Lake Pardee Kokanee Derby-September 22, 2007

Sportsman Division
	Name	Weight (oz.)	Length( cm.)
1	Khanh Tran	18.75
2	Dominic Boffa	17.90
3	Jeff Boyle	17.10
4	Judy Eagle	16.95
5	Tammy Mitchell	16.85
6	John Minnis	16.60	28.80
7	Toni Lopes	16.60	28.00
8	Bobby Mannon	16.35
9	Robbie Dunham	16.30
10	Terri Malloy	16.15
11	Larry Hutton	16.10
12	Mike Hutton	16.00
13	Al Carson	15.85
14	Dave Malloy	15.65	29.70
15	Fred Scott	15.65	29.60
16	******************************	********	********
17	* Blind Bogey Sportsman *
18	1st: Robert Johnson	12.50
19	2nd: Matt Kline	12.55
20	3rd: Rich Collins	12.85
21	** Blind Bogey Pros **
22	1st: Gary Coe	19.95
23	2nd: Mike Giovacchini	20.55
24	3rd: Jack Schultz	22.05
25	*** Big Trout ***
26	1st: Rich Collins	4.29 lbs
27	2nd: Herbert Jackson	2.65 lbs
28	3rd: Chuck McCoy	2.14 lbs

Junior Division
	Name	Weight (oz.)	Length( cm.)
1	Tyler Mannon	18.85
2	Jeffrey Johnson	17.15
3	Connor Mitchell	15.10
4	Connie Tran	15.05
5	Taylor Murdoch	14.85
6	Lauryn Kelly	14.75
7	Bailey Thompson	14.50
8	Caitlyn Murdoch	14.45
9	Rachel Smith	13.75
10	Jenna Smith	11.10

Pro Division
	Name	Weight (oz.)	Length( cm.)
1	James Franco	27.80
2	John Zeman	26.60
3	John Lico	25.70
4	Mike Tripp	25.40
5	Rick Coehlo	24.80
6	Bob Bognaes	24.70
7	Jim Franco	24.65
8	Joe Aksamit	23.65
9	Al Millan	23.20
10	Nancy Coe	23.05

Lockjaw was the word of the day amongst the 120 anglers who converged on the Sierra Nevada foothill impoundment known as Lake Pardee. The event was Kokanee Power?s final derby for the 2007 season. The outlook was bright, the hopes were high, and the expectations were great as anglers started arriving on Friday afternoon. On the days preceding the derby, anglers found easy limits for kokanee which have been ridiculously abundant these last few years. Heavy plants and a successful natural spawn have taken a toll on the size of the kokanee. As a result of a coded wire tag study funded by Kokanee Power and held by the Department of Fish and Game, kokanee plants have been halted for 2007 with the hopes of larger fish in the near future.

Early Saturday morning, a once blue sky quickly turned an ominous dark gray as anglers launched and motored through the narrows on the way to the fishing grounds. Mother Nature threw our players a curve ball in the form of a fast moving front and a dropping barometric pressure. Unfortunately, a dropping barometer usually means a tough bite and a tough bite it was from start until noon. Mother Nature then followed up that curve ball with a change up in the form of a monsoon-like rain. Mid morning it was bimini tops and side curtains as the rain poured in from the sky. Fortunately, the wind stayed down which allowed our anglers to continue fishing without difficulties maneuvering.

Although the bite was tough, anglers who persevered were rewarded with an occasional fish. The fish that were willing to bite were caught a lot deeper than usual. Average depth where kokanee were caught ranged between 90 and 130 feet with a showing of good fish caught between 135 and 140 feet deep. Reports from several derby participants indicate that it was primarily a spinner lure bite using lures such as Uncle Larry?s green or orange fire tiger spinners, Shasta Tackle Scorpion Spinners or Crystal Basin Spinners. Fish caught showed an increase in average size from last year. Average fish ranged between 10 ? to 11 ? inches. Amongst all angler divisions, average fish weighed in ranged between 11 ? to 11 ? inches with winning fish measuring in just over 12 inches. By 11am, many anglers had only one to two fish in their coolers with the worries increasing with every passing minute that brought them closer to the 2pm weigh in deadline. Fortunately, Mother Nature threw a hanging breaking ball just after high noon. Anglers found more cooperative fish at the river mouth which brought quick limits to many. Needless to say, those who hung in there were rewarded for their perseverance.

Two o?clock quickly arrived and our anglers were treated to a great luncheon hosted by Grapes of Rhapsody. It was Shish kabobs and raffle tickets as the last of the participants weighed in their fish. Biologists from the California Department of Fish and Game were also present to collect nose tagged fish which would help determine if the majority of the number of fish caught were wild or hatchery raised. Similar to last year?s findings, only 5 of the 200 plus fish collected during the derby were nose tagged resulting in a 97% return of naturally spawning fish. Looks like this calls for another zero plant year for Lake Pardee!! Prior to the presentation of awards, Kokanee Power proudly presented our continuing support to the Feather River College, the Feather River College Hatchery, the Almanor Research Institute at Chester High School, and the Rio Vista Middle and High School. Hatchery Director Zach Parks was presented with a check for $5000 for much needed hatchery upgrades to the hatchery recirculation system. Dean of Instruction Dr. Michael Bagley was presented with a $2500 check as our annual contribution to the Phil Johnson Memorial Scholarship and the Bob Roberts Memorial Scholarship. David Bradley, Chester High School instructor, was also presented with a $3000 check for the Almanor Research Institute, a classroom hatchery which provides high school students with hands on fisheries study and instruction. And topping off our contributions that day, Jim Lake, Principal of the Rio Vista Middle School was on hand to receive a check for $4500 which will go toward the classroom hatchery at the Rio Vista Middle and High School.

Successful derbies such as Pardee and all our previous derbies would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of all our volunteers and sponsors. Special Thanks to Vickie Noonan and Bob Riordan for their generosity and devotion to the organization and the instructors & students from the Feather River College: Dr. Michael Bagley (Dean of Instruction), Zach Parks (Hatchery Director), Anita Adcock, Keith Collins, Ryan Kelley, and Markie Van Zandt for their valuable assistance with weigh-ins and pre-derby inspections. Thank You to Dale Dickson of Northriver Boats for his assistance with our 10 Year Anniversary Northriver Raffle Boat. Many Thanks to Dennis Johnston, Linda Hall, Richard Cooper, and Kerry Cooper, proprietors of Lake Pardee Recreation, for hosting another great Pardee derby. And never-ending Thank You?s to our sponsors and donors North River Boats, Scotty Downriggers, Walker Downriggers, the Outdoor Pro Shop, Shasta Tackle, Ric Brown of Kokanee Mart, Pro Troll, Crystal Basin Tackle, Kone Zone, Fisherman?s Warehouse, Rocky Mountain Tackle, R & K Spinners, and the ICEE Company for their generous contributions.

Also check out our photo galleries to view pictures from these events!

For more information, contact info@kokaneepower.org.