Column: Get lucky while fishing at Pyramid Lake and win a boat, motor and trailer

There is a very special, sport fishing derby coming up in the near future that will reward one lucky angler very handsomely.

If you happen to be that lucky fisherman or fisher woman, you will win a sport fishing boat, motor and trailer package.

How can you do that?

Well, first of all you need be a contestant in the 11th annual Pyramid Lake Operation Game Thief (OGT) fishing derby scheduled for Nov. 12.

And then all you have to do to win that boat, motor and trailer package is catch the heaviest Lahontan cutthroat trout in that one-day derby. And that may not be too difficult. For you see, two years ago, a seven-pounder took home the first place prize.

If you do catch the biggest cutthroat of the day, it will win you this boating package: A 2001 15-foot Smoker Craft boat with console, swivel seats, live bait well, floorboards, lights, etc., together with a 25-HP, 4-stroke Mercury motor and an Ez-Loader boat trailer.

The entire package is valued at more than $9,500. That's not too shabby for catching a fish!

The annual Pyramid Lake derby is sponsored by Custom Boat and Marine of Reno, which is owned by Roger and Brenda Glover.

Each year, the Glovers very generously donate all of the derby proceeds to Operation Game Thief, Nevada's official anti-poaching program. In doing so, Custom Boat and Marine has become the single biggest donor to OGT. Over the previous 10 years, it has donated more than $120,000 to help fight poaching in Nevada. More than $120.000! That is awesome.

If you are interested in being a derby contestant this year, here's some basic information:

- The registration fee is $75 per person.

- The largest "keeper" cutthroat trout wins the boating package. Second place wins $500 in cash and third takes home $250. Heck, it wouldn't be too shabby to finish second or even third with those kind of prizes.

At Pyramid Lake, a keeper is defined as a Lahontan cutthroat trout either 16-19 inches in length or over 24 inches.

That length is measured from the tip of the trout's nose to the extreme tip of the fish's tail, with the lobes of the caudal fin spread naturally.

The Pyramid Lake limit is two trout 16-19 inches or one trout 16-19 inches and one over 24 inches in length. All other trout must be released unharmed.

- The $75 registration fee includes a very nice, sit-down dinner beginning at 5 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the Reno Hilton Hotel and Casino. The fee also includes a derby t-shirt, derby hat, an OGT donation, a donation to the Pyramid Lake Fisheries and a chance at a total of more than $15,000 in raffle prizes.

- Included in the list of raffle prizes is one very special item that should be enticing to just about anyone. It's two roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines to anywhere that Southwest flies! How would you like to win that raffle prize!

- At the sit-down dinner, all of the contestants, their spouses, significant others, families, etc., will have a full evening of activities featuring Master of Ceremonies Dave Finley of Channel 4. Those activities will consist of such things as dinner, raffle, entertainment featuring the "Cutthroat Blues" band, a static display of a number of different types of sport fishing boats and various vendor and display booths.

- Additionally, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe will have representatives present to sell one-day tribal fishing licenses and boating permits to anyone who needs one for the following day. A one-day fishing license is $6 and a one-day boating permit is also $6. -- On derby day, check-in begins at 5 a.m., right in front of Crosby's Landing at Sutcliffe on the west side of the lake.

- Following check-in, which includes free doughnuts, there will be a "Shotgun Start" at 6:15 a.m. It will be at Sutcliffe and will be signaled by a flare being shot high into the air.

- Here's some special tips, if you are planning to be in the derby and if you plan to be in a boat:

1. There will be OGT volunteers present to help launch your boat at the Sutcliffe boat launch area.

2. If you launch anywhere else, such as Pelican Point, Warrior Point, etc., you will be on your own.

3. At Sutcliffe, you will need to have your boat ready for launching to speed up the process. It can get extremely hectic trying to launch some 80-100 boat in a short period of time on that morning. And, the boat ramp would be the last place to be loading armloads of fishing equipment and clothing into your boat. Worse yet, that's the last place to be when you discover to your (and everyone else's) horror that the boat motor won't start.

So, have your boat and motor ready to be quickly launched, when it's your turn, and be patient while you're waiting for those ahead of you.

- Successful anglers can weigh-in their catches at Crosby's Landing up to 4 p.m.

And if you catch a nice fish, don't think of cheating, because one of the items to be used to check the fish will be a metal detector. Then, after the weigh-in closes, there will be a short awards ceremony for the three lucky winners. With any luck, you could be one of the three!

- The fishing derby has grown from a very modest 64 contestants the first year to a point where now the number of fishermen is cut-off at the first 500 entries.

According to Ryan Glover of Custom Boat and Marine, "As of last Thursday, we already had almost 300 entries."

So, don't procrastinate. Last year, more than 70 anglers were turned away after the cut-off point was reached.

Register today!

Heck, that could be you winning that brand-new boat, motor and trailer.

For information, contact Custom Boat and Marine at 9300 S. Virginia St. or call at 852-4535 during business hours.

- Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't name the all of the presidents in the history of the Nevada Operation Game Thief, State Citizens' Board.

Be careful, because if he begins to grin and says, "Heck there have only been two. They are Don Quilici of Carson City and Jim Lyons of Reno," you had better have the money needed to pay off your losing bet.