Why This Weekend’s Isabella Lake Fishing Derby Is Kids’ Stuff In The Best Way Possible
In our March issue, we previewed tomorrow’s Isabella Lake Fishing Derby that runs through Monday in Kern County. This is a great event that not only gives trout anglers a shot at catching some very valuable tagged rainbows, but also showcase for introducing the next generation of fishers. Here’s our Editor’s Note from the March issue that digs deeper into the derby’s quest to get kids into the joys of fishing.
In a lengthy conversation with Fred Clark, chair of this month’s Isabella Lake Fishing Derby (page 13), we covered a lot of topics, but one that intrigued me was about how many kids usually participate in this iconic Kern County trout contest.
“We had 1,760 anglers total with roughly 400 being youth anglers” last year, Clark told me in February.
And that’s a promising trend for me. You want to believe that the next generation of anglers will be as obsessed with wetting a line as I was as a kid. I used to pester – borderline harass – my dad to take me and sometimes a good friend to our local Bay Area lakes on weekends. And on our Lake Tahoe family trips, I begged and pleaded to fish every day, then suggested that we find a fishery to stop at on our drive home.
Of course, the only social media I can remember from my days back in the stone ages was the paper route that I had and stopping to chat with friends as I chucked local free publications onto porches whether homeowners wanted them or not. Smartphones? IPads? Laptops? Playing Pong on my TV screen was as interactive as it got.
Kids today definitely have more intriguing forms of excitement than we did in our era. Take Clark’s word for it.
“Getting the whole family involved in the outdoors is critical. So many kids today live on the computer, live on their phones, live on their electronic devices,” he said. “And the quicker you can detach them from that to let them know that there’s something else out there to have a great time is critical. When you get Mom, Dad and the kids involved, that’s when it gets important.”
Clark and I shared tales about our own parents and connecting with the outdoors. While my dad wasn’t much of a fishing fan, he’d find time to get out on the lake with me, including renting boats.
My dad’s passion was vintage pre-World War II cars, something that I can really appreciate now and that we’d eventually share together on tours with his fellow gearheads. Of course I’m sure I tried to pack the fishing rod and tackle box in the back seat of his 1929 Lincoln sedan hoping there’d be a lake somewhere in the vicinity.
As for Clark, “My father loved to take me fishing, but when it came time to go hunting, I wanted to go, but his comment was, ‘No; your butt’s staying home; that’s my time.’ And I’m just the opposite.”
“My son, who’s now 21, I take him hunting and take him fishing and drag him along everywhere. He just loves going. But you just gotta get the kids out,” Clark added.
I couldn’t agree more. Parents out there: If you can, make a trip to the mountains of Kern County the weekend of March 28-30, buy a contest ticket for you and your son or daughter, pick up a jar of Power Bait and try your luck with your own or even rented gear. You may even catch a big-money tagged rainbow for the kiddo’s college fund. That would make Clark’s hard work putting on this derby so worthwhile.
“The kids are the primary reason I took over as derby chairman,” he said. “When I see how we cater to the youth anglers, that’s when it piques my interest even more than just running an event.” -Chris Cocoles
