Weather Saturday
couldn't have been
better! No fog,
and only a slight breeze
of wind.
This year's Derby was
bigger than ever,
growing to a total of
411 adult entries, up
from 346 in 2011.
Also increased was the
number of legal-sized
Sturgeon caught which
totaled 42, compared to
28 last year.
There were also three
oversized Sturgeon
caught and released.
Best of all, the purse
(total of all entry
money) grew to
$10,276.00 this year,
all of which went back
to the winners (1st
through 7th places).
The
BIG winner for the 6th Annual
Diamond Classic Derby was Shawn
St Germain of Martinez
(photo on right), with a 1st place prize of
$3,596.00. In addition, he was
the proud recipient of a
beautiful first place trophy
created by Captain Sean Treacy
of
SF Bay Sportfishing
& Custom Cut Critters.
The
2nd place winner was Captain
Chris Kane of
Outcast Sportfishing of Martinez (photo
below), whose prize totaled
$2,569.00. 3rd Place went
to Victor Grajeda of Vallejo
(photo below) who took home
$2,055.00. Both Chris and
Victor received trophies as
well. The
last four places each
took home $514.00: Darren
Anderson of Fairfield (4th);
Captain Jason Russey of
Longfin Sportfishing (5th);
Mike Christie of Auburn (6th);
and Dave McKinnon of Vacaville
(7th)
Click
photos to enlarge!
RESULTS - KID'S DIVISION
We had a great group of
kids again this year
from ages 3 to 15. A
total of 76 kids were
entered (for free) in
the Derby, up from 57
last year. In
order to win a prize,
all kids had to do was
catch a fish, any
species, any size!
Their catch earned them
a ticket for the prize
drawing.
This year a special
prize was added to the
Kid's Division (separate
award from the drawing)
for kids who caught and
released a legal-sized
Sturgeon. To the
surprise of many, three
kids were able to catch
& release a legal sized
Sturgeon! The
three kids (in photo
from left to right)
were: Tanner Austin, age
15 (58" Sturgeon);
Corina Medinas, age 15
(52" Sturgeon); and
Brooke Sutton ,age 11
(56" Sturgeon).
They each received a
certificate for a custom
rod (they will help
design) from Vic's
Custom Rods of Martinez.
Next came the much
anticipated drawing for winners
in the Kid's Division. It was
Tanner Austin's lucky day for
sure! He not only got the
special award above, but won 1st
Place in the Drawing for which
he
received a custom rod and reel
worth over $1,000. 2nd
Place winner was
Alec
La Pierre (age 15) who received
a custom rod and reel;
3rd
Place winner was Hannah Resentes
(age 11) who also won a custom
rod; 4th Place went
to Fariah Shah who received a
custom rod.
Thanks to the generosity
of our many sponsors,
supplemented by raffle
ticket proceeds, the
drawing of tickets
continued until each and
every kid won a prize!
Many rod rod and reel
combos, some won tackle
boxes, and every child
went home with a tshirt
from
Coastside Fishing Club.
The anticipation on
their faces as they
awaited the call of
their number was
priceless, as was the
pride and admiration on
the faces of parents.
Truly a special event,
sure to become a lasting
memory for all
concerned.
Click photos to enlarge!
Entry fee is $25. 100% of
the entry fees are paid in cash
prizes (1st place
through 7th
place). Additional
prizes awarded at the Pre-Derby
Seminar (see details below) and
at Weigh-In are courtesy of our
sponsors.
All
entries/registrations must be
submitted in person and paid in
cash at one of the two
official locations: Martinez Bait & Tackle
(Deadline is
4:00 pm
January 27, 2012) and
at
Castro Valley Sportsmen Center
(Deadline is 5:00 pm
January 25, 2012).
The
goal of the Kids Division is to
teach children that fishing can
be fun
and that it is also fun and good
to release fish. Kids
registration is
FREE and all they have to do
to be entered into the Kids
Division drawing is
to catch and release any fish
(any species, any size). We will draw names from a
hat full of all the kids’ names
that released a fish for the
prizes.
With the help from our sponsors
and supporters there will be
enough prizes so that every kid
goes home with something!
We do our best to make sure that
the kids have a great time and
learn something about our
fishery.
Pre-Derby Seminar (free) & La
Tapatia Buffet ($12)
For First 300 Entries
Only! Register Early to
Attend.....
Friday, January 27, 2012 - 6:00
- 9:00 pm Due to
overwhelming demand, the
Pre-Derby Seminar will be
limited to the first 300
entrants. The first
300 to enter will receive a
ticket for entry to the Seminar.
The top 7 Sturgeon Pro's will
lead a panel revealing their
secrets to finding and landing
Sturgeon, including Q&A from the
audience. The evening will
include lots of great raffle
prizes and La Tapatia will
host a buffet as well as beverages (for sale).
536 Main Street (next to La
Tapatia Restaurant) in Martinez,
CA. Click below to view the 2011
Seminar Panel discussion.
Fishing
License & Sturgeon Report Card
Important Message for All
Anglers, Big and Small....
You MUST get your Fishing
License and Sturgeon Report Card
BEFORE Derby Day! The
Bait Shops will have hundreds of
people in line to buy bait.
They will NOT be able to provide
Fishing Licenses or Sturgeon
Cards on Derby Day.
If
you will have children (under
16) fishing with you, they MUST
HAVE a Sturgeon Report Card even
though they do NOT need a
Fishing License. You need
to get them a Sturgeon Report
Card BEFORE Derby Day.
Do
NOT expect to get a Fishing
License or Sturgeon Report Card
at any of the bait shops on
Derby Day!