Halloween fishing derby set for Pend Oreille

Halloween means big Kamloops on Lake Pend Oreille.

The 28th annual Captn's Table Halloween Derby is scheduled for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 on the lake.

Event activities begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 30 with a live auction at the Captn's Table restaurant on Garfield Bay to raise funds for the derby jackpots. The restaurant serves as the derby headquarters.

The entry fee is $40, and all anglers must be 21 or older. Anglers can register at the event or by calling the restaurant at (208) 265-6351.

The derby had 300 fishermen on the lake last year. Roger Blackstone won in the rainbow trout division with a fish weighing 26.2 pounds and measuring 36 inches.

"Every year they just get about a pound bigger," Mary Thompson, derby organizer and restaurant manager, said Thursday. There is also a Mackinaw division.

The size of the fish contributes to the popularity of the derby.

"We have people from all over the U.S. who fish this derby," Thompson said. Competitors will be from Texas, New Hampshire, California, Utah, Washington and Oregon, in addition to many from Idaho. Some will also be coming down from Canada, she said.

"It's kind of like a reunion, too," Thompson said. "A lot of these guys only see each other once a year."

Fishing has been good on the lake recently, she said.

"They've been getting some 17- and 18-pound rainbows," she said.

Dinner will be served at Captn's Table starting at 5 p.m. on Oct. 30, leading up to the auction.

On the derby days, breakfast starts at 5 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1. All lines must be out of the water by 3 p.m. Sunday, and all fish must be weighed by 4 p.m. at Captn's Table.

The $40 entry fee covers the buffet that is served Sunday during the awards ceremony.

The derby is dedicated to Chuck Corlis, Harley Hansen, Jerry and Virginia Sturgis, Mike Sutton and Larry Thompson.