Fishing Derby deemed a success with lots of fish caught
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. -- Organizers say this year's Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby was a big success, and having great weather didn't hurt either.
Derby teams were catching a lot of fish Friday and Saturday, as teams cast lines on the North Umpqua one day and the South or Main Umpqua the other one.
A team from the Cow Creek Tribe caught 38 fish in the two-day derby to lead all teams, and a total of more than 360 fish were caught by the 18 teams in the event.
Fishing Derby Chairman Dale Roberts says the weather and fish conditions couldn't have been better. "We couldn't have had a better weekend for our 20th anniversary derby. Everyone caught fish, everyone enjoyed the weather, everyone enjoyed the rivers, we have nothing but good stuff to say about this year's derby," he said.
This is the 20th year of the banquet, and all the money raised goes to help fish in Douglas County, and this year may have put them over the $1-million mark. "We have raised over $960,000 in the first 19 years of this derby, and the net proceeds, all of it goes to stream enhancement projects. We're making this river system a better system for fish."
Roberts says the dinner and auction Friday night was a sellout, with more than 500 people attending.
They're still totaling the amount of revenue that the event raised this year, but they hope to be around last year's total of about $40,000.
