By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer
The annual Lake Gregory trout derby, the first of its kind sponsored by the Lake Gregory Recreation Company, lured 576 anglers from throughout the Southland to the bone-chilling waters of Crestline’s Lake Gregory on a beautiful, blue-sky, nearly freezing (35 degrees) day to compete with one another for a host of prizes, ranging from a custom rod and a summertime family beach pass to $1,000 in cash.
Although it was barely light at the 6 a.m. starting time on Saturday, April 19, hundreds of entrants from throughout the Southland were seen casting their lures into the chilly water from all four of the lake’s shorelines, including several entrants who arrived as early as 3 a.m. for an event scheduled to end at 3 p.m.
According to Lake Gregory Recreation Company General Manager Nathan Godwin, over 2,000 pounds of rainbow and lightning trout had been planted in the lake in the weeks leading up to the derby.
Garnering first-place honors in the Adult Division was Salvador Serrano from Fontana, whose capture of a 23-7/8-inch-long rainbow trout netted him $1,000. Francisco Villa was awarded second place for his 23-1/2-inch catch and San Bernardino resident Issac Rodriguez placed third for his 23-1/8-inch trout.
In the Kids Division, Summer Barajas captured first-place honors and Zachary Godinez took second place, while Jesse Guerrero won third place.
Huck Finn (actually, Crestline resident Lonny Wiessner) figured he’d have better luck by getting closer to the fish.
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