Bass tournament in Trout Creek attracts anglers
<p>Lucas Burt holds up part of his catch during the Tri-State Bass Tournament held last weekend in Trout Creek. Burt, who is originally from Trout Creek, made the trip from his home in Portland, Oregon to fish in the competition with his father.</p>
TROUT CREEK- The Noxon Reservoir was the site of the annual Tri-State Bass Tournament held in Trout Creek over the weekend. Anglers from Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana converged on the reservoir beginning on Saturday to try their luck at catching small and large-mouth bass.
Participants took to the water in a wide variety of boats, the predominant style being professional style bass boats with swivel chairs, storage bins for equipment and a live well for storing fish. The well features circulating water to keep the fish alive.
Competitors began fishing early in the morning, continuing well into the afternoon. The first boats began returning to the dock behind the Lakeside Motel and Resort around 2 p.m. for the official weigh-in.
As anglers waited with their fish in plastic bags with water to keep them alive, fish were counted, weighed and measured. Each fisherman had their official score tallied before releasing the fish back into the reservoir. The practice of “catch and release” ensures the bass population remains stable.
Several contestants remarked the fishing was better on Saturday than Sunday. Most of the fish caught on Sunday weighed two to three pounds and were approximately 30 to 35 centimeters in length. Tim Johnston of Plains seemed satisfied with his catch.
“We did pretty well,” said Johnston. “I went fishing with my wife for the first time. We caught 10 and a half pounds yesterday and 11 today. We had a great time.”
Lucas Burt originally from Trout Creek made the journey all the way from Portland, OR for the competition. Burt said he was fishing with his father who still resides in Trout Creek.
“We did pretty good yesterday,” said Burt. “Today, not so good. We got into some good spots but we just couldn’t get them to bite.”
Event organizer and President of the Clark Fork Bass Anglers Don Ekstedt said the event has been held for over 20 years. Ekstedt said the event was unique in that the proceeds go to support the annual “kids fishing” event held earlier in the year at the Noxon reservoir.
“The tournament went pretty well. There weren’t a lot of bites today,” said Ekstedt. “The unique thing about this event is that the proceeds go to support the Kids Fish Day. Bass fishing takes a lot of patience. And some cussing.”
A variety of prizes were given out to the winning teams. Fishing rods and reels, cash prizes and other assorted equipment were among the prizes awarded to participants. The Evans team from Corvallis took first place, followed by the Johnston team from Plains in second place.
The target of the anglers in the Tri-State Bass Tournament were large and small-mouth bass. The two types of fish are popular with anglers due to the “fight” they typically put up, often jumping out of the water in an attempt to “throw” the hook. The freshwater fish are often found in shallow water around rocks and tree stumps.