Angling for fun: Popular spring event sets the hook for fishing season
Published 7:55 am Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Jackson Ostgaard, 6, of Long Beach, pulled in a 3.2-pound rainbow trout on his very first cast around 7:20 a.m, winning the grand prize for his age group. “It was really hard (to reel in),” Ostgaard said regarding the strong fight from the 19-inch trout, adding that yellow/orange Powerbait was the bait of choice used to land the fish from a back dock.
Fishing under the trees, Jordan Cox, 7, reeled in a 2.95-pound trout that stretched 18 inches, taking second place for his age group.
Itzayana Garcia, 5, Seaview, reeled in several sizable rainbow trout on the morning — her biggest weighing more than two pounds — on her way to catching the highest total weight (6.9 pounds) during the 31st annual Black Lake Fishing Derby on Saturday, April 26, in Ilwaco, winning a tackle box, fishing gear and a salmon charter trip for her effort.
Left to right, the Franey sisters: Addi, 11, Daylah, 9, and Havynn, 7, hold their catch for a photo. While each caught fish, it was the youngest sister, Havynn, who hauled in the biggest of them all — a 2.5 pound rainbow. “And it’s my first trout, I never caught a trout before,” Havynn said.
Halee Woodby, 12, took first place in the 11-to-14 age group, with a 2.75-pound trout she caught while fishing with family aboard a small skiff.
Josie Vincench shows off the fishing gear she won during the raffle at the Black Lake Fishing Derby.
Jake Erickson, 13, of Naselle, won a charter fishing trip aboard Pacific Salmon Charters during the raffle at the Black Lake Fishing Derby. Erickson plans to go bottom fishing with his free charter trip.
The biggest fish caught during the derby was a chunky 3.6-pound rainbow reeled in by eight-year-old Oscar Reyes, of Long Beach, winning the grand prize for the 7-to-10 group. It was the biggest trout Reyes ever caught, he said.
Everest Hildebrandt, 4, of Seaview, receives fishing gear she won during the raffle while participating in the Black Lake Fishing Derby for the first time.
BLACK LAKE — Itayana Garcia hoisted the metal stringer with both hands as five hefty rainbow trout dangled from her waist to the bottom of her rubber boots.
Garcia, 5, of Seaview, reeled in several sizable rainbow trout on the morning— her biggest weighing more than two pounds — on her way to catching the highest total weight (6.9 pounds) during the 31st annual Black Lake Fishing Derby on Saturday, April 26, in Ilwaco, winning a tackle box, fishing gear and a salmon charter trip for her effort.
The biggest fish caught during the derby was a chunky 3.6-pound rainbow reeled in by eight-year-old Oscar Reyes, of Long Beach, winning the grand prize for the 7-to-10 group. It was the biggest trout Reyes ever caught, he said.
Halee Woodby, 12, took first place in the 11-to-14 age group, with a 2.75-pound trout she caught while fishing with family aboard a small skiff.
Derby helps kids get hooked on fishing
Hundreds of trout were planted in the lake by WDFW in the days leading up to the derby, hosted by Ilwaco Parks and Recreation Commission and sponsored by several local businesses to introduce and foster interest for youth fishing.
Conditions were cool and overcast on the day of the event, with temperatures in the low 50s.
Fishers found success, especially early in the morning, with sweet corn and earthworms, but it was the dough-like synthetic Berkley Powerbait that more than one grand-prize winner attributed for making the lunkers strike.
Jackson Ostgaard, 6, of Long Beach, pulled in a 3.2-pound rainbow trout on his very first cast around 7:20 a.m, winning the grand prize for his age group.
“It was really hard (to reel in),” Ostgaard said regarding the strong fight from the 19-inch trout, adding that yellow/orange Powerbait was the bait of choice used to land the fish from a back dock.
While most of the participants were local to the Long Beach Peninsula and surrounding communities, some made their way from Westport, including the Franey sisters: Addi, 11, Daylah, 9, and Havynn, 7. While each caught fish, it was the youngest sister, Havynn, who hauled in the biggest of them all — a 2.5 pound rainbow.
“And it’s my first trout, I never caught a trout before,” Havynn said.
WDFW planted hundreds of trout in Black Lake leading up to the derby, including more than 300 raised locally by Sea Resources at the Chinook Hatchery. An additional 155 ‘jumbos’ — trout in the three-pound range — were added from the Nemah Hatchery as well as fish from Nisqually Trout Farms. More than 150 fishing rods were also provided for the event by Klineline Kids Fishing, a Salmon Creek-based nonprofit that seeks to assist children in the fundamentals of fishing.
Fishing began at 7 a.m. and ended at 10 a.m., with the last weigh-in occurring at 10:30. Prizes were awarded for the single-heaviest fish for each age group (0-6, 7-10, 11-14) and heaviest total aggregate (up to five fish). Grand prize winners received a tackle box, fishing tackle and a net. The top three aggregate winners each received the grand prize, plus a local charter fishing trip.
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31st annual Black Lake Fishing Derby Award Winners:
0-6 age group
Grand prize: Jackson Ostgaard, 6, 3.2-pound trout
Runner up: Adain Peterson, 5, 3.2-pound trout
Second runner up: Itayana Garcia, 5, 2.35-pound trout
7-10 age group
Grand prize: Oscar Reyes, 8, 3.6-pound trout
Runner up: Jordan Cox, 7, 2.95-pound trout
Second runner up: Waylin Oatfield, 7, 2.80-pound trout
11-14 age group
Grand prize: Halee Woodby, 12, 2.75-pound trout (tiebreaker decided by length)
Runner up: Peyton Haskin, 12, 2.75-pound trout
Second runner up: Justin Johnson, 12, 2.65-pound trout
Aggregate winners
Grand prize: Itzayana Garcia, 5, 6.9 pounds total
Runner up: Waylin Ditch, 4, 6.55 pounds total
Second runner up: Waylin Oatfield, 7, 6.3 pounds total
