Fishing Derby draws anglers young and old to Howarth Park

After 8-year-old Alissa Advocate hooked a small trout on her line Sunday morning during the Fishing Derby at Lake Ralphine, her initial excitement turned to slight anxiety.

“He’s going to get away, he’s going to get away!” she yelled as her grandfather, Charles Ash, 70, reassured her.

“He’s not going to get away, bring it in,” Ash said, grabbing the line.

“Yes! Fishy!” Alissa said, giddy with excitement.

Two days earlier, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife dumped 1,250 pounds of trout into the popular lake at Howarth Park. The moment shared by the Windsor youth and her grandfather was repeated more than 46 times by kids participating in the contest, which was won by a 7-year-old who landed a 22.15-ounce trout.

But the aim of the derby wasn’t really about celebrating who caught the biggest or the most fish. Just ask Alissa.

“I like that I can go fishing with my grandpa and enjoy the view and have fun,” she said.

Using fly-fishing rigs, red and white bobbers, little pink worms and smelly, colored PowerBait, about 125 kids between the ages of 15 months and 15 years participated in the derby, a joint program coordinated by the Santa Rosa Department of Recreation and Parks and sponsored by the Santa Rosa Firefighters Association.

Jeff Tibbetts, the city’s recreation coordinator for Howarth Park, said Alissa crystallized the goal of not only the derby but the city’s parks programs, as well.

“That’s exactly what we want to hear,” Tibbetts said. “Howarth Park is so loved by the community, we’re giving people the opportunity to come out here and enjoy nature. This isn’t a revenue-generating event, it’s a community event.”

Throughout the morning, kids of all ages and angling expertise tried their luck by casting their lines into the murky, greenish water. They fished off the boat ramp, near the boathouse and along the dam just north of the boathouse.

Bait flew off the hook with the occasional aggressive cast. Crossed lines led to false hopes and faces turned sullen when a feisty trout, writhing for its life, freed itself of hook and line.

John Helsloot, 63, of Valley Ford spent the morning providing tips to a friend, Joan Mortenson, and her grandson, Aiden Mortenson, 10, both of Santa Rosa. Helsloot taught the young Mortenson the proper use of PowerBait on a small hook, while the experienced angler used a fly-fishing rig with wet nymphs.

“If we don’t teach these young kids how to fish, fishing is done,” Helsloot said.

Dominick Perone, 9, and his little brother Dante, 5, each landed two trout using only pink worms on a small hook. The two attended the derby with their father, Nick Perone of Santa Rosa.

Dante tried to explain what he saw when his fish tried to take his hook.

“It was bubbly all in the water,” Dante said, adding that he felt proud when he “rolled it back.”

With the fish he caught, Dominick took third place.