Catch some fun with annual LPOIC derby

For some, Thanksgiving is all about turkey and all the trimmings.

For others, the holiday is all about kokanee and rainbow trout — and the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club's annual Thanksgiving Derby.

The fall classic kicks off today on Lake Pend Oreille, a tradition in the community since the late 1940s, according to LPOIC officials.

The derby runs Nov. 23-27, then takes a daylong break for Thanksgiving so anglers can spend the holiday with their families. Anglers return to the water Nov. 29 and the derby wraps up at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1.

All told, over $10,000 in cash and prizes are up for grabs and the top angler in the adult rainbow division will net a $3,000 prize and the first-place anger in the Mackinaw division will see a $1,000 prize.

There are adult divisions for rainbow trout and Mackinaw, in addition to two youth divisions for anglers 8 years old and younger and for anglers between the ages of 9-13. Anglers aged 13 and under fish for free, although pre-registration is required.

The adult rainbow division also features a $1,500 prize for second, $1,000 for third and $500 for fourth. There is a $500 bonus for catch and release and a $250 bonus for LPOIC members who win a spot on the leaderboard. 

In the Mackinaw division, in addition to the top prize there is a $500 prize for second place, $300 for third place, $200 for fourth place, $100 for fifth through ninth place and $250 for 10th place. In addition, there is a $150 prize awarded each day in the adult Mackinaw division for the top Mackinaw caught each day.

In the junior division, there is a top prize of $500, a $400 second-place prize, $300 third-place prize, and a $200 fourth-place prize. There is a $50 member bonus for making it onto the leaderboard.

All junior division fish must be entered at weigh stations.

The purchasers of a LPOIC derby pin who places the highest on the leaderboard in the adult rainbow and Mackinaw divisions will receive a $250 award.

The minimum length for rainbow trout in the adult division is 32 inches. The minimum rainbow length in the junior division is 28 inches. There are no minimum lengths for Mackinaw or anglers in the Youth A and B divisions.

All participants in the derby must register prior to fishing and must have the LPOIC registration form in their possession when registering their fish, according to LPOIC's derby rules. All fish must be registered at an approved LPOIC weigh station — Holiday Shores in Hope, the public boat ramp at Garfield Bay in Sagle and MacDonald's Hudson Bay Resort in Bayview.

Those interested in joining the club and signing up for the derby can do both at these locations. Ticket outlets can be easily identified because they display the LPOIC derby poster at the front of the store, LPOIC officials said.

LPOIC officials said the lore is that the derbies started in 1947 after an earlier 1940s planting of Gerrard Rainbows from Canada brought the rainbows to Lake Pend Oreille. The following year, the Bonner County Sportsman Club put on a season-long derby on the lake and, some history notes a few additional derbies put on by the city of Sandpoint around the same time.

Not too long after, the club was formed with members setting a springtime derby that would have less of an impact on the overall rainbow population, Gillespie said.

The cost to register for the derby is $60 for adults; $10 for juniors, those between 13 and 17 years old; and no fee for either the Youth A, ages 9-12, or the Youth B, ages 0-8, divisions. While there is no fee for either of the youth divisions, participants must be pre-registered.

Fish must be caught on Lake Pend Oreille. Fish caught in the Clark Fork River or any tributary of Lake Pend Oreille are not eligible.

Anglers can register for the derby in person at Holiday Shores Resort, Mark's Marine, The Captn’s Table, Fins and Feathers, MacDonald's Hudson Bay Resort, Priest River Hardware, Ralph's Coffee House, North 40 (Ponderay), Odie’s Bayside Grocery, Bayview Mercantile, North Ridge Outfitters (Oldtown), Superfly (Ponderay) and Black Sheep Sporting Goods. Anglers can also register online at lpoic.org.

Information: lpoic.org