Time for the annual competition to determine Loveland's best angler!

You still have a few weeks to practice:  the annual Club tournament will be held at Flatiron Reservoir on Thursday, Sept. 15, the day after the Senior Derby.

For newbies and the forgetful who are not sure what's involved, this is a competition held since 2007, and the winner is whomever catches the biggest measured string of four trout in a four-hour period, 8 a.m. to noon. Money and reputations are on the line here, so competition will be ruthless. (Please bring along a tape to measure and record each other's catch.) Win or lose, lunch will be free to all, served up by the most recent tournament champion and runner-up, Bill Prater and Rick Golz.

Admission is charged at Flatiron, so some of us will meet in the Jax parking lot on West Eisenhower to carpool, leaving no later than 7:30 a.m. 

This will be the first competition since introduction of Covid-19 to the world - which takes a bit of the luster off the fact that your legendary editor Bill Prater has retained the traveling trophy at his house since 2019. 

Club historians, admirers and sore losers may recall that, using a mysterious secret bait, Bill put together a limit string of two 14-inch rainbows and two 13 1/2 inchers for a total of 55 inches, in a contest determined by combined length. Rick's string totaled 50 inches, using his deadly half-a-nightcrawler technique. 

 

Bill and Rick (who is still muttering over the 2019 outcome) will be responsible for cooking hotdogs for the after-tourney picnic. 

Rules are pretty simple: one pole at a time, one hook, any type of legal bait, shore fishing only. There are two cash prizes, and the winner's name is engraved on the traveling trophy now sitting on this editor's desk. Good luck! 

Here are the names of past winners. 

• 2007 Jim Kucera, 45 1/2 inches
• 2008 Alan Anderson, 54 inches
• 2009 Dom Scarillo 45  1/4 inches
• 2010 Alan Anderson 45 1/2 inches
• 2011 Merle Boden 50 inches
• 2012 Norm Engelbrecht 40 1/2 inches
• 2013 (year of the flood; no competition)
• 2014 Dave Boyle 43 1/2 inches 
• 2015 Dennis Kelsey 43 1/2 inches
• 2016 Leland Carpenter, 45 1/4 inches
• 2017 Donald Knudson 17 1/2 inch bass (held at Swift Ponds) 
• 2018 Dave Koon 17 1/2 inch bass (also Swift Ponds)
• 2019 Bill Prater, 55 inches (back at Flatiron) 

FIXING DATES 2022 Senior Derby will be Wednesday, Sept. 14. Come help!

 

A Loveland Fishing Club tradition since 2006, the club's Senior Fishing Derby will be held at Flatiron Reservoir on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Members of Loveland area assisted living centers are our special guests, and we expect to host around 50, along with support staff from the homes, according to Vickie Tesar, this year's derby chair.

If you've not signed up to volunteer, we're in good shape for the event but can always use more help, Vickie says. This is one of the club's greatest traditions, and fun for all. So come on out. You can reach Vicki at VT0608@out.look.com 

This year’s derby is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14th^th at Flatiron Reservoir, a Larimer County Open Space property where there is normally an $8 daily entrance fee. The club also works with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to purchase a sort of in bulk fishing license for participants, and the Division also stocks the lake in advance with trout.

The idea sprang to mind more than a decade ago, when then-President Ray Park pondered ways to leave his mark on the Loveland Fishing Club’s legacy. We settled on the idea of a day of fishing for folks even older than ourselves, and began to scour the country for ideas we could steal, mostly by Internet search. We found a ton of “senior derbies,” but all seemed to involve some sort of blanket invitation for old folks to come out and fish.

And so, over coffee, the idea evolved:  Why not a senior fishing derby for folks who find themselves physically unable to still get out and fish? We began talking with administrators of Loveland independent and assisted living centers, and on in fall 2006, held the first-ever Loveland Fishing Club Senior Fishing Derby, at Flatiron, southwest of Loveland. It may sound odd to have a bunch of mostly octogenarians hold an outdoor event for other octogenarians. But really, it’s simply a case of doing for others what we’d like someone to eventually do for us:  do whatever is needed to put a fishing pole back in their hands. 

The event cheerfully remains entirely free for participants, including loaner fishing equipment, a well-stocked lake, prizes, and a “gourmet” cookout of hot dogs, chips and soft drinks. 

The derby remains, we think, the nation’s only free fishing derby focused on residents of assisted living centers, run by and for senior volunteers. Other seniors are welcome, as we partner with Chilson Senior Center, but the primary invited guests are residents of Loveland assisted living centers.  To participate, pre-register by Monday, Sept. 9 at Chilson Senior Center, 700 E. Fourth St. Loveland.

The goal is highly personalized help with fishing, mixed with great conversation. And if wanted, Club President Tom Miller will again clean and bag fish to be cooked back at home.

 We count on a stream of younger retirees and senior living facility staff to help keep the event thriving, but truthfully, a number of club members may turn up this year as guests rather than volunteers.

Vickie says we're still waiting for definite commitments from some area facilities, but so far we're looking at guests from Courtyard of Loveland, Brookdale Mariana Butte, Seven Lakes Memory Care, Harvest Pointe, Lakeview Commons, The Wexford, North Shore Health & Rehab, Good Samaritan Society, Green Houses Homes at Mirasol,   Sugar Valley Estates and Sierra Vista/Riverbend.

Big Shoutout to John and Peggy

 I think we'd all agree, last week's annual Loveland Fishing Club picnic was a howling success. And let's give a special thank you to John and Peggy Gwinnup, who for years have worked to make this a memorable get-together.

I'm told the first club picnic involved about a dozen couples, the founding fathers and mothers of the club, and it wound up in Tom and Sheila Miller's garage because of an untimely rainstorm. The picnic has moved around over the years, and the menu has evolved as well, but it's arguably the best opportunity for a large-scale get-together. 

This year, John took responsibility for the menu and planning the event, and he and Peggy called and called club members to make sure we enjoyed maximum turnout. Thanks again, you two.

Here's a photo of John taken a few years ago, when the menu required John and other volunteer club members grilling the steak and chicken: 

Precautions on fishing in this hot weather and falling water levels

 

This wretchedly hot summer has put serious stress on fish and fisherpeople, and outright bans on fishing on some overheated waters like the Yampa River. Here's a link to an excellent piece on the subject by a Wyoming Game and Fish Fisheries Biologist Andrew Nikirk. The net:  particularly with trout, now's the time to be gentle and fish early. 

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Regional-Offices/Sheridan-Region/Sheridan-Region-News/Take-precautions-when-warm-water-fishing

Chilson Harvest Bazaar won't be held this year

 Due to staffing issues, the annual Harvest Bazaar at Chilsen Senior Center will not be held next month. Members of the Loveland Fishing Club traditionally volunteer to help with the event, as part of our affiliation with the senior center.

Boat ramp at Jackson Lake has closed for the year

ATTENTION BOATERS: The boat ramp is becoming very shallow. Large boats should use extreme caution if they try to launch. As water is quickly being let out of the lake for irrigation needs, we expect the water level to drop several inches in the next 24-48 hours. Boaters should to be aware that if they launch, getting their boat back onto the trailer later in the day may be difficult.

Jackson Lake is apparently being drawn down quickly to meet irrigation needs, and the boat ramp closed for the 2022 season at 7p.m. Sunday, August 7th. All vessels must be off the water by 7pm, as the gates will be locked.

Hand launched, non motorized, non-trailered vessels (canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, etc) are still permitted after closing.