with the help of their sponsors, also sponsored the USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center’ s annual kids fishing derby for active military families this year.
“ We planted a mixture of smaller trout and some larger trophy fish in the 5 lb. class in their pond,” said Hoffman.“ We donated 35 brand new rods and reels, courtesy of Berkley. Ken’ s Sporting Goods also donated 35 small tackle boxes to the kids.”
BFEF last year entered a public / private partnership with the local Bridgeport Lower Twin Lakes Resort marina operator to implement cage culture fish rearing.
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BFEF provides the fish as well as some equipment, while the operator has agreed to conduct care and maintenance of the cage culture fish growing operation and to release the fish periodically throughout the season as seen fit.
“ Last year we raised about 150 1 to 3 lb. rainbows in pens at Twin Lakes Resort that were released later in the season in Lower Twin Lake and Robinson Creek. We hope to continue that program in the future,” said Hoffman.
The Fish Sniffer donated a float tube, hats, and subscriptions for the event. Some other donors included; Kens Sporting Goods, Gold Dust West Casino, Peppermill, Big Meadow Lodge and RV, Hank & Rays Trailer Rentals, Bridgeport General Store, Ex-Cel and Hot Ticket Lures, Keith Rondeau, Snap N Crackle Candy, Walker River Lodge, The Burger Barn, Ken Hoffman’ s Guide Service, Sep’ s Pro Fishing, Sweetwater Outpost, Carson Valley Inn, Atlantis Hotel & Casino Resort, Silver Maple and The Cain House.
Paradise Cigars of Orange California, The Bridgeport Inn, Big Meadow Brewing Company, Will Clayton, The Foxy Den, Bridgeport Gun Club. Anaheim Resort & RV Park, Rhino’ s Bar and Grill, Sportsmens Bar and Grill, Paradise Shores RV Park all donated to the event.
Other donors to the tournament include; Eastern Sierra Trading Company, Fishing Mission Foundation, Fish O’ Rama, Napa Auto Parts, AOCDS( Association of Orange County Sheriff’ s Deputies) Mono County Tourism & Film Commission, Mono County Fisheries Commission, Eastern Sierra Bank, Cameron Family, Simpson Family, MoMart / Shell Gas, Doc & Al’ s Resort. Desert Springs Trout Farm
The June 17 collision between the destroyer USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine-flagged container ship has been titled“ Maritime Mystery.” Reporters all blamed the crew of the 505-ft. destroyer for not having seen the 703-ft. Crystal bearing down on them in the dark of night. Nobody asked why the Crystal’ s crew failed to see the destroyer in its path.
Crystal’ s crew has issued a report that the freighter flashed warning lights at the destroyer 10 minutes before slamming into its starboard side.
Apparently no sound warnings were heard by the commander and his crew.
I don’ t know who was at fault in the accident that took the lives of seven young seamen and injured almost 300 more, including Commander Bryce Benson. But I know what I saw at the banks one day in the early 1980s.
Back then Bob Strong still owned and operated the New Sea Angler, and fishing at Cordell Banks was not a federal crime. We did it all the time with clear consciences. It was a calm sunny day with a boat fairly full of passengers even on a weekday. Lots of seniors.
You could see for miles under that blue sky. Boy, those container ships were pretty, a palette of bright colors patterned geometrically like a Picasso painting. I was fishing in the bow, and it was a slow bite.
Everyone else was soaking shrimp flies, and Bob had therefore targeted schoolfish. So I yo-yoed my Tady lure
Gail Whisnand captured the women’ s division big fish category by nailing a 5 lb. 13 oz. rainbow at Bridgeport Reservoir. Here she poses with her big fish and another hefty rainbow.
Photo by ROSE DELGADO-LIERLY, Bridgeport.
in Oregon, the Richards Family, Larry Carpenter and Jon Jensen and Family, Mono Village, High Sierra Bakery, Joe Huggans, Redwood Motel and the Warner Family.
For more information, contact; Bridgeport Fish Enhancement Foundation, P. O. Box 23, Bridgeport, CA 9351, www. bridgeportfishenhancement. com, ken @ bridgeportfishenhancement. com, 714-227-0765. For tournament questions please call Ken @ 714-227-0765 or Email: tournament @ bridgeportfishenhancement. com
MYSTERY & HISTORY AT CORDELL
THE SONOMA COAST by Kathie Morgan
and watched as the container ship plowed through the water, its bow wake dazzling white.
Bob Strong stepped into the wheelhouse, and I stuck my head in to suggest that maybe we should get out of the way of the freighter. He tried to reach them on the radio but no luck.“ Don’ t worry,” he said.“ They’ ll see us.” I made another cast.
Who knew a ship that size could move so fast! We in the bow began to speculate about why they were proceeding straight at us. Maybe the guy at the wheel went below for coffee. Maybe he was in the head. Maybe we were just a speck on their windshield. Surely we were a blip on their radar.
My fellow passengers wondered about right of way. Did a drifting fishing boat with gear in the water have to get out of the way of a freighter bearing down at full speed? I replied that the applicable principle seemed to be similar to the sailboat-vs-motorboat issue. Yes, the sailboat has the right of way, but a windsurfer is wise to stay away from a ski boat whose operator is watching the skiers behind him.
I reeled up my line, secured my rod in the holder, then began to look for a good spot to jump from. As I did, Bob ran to the wheel, and we surged forward, all those lines still in the water, now terminally tangled. The ship missed us but its wake tossed us about like flotsam.
Were you aboard that day? Do you remember? I’ d love to hear from you. Email me at fishrap @ att. net. I’ ll be looking for you on the water.