LAKEPORT — A.J. Holt of Sacramento won the inaugural Lakeport Catfish Derby held last weekend at Clear Lake.
Holt caught his winning fish during the final hour of the derby on Sunday morning. The catfish weighed 15.26 pounds and Holt collected $500.
According to Holt, he caught the catfish at 11:30 a.m. Sunday while fishing from shore at the Rodman Slough Bridge. He said he originally thought the derby ended at noon, so he tossed the catfish into his truck and sped to the Lakeport Yacht Club, where he learned the derby actually lasted until 1 p.m.
Second place and $400 went to Wesley Jackson of Potter Valley with a 14.39-pound catfish. In third place with a 13.95-pound catfish was Chase Hulbert of Nice. He won $300.
Rounding out the top five places were Clearlake”s Nic Foltz, fourth with a 13.87-pounder good for $200, and Kelseyville”s Daniel Gomora, fifth with a 13.6-pounder that earned him $100.
In the kids division, Aldera Schmitt of Lakeport won with a 10.48-pounder. He received a $100 gift certificate.
The derby drew 41 fishermen.
Sponsored by the Lakeport Yacht Club and the Lakeport Volunteer Fire Department, the event was a fundraiser for both the yacht club and fire department. The volunteer fire department received $500 and the yacht club also was set to receive $500 but its board of directors decided to donate the $500 back to the fishermen to increase the derby”s cash purse, according to derby spokesman Mike Cubbage.
Cubbage said the turnout wasn”t as large as he expected, probably because it was held on the same weekend as the Lake County Fair, but that he was satisfied.
Plans are already under way for next year”s derby.
