LPOIC fall fishing derby halfway done

SANDPOINT — It has been a grey but eventful first few days for anglers participating in the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club's fall derby.

Tuesday marked the halfway point for the competition and the first day to bring any sun to anglers out on the water; even if it was only briefly.

To start the competition off on Nov. 23, Stacia Linhoff pulled in a 21.65-pound, 35 1/5-inch Ranbow which she released to take the lead in the adult rainbow division. For the adult mackinaw division, Jim Carothers jumped out to an early lead with a 7.7-pound 27 1/4-inch-long catch.

In the junior division, Marshall Dillon was the only one that managed to bring in a fish, taking the first-place position with a Rainbow coming in at 14.6-pounds, 31 3/4-inches long, which he released. Lane Low was in first position in the youth A division with a 31-inch rainbow and Tucker Shelton was in position 1 in the youth B division with a 30-inch rainbow at the end of Friday’s fishing.

Day two of the competition saw considerable shake-ups in the rankings with every single division except youth B finishing the day with a new leader.

Jeff Hoagland unseated Stacia Linhoff to claim first place in the adult rainbow division with a 26.3-pound 37 1/4-inch rainbow he released. Dale Greene took the first-place position from Jim Carothers in the adult mackinaw division with a 12.4-pound 32-inch-long catch.

The junior division started to see some competition with Fisher LaRue taking the first-place position by bringing in a 17.2-pound 33 1/4-inch rainbow he released. Savannah Long topped Lane Low in the youth A division to take the top position with a 32 1/4-inch rainbow and Tucker Shelton was the only division leader from day one to retain his position.

Day three did not see nearly as much action as day two with only one division gaining a new leader. However, there were some small position changes. In the adult mackinaw division Shane Wendle jumped into second position with a 7.85-pound, 27-inch fish and Lyla Shelton topped the standings for the junior division with an 18.5-pound, 33-inch rainbow she released.

Tuesday, day four of the derby, saw sunlight but no changes to the top of the leaderboards. Nathan Hansen was able to reel in a 21.95-pound, 34-inch rainbow to displace Stacia Linhoff in position two of the adult rainbow division and Travis Miller brought in an 8.4-pound, 28 1/4-inch-long mackinaw to steal second position from Shane Wendle in the adult mackinaw division, but the leaders in every division held on to their top spots.

Anglers still have Wednesday to try and take a top spot and bring back bragging rights to their Thanksgiving dinners Thursday. The competition will pause Thursday for Thanksgiving and resume Friday with a three-day dash to the finish Sunday, Dec. 1.

LPOIC Thanksgiving Derby

Unofficial standings as of Tuesday, Nov. 26.

Adult Rainbow Trout Division

1. Jeff Hoagland, 26.30 pounds 37, 1/4 inches (released); 2. Nathan Hansen, 21.95 pounds, 34 inches; 3. Stacia Linhoff, 21.65 pounds, 35 1/4 inches (released); 4. Jordan Reich, 21.20 pounds,34 3/4 inches (released).

Adult Mackinaw Division

1. Dale Greene, 12.40 pounds, 32 inches; 2. Travis Miller, 8.40 pounds, 28 1/4 inches; 3. Shane Wendle, 7.85 pounds, 27 inches; 4. Jim Carothers, 7.70 pounds, 27 1/4 inches; 5. Kurt Artner, 7.20 pounds, 26 3/4 inches; 6. Bert Dennett, 6.45 pounds, 26 inches; 7. Harvey Rutherford, 5.95 pounds, 26 1/4 inches; 8. Bobby Blackwell, 5.0 pounds, 24 1/2 inches; 9. Tina Johnson, 4.90 pounds, 24 1/4 inches; 10. Steven Belgarde, 3.70 pounds, 22 inches.

Junior Division

1. Lyla Shelton, 18.5 pounds, 33 inches, Rainbow (released); 2. Fisher LaRue, 17.20 pounds, 33 1/4 inches, Rainbow (released); 3. Marshal Dillon, 14.60 pounds, 31 3/4 inches, Rainbow (released).

Youth A Division

1. Savannah Long, 32 1/4-inch Rainbow (released); 2. Lane Low, 31-inch Rainbow (released); 3. Tucker Low, 29 1/2-inch Rainbow (released).

Youth B Division

1. Tucker Shelton, 30-inch Rainbow (released); 2. Dalton Belgarde, 30-inch Rainbow (released); 3. Forest Tobin, 29-inch Rainbow (released).

Mackinaw of the Day

Nov. 23 — Jim Carothers

Nov. 24 — Dale Greene

Nov. 25 — Shane Wendle

Nov. 26 — Travis Miller