Starting today Collins Lake has launched their own 50/50 Derby. It's simple to join just pay $5.00 per person upon entering for the day and stop back by the store to log in your biggest fish. The Derby "week" will begin on Monday at 5:30 am and end on Sunday at 10 pm. The winner will take be awarded half of the pot. The other half of the pot will go to Project Kokanee & Kokanee Power (the 2 entities who have donated to our fish pen project). If you are camping you would buy a $5.00 ticket for each person for each day that you are going to fish. More details are at our store at the counter. What a busy weekend we had here, with 3 private Derbies going on plus every hook-up site was booked in the campground. The Poolman Derby hosted by Dave Denize was a great success for their first time. They fished primarily for Bass and I was told that they caught & released 40 Bass and at least 20 % of them were in the 2 to 3 pound category. Grant Union School District had their Annual Fishing Derby and they fished for trout. Dwayne took 1st place with a 3 lb. 2 oz. caught by the dam on PB, Raul took 2nd place, and Tom won 3rd place. Jim Lemos & Frank Schattner from William Jessup had a great day and caught 8 Rainbow Trout & a German Brown on Rapalas & Kastmasters trolling all over the lake. Their Derby is coming up soon, it's a two day Derby on April 13th & 14th. It's not too late to sign up!! Gail Waggett caught her Birthday Trout (white tag-free ice cream) to go with her cake! Dianna & Keith Hummer of Antelope each scored an awesome Rainbow, both were caught while trolling worms. They weighed in at 6 lb. 6 oz. and 5 lb. 8 oz. Perry Murphy of Nicholaus caught the biggest Rainbow this week - 8 lb. 12 oz. His lucky lure was a Rapala (half black/half silver) with a gold stripe. He caught 3 trout on it and nothing else in his box worked at all except that lure. Gus Grimmett hooked onto a monster too, it weighed 7 lb. 4 oz.!! Klayton Ryder's weighed the same as Gus's 7 lb. 4 oz. which he caught while trolling a Needlefish. April Fools Day netted so many big fish it was crazy. Randy Rasmussen took home a 6 lb. 4 oz. Rainbow off the beach on worms. Shad Parks trolled close to the boat ramp with worms and caught a 6 pounder.s old) needed Daddy's assistance but brought in a 3 lb. 8 oz. Rainbow on her Barbie Pole. Jeff Richeson picked up a 4 lb. 9 oz. Rainbow on 4/1 using green PB and outdid himself on 4/2 with a 9 lb. Rainbow with a Blue Tag. The biggie was caught near the b ridge on a Rapala lure. Palermo resident Shad Parks netted a 6 lb. 2 oz. trolling near the boat ramp on a worm.

Gus Grimmett & his Daddy cleaned house on trout this week, their biggest 7 lb. 4 oz. & next biggest 6 lb. 4 oz. They wrestled these monsters from shore on the beach and used Powerbait. They are serious about their fishing!!

David Callison & Kevin Donovan each scored a limit of Bass in the north end towards the bridge on rubber worms. The Bass are on the bite, mostly the small ones. The females are on the spawning beds finally. The Crappie & Redear are also spawning. The Bass are primarily up towards the bridge or on the east side as well as the Crappie. The Redear are near the boat launching ramp and Elmer's Cove.