Staplin was trolling a "purple pirate" Sockeye Slammer at 50 deep, scented with Pro Cure Bait Butter, in 140 feet of water around noon the first day of the derby when the monster hit.

"It grabbed the lure, popped off the downrigger and went straight for the bottom," said Staplin. "It took out 40 yards on its first run. I first thought it was a king salmon, but a king would have turned earlier. This fish just kept going and going. Once it stayed down and fought hard on the bottom, I figured that it was a huge brown."

Getting the big brute in was quite a challenge, since he hooked the fish while trolling with a light 7 foot Vance's Custom Spiral Wrap Rod, outfitted with a 5500 C Abu Garcia reel. He had 8 pound test Berkley Trilene X-Cell. The fish fought for 20 minutes before he was able to get his fishing partner to net it.

"This is the biggest brown I've ever caught," he stated. "My previous best was an 8 pound, 15 ounce brown that I landed at Stampede." The fish wasn't the prettiest brown to ever come out of the lake. In fact, it looked like an old "junkyard dog" of a trout, with an ugly yellowish brown mottled pattern on its sides, rather than the silvery sides and large spots found on many of the browns in Shasta.

"I've never seen a trout that looks like that fish," commented Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle outdoor columnist, who fished both days of the derby with his brother, "Rambob," and shared a houseboat with Paul Kneeland, Fish Sniffer Advertising Director, Bruce Wicks and I.

But pretty or not, Staplin was elated about the catch that earned him $1000 and a trophy for the derby. And everybody was blown away by the size of his fish - and praying that they might catch a similar-sized brown the next day!

During the derby's first day, Kneeland and Wicks found great action trolling at the mouth of the Sacramento and other areas on the lake with Hum Dingers, Sockeye Slammers and other lures. They landed over 25 mixed rainbow trout and salmon, along with 10 bass to 2.4 pounds.

However, fishing was tougher the second day when I fished with them. We landed about 9 trout and salmon, keeping 6 total, and released several spotted bass while trolling in the Fish Sniffer's 20 foot Alumaweld Intruder.

The fish weren't being caught on the surface like they were last year, with anglers hooking trout at a variety of depths. Although anglers reported mixed results, most anglers experienced good to great fishing during at least one day of the two-day event.

Butch Jacobson of Livermore won second place in the derby with four rainbows weighing 10.19 pounds, earning him $900.00. He trolled at 65 feet in Bridge and Digger Bays with Cripplures and Excel Lures to entice his trout. Dan Nugent placed third with 9.91 pounds, winning an $800.00 check. He trolled black and white Hum Dingers at 50 to 60 feet deep in Elmore Bay around the points.

The fourth through fifteenth place winners were: (4) Ken Immer, 9.91, $700; (5) Ed Grossman, 9.81, $600; (6) Al Nava, 9.74, $500; (7) "Sambo" Sam Laege, 9.53, $400; (8) Dave Raymaker, 9.43, $300; (9) Glen Polini, 8.91, $200; (10) Cheryl Dulon, 8.65, $100; (11) Jack Schultz, 8.28, $100; (12) Tim Marble, 8.26, $100; (13) Ben Peterson, 8.15, $100; (14) Bruce Wicks, 8.11, $100; and (15) Stacy Keller, 8.07, $100.

Antler's and Lakeshore resorts provided the houseboats that the press and derby organizers stayed in. Gary Miralles did a great job of MC'ing the event - as well as covering the derby with Justin Wolf of Angler West Television .

For information about next year's derby, call Harold Jones, Sugar Loaf Cottages, (530) 238-2448, or Dave Dulon, Basshole Bar & Grille, (530) 238-2170, or get on line at http://www.shastalaketroutderby.com.