Despite chilly weather, kids fishing derby draws crowd at Lake Ralphine

Maybe it was the chilly weather or the cormorants. Maybe the fish were hiding.

Whatever the reason, the rainbow trout weren’t biting. Only one of the 100 contestants at Sunday’s fishing derby Sunday morning at Lake Ralphine caught a trout. Two days earlier, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife had dumped into the lake 1,000 pounds of fish.

But it didn’t dampen the spirits of families bundled in coats, casting their fishing lines in cloudy 45-degree weather.

“Fishing doesn’t mean guaranteed catching, but it’s a great experience getting out and enjoying nature,” said A.J. Alcocer, a Santa Rosa firefighter and derby coordinator.

Typically, about a dozen fish are caught during the annual derby. This year’s low catch was most likely due to the birds, Alcocer said.

“Unfortunately, we’re not the only ones here fishing. So is mother nature,” Alcocer told the crowd.

Luis Patrick was on the dock with his 10-year-old daughter, Peyton, who was so excited to attend the fishing derby that she was up by 7 a.m. While they didn’t catch a fish, Patrick said the family time outdoors was worthwhile.

The Santa Rosa father-daughter pair are relatively new to fishing. On Saturday, they attended a fishing clinic, sponsored by Santa Rosa firefighters and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, at the lake and received a free tackle box.

“It’s a good way to get kids started,” Patrick said.

Also on the dock Sunday was Sheri Emerson and her 11-year-old son, Dylan Head, who live near Lake Ralphine. Head fishes regularly in the area and gave other contestants fishing advice - such as the benefits of using a weight instead of a bobble, which he learned from other experienced fishermen.

“The fishermen around here are super friendly,” Emerson said.

Some families saw a school of fish by the boat ramp, where there were geese and ducks, and trees populated by hungry cormorants.

Marco Torres and his two young sons had wandered along the shorelines searching for fish when they heard word and ran over by the ramp.

“Careful the lines,” Torres shouted at his sons as they cast their fishing rods.

Others who had been there longer were frustrated.

“We can see the fish, but they just aren’t biting,” said Dylan Forkey, who was fishing with his son, Ayden, 8. “Could be the weather change.”

Just before the derby ended, Frank Maack, 8, of Rohnert Park, reeled in a 21-ounce rainbow trout, the only catch of the morning. He won a $75 gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“I’m really proud of him,” said his mother, Ash.

Maack was at the derby with his mom and brother, Oliver, 10. The boys were about to give up when the trout bit.

“It was hard,” Maack said about catching the trout as he wiped fish slime off his jacket.

You can reach Staff Writer Susan Minichiello at 707-521-5216 or susan.minichiello@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @susanmini.