Anglin’ for the Big One

Ah, fishing. The lure of the outdoors, the peaceful solitude, the tug of the big one on your line. On the other hand, how about a shot at winning $500, and maybe a new rod and reel?

If the latter has more appeal to you, two fishing derbies are coming up, one this weekend. Lake Piru’s Seventh Annual Family Fishing Derby is Saturday and Simi Valley’s Huck Finn Fishing Derby for kids is scheduled May 3.

At Lake Piru, if you’re real lucky you could win big. Derby organizers tag six trout and toss them back into the lake before the event, and if you snag one of them, you could win the $500 grand prize. The other five carry $100 prizes.

Don’t get your hopes up too high, though. In past derbies, no one has caught the grand prize trout, which gets plunked into the middle of the lake. The other tagged fish are released closer to shore, but so far no one has pulled in one of those either, at least during official derby hours.

But there are other ways to win. Cash prizes of $100 also will go to anglers who pull in the largest bass, largest trout, and heaviest catches for bass, trout and panfish, with a five-fish limit.

Only fishermen 16 years and older are eligible for the cash prizes, but the derby awards fishing equipment--rod and reel, tackle box--to kids who haul in the heaviest trout, bass or panfish.

All young anglers in the derby will get a starter kit containing hooks, sinkers, bobbers, string to hold the fish, and bait. If kids don’t have their own equipment, 20 fishing poles will be available for use that day.

Registration for the derby starts early, 6 a.m., with weigh-in for kids at 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. for adults. Kids who want a crack at a new rod and reel can enter a casting competition from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

On derby day, the cost to enter is $35 for families, $17 for adults, $12 for youths 12-15, $6 for children 6-11, free for children 3-5, and $10 for seniors over 55.

The derby, which drew about 400 adults and children last year, is sponsored by Soroptimist International of Fillmore. The proceeds fund a $1,000 scholarship for a graduating senior at Fillmore High School. The derby commemorates Imogene Vest, a popular local Soroptimist and avid fisher who died seven years ago, said Soroptimist Sarah Hansen.

On the day of the derby, organizers stock the lake with trout. During its seven-year existence, the derby’s record catch is a 6.5-pound bass, Hansen said, although the bass record for the lake is a whopping 14.5 pounder.

In Simi Valley on May 3, it’s catfish and trout that young anglers will try their best to catch in the 22nd Annual Huck Finn Fishing Derby. Kids line the banks of a 2.5-acre lagoon at Rancho Simi Community Park for a shot at a little glory and maybe some new fishing equipment.

The derby, open to kids 15 and younger, starts at 7 a.m., but some, anxious for a choice fishing spot, line up at the park well before then. The free event, sponsored by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, is expected to draw more than 800 kids and parents, who stand by to cheer them on and untangle lines.

Prizes, generally fishing equipment, are awarded in different age categories for heaviest and lightest fish, and the first to catch the three-fish limit. It’s all over by 10 a.m.

Because of the crowd the derby draws, no overhead casting is allowed. The kids use everything from cheap children’s poles to more sophisticated rigs. It’s unlikely many will be gripping anything as simple as a bamboo pole. But there’s no evidence Huck Finn used one of these during his adventures on the Mississippi River, although legend would convince us otherwise.

*

BE THERE

Family Fishing Derby at Lake Piru will be Sat., with registration beginning at 6 a.m. For information, 524-0132.

Huck Finn Fishing Derby will be May 3, 7-10 a.m., Rancho Simi Community Park lagoon, 1765 Royal Ave., Simi Valley. For information, 584-4400.