Derby kicks off with pin auction

PONDERAY — The Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club’s 47th annual pin sale is tonight.

The sale starts at 6 p.m. at the Elk’s Golf Club and proceeds from the event sustain the club’s mission of protecting and enhancing Lake Pend Oreille.

Projects the nonprofit club has undertaken include the purchase of vaunted Gerrard rainbow trout eggs to help restore the lake’s trophy fishery and taking part in ongoing studies by the Idaho Department of Fish & Game. The group is working to restore the lake’s kokanee population by restoring spawning runs at the Spring Creek hatchery near Clark Fork.

Entry fees from the derby participants, plus money and prizes collected by spring derby officials, will be used for prizes and payouts at the end of the derby, which begins on Saturday and extends through Sunday, May 6.

The club is encouraging donations to the annual pin auction and seeking sponsors for cash prizes, which includes youth divisions, Mack of the Day and other contest categories. The club and its charter can also be supported by purchasing advertising space in the club’s newsletter or by becoming a member of the group

For more information, contact auction chairman James Mullen at 208-255-8679 or JMullen63@yahoo.com.

This year’s derby offers more than $20,000 in cash and prizes. The top prize for largest rainbow trout $4,000. The minimum size for a rainbow trout is 31 inches and there is a $2,000 bonus for a club member who finishes the derby atop the adult rainbow standings.

The top prize for in the adult Mackinaw division is $1,200 and a $150 award for the Mack of the Day.

The fee to enter the derby is $50 and tickets can be purchased at All About Chimneys, Captn’s Table, Holiday Shores Marina, Hope Marina, Odie’s Bayside Grocery, Priest River Hardware, North 40 Outfitters and Sandpoint Marine.

Information: lpoic.org