Greg Grech of San Mateo took second place with 9.17 pounds, while Tim Marbel of Chico placed third with 8.58 pounds. The fourth through tenth place winners were (4) Joe Cox of Novato, 8.17; (5) Tom Schneider of Redding, 8.13; (6) Joseph DeBiase of Campbell, 8.01; (7) Rick Pietrewicz of Santa Rosa, 7.99; (8) Ed Grossman of Atwater, 7.28; (9) Glen Polini of Santa Clara, 7.27; and (10) Larry Merritt of Lakehead, 7.22.

The majority of anglers reported using Hum Dingers, Cripplures and other lures in the top 12 feet of water, though some anglers also caught fish in deep water.

"Everybody had fun and is looking forward to the next Shasta Lake Trout Derby on October 11 and 12, 2003," said Jones. The event, sponsored by Shasta Tackle Company and the Shasta Lake Business Owner's Association, had a total payout of $3800.

On the afternoon before the derby, Al Fiske of Foresthill, Paul Kneeland, Fish Sniffer Advertising Director, and I had a blast fishing with Miralles for 2-1/2 hours. His two clients that morning had caught and released 25 trout near an island just around the corner from the Bridge Bay Resort.

After we launched at Bridge Bay, we put the rods in the water with Hum Dingers and Cripplures from the surface to 10 feet. "We will hook most of our fish as we go across the shallow bench off the middle point of the island, where there's a steep drop-off on either side," said Miralles. "The rainbows ambush the shad as they school in the shallows."

We agreed to grab the rods in rotation, with me first, Fiske second and Kneeland third. Sure enough, we hooked up fish every time we trolled past the island. Everywhere we saw trout busting on the surface as they chased tiny shad minnows.

I fought the first fish of the day, a healthy 18-1/2 inch, chunky wild rainbow, on a Shasta Tackle Angler's Choice downrigger rod. Fiske and Kneeland quickly brought in their first fish of the day also, both feisty trout in the 17 to 18 inch class.

By 4 p.m. we had caught over 15 trout, 1 king salmon and one chunky spotted bass. We kept five trout, the king salmon and one spotted bass. Most of the rainbows were in the 16 to 18 inch class, with a few in the 14 to 16 inch range.

On the following day, Miralles and I fished together with Chuck Hose of Camas Oregon. Although we spent most of our time checking out how anglers were doing - all reported catching numerous fish - we easily caught and released enough fish for our limits.

Kneeland and Fiske also reported having a great day, catching and releasing over 40 fish to 20 inches while trolling Hum Dingers in silver, silver/black and chartreuse at 2-1/2 mph. On the following day, they reported catching 25 fish to 19 inches on the same lures. They found the best action off Slaughterhouse Island both days.

The lake is planted with around 63,000 pounds of rainbows every year by the DFG, according to Paul Wertz, DFG information officer. This year's allotment includes 31,255 rainbows from Darrah Springs Fish Hatchery, along with 10,000 pounds of Eagle Lake strain rainbows and 21,500 pounds of rainbows from Crystal Lake Hatchery. The lake is planted with 20,000 yearling salmon to maintain the chinook fishery.

The fishing should get even better as we enter November. "November is my favorite month to fish for trout on Shasta," said Miralles. "The trout are bulking up for the winter and will get larger and larger as the fall proceeds."

Trolling on the surface will still be the top method through the end of November as the fish continue on the shad bite. However, as the water cools down, the shad will move down to deeper water. "When the water cools into the forties during the winter, the trout will move down to 20 to 25 feet deep. The fishing becomes a lot tougher at this time," stated Miralles.

Around March the trout bite begins picking up again. As the warming water causes the plankton to bloom, the best spring fishing occurs in May. The Pit River arm is often the best place to target trout feeding on the plankton blooms. Gary and I had a fabulous trip on Shasta in May, 2001 when we caught numerous Pit River-strain rainbows in the 2-1/2 to 4 pound range.

By July, the thermocline becomes well defined as the surface water warms up and the fish go on a feeding frenzy after the shad hatch takes place. The best bite takes place in the river arms and near the dam at 40 to 50 feet deep.

King salmon fishing is best at Shasta during April, May and June in deeper water than the rainbows. Although Miralles catches salmon on the same lures as for the trout, he often finds the best action trolling Koke-A-Nuts behind Slingblades. Miralles doesn't target browns, but often catches browns trolling his lures along shoreline structure in the spring.

Shasta has 22 fish species living in it. Spotted, largemouth and smallmouth bass, channel catfish, white catfish, white sturgeon, black and white crappie and bluegill sunfish are among the many species that anglers pursue. The keystone of the Central Valley Project, the lake was filled in 1948.

With 370 miles of shoreline, Shasta also offers good bank fishing in the numerous access areas throughout the lake. The lake has 12 marinas, 14 boat ramps and 400 houseboat rentals. The lake level is 1067 feet in elevation when full and was 81.5 feet from full during the derby.

When Kneeland and I stayed at Lakehead, we enjoyed sleeping in one of the luxurious houseboats at Lakeshore Resort. The center for the derby was the Basshole Bait and Tackle/Bar and Grill.

For more information on the derby, access www.shastalaketroutderby.com. For fishing and facilities information, contact Gary Miralles of Shasta Tackle Co, www.shastatackle.com, (530) 275-2278, the Shasta Lake Business Owner's Association, www.shastalake.org, or the Basshole Bait and Tackle, (530) 238-2170 www.bassholebarandgrill.com. Kirk Portocarrero of Outdoor Adventures Sport Fishing, (800) 670-4448, is also available for guided salmon and trout trips on Shasta.