Over 400 anglers fished during the annual Lake Poway Open Trout Derby on Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15, 2009. Beautiful weather and a stock of 2500 pounds of trout including trophy size up to 15 pounds provided a challenge for everyone. The winners were:

Grand Prize Winner

George Garcia, National City ??? 9.68 pound trout on Power Bait, Hidden Bay

Men's Division

First Place	Mario Gonzalez, San Diego ??? 8.89 pound trout on Power Bait, Hidden Bay
Second Place	Ceasar Sanchez, San Diego ??? 8.07 pound trout on Power Bait on the East Shore
Third Place	Richard Pederson, San Diego ??? 7.23 pound trout on a Rapala, Hidden Bay

Women's Division

First Place	Elizabeth Martinez, National City ???7.99 pound trout on Power Bait, Shoreline
Second Place	Karen Warner, Encinitas ??? 6.39 pound trout on a lure, Log Boom
Third Place	Pam Clement, Rancho Bernardo ??? 6.27 pound trout on Power Bait, Jump Off Point

Youth Division

First Place	Blake Wilson, Carlsbad ??? 6.91 pound trout on a Kastmaster, Middle of the Lake
Second Place	Taylor Oshinski, Valley Center ??? 6.03 pound trout on a Rapala, Hidden Bay
Third Place	Kyle Kellhofer, Poway ??? 3.68 pound trout on Power Bait, Jump Off Point

The one that came a little too late (1 ?? hours after the derby ended)
Abel Lopez ??? 10.6 pound trout on powerbait on the North Shore

RECOGNITION AWARD:

On Saturday, March 14, 2009, The City of Poway presented Scott Marchese of Poway with a plaque in recognition of the record Blue Catfish that he caught on November 28, 2008. The 34.5 pound Blue catfish was also a new Lake Poway record for the largest fish of any species. Congratulations, Scott!

FISHING TIPS
The best bet is slow trolling or picking a spot along the back shore of the Lake using Night Crawlers. Best shoreline spot is across the Lake in Bucktail Bay near the Restroom Landing. Most consistent lures continue to be Kastmasters and Rapalas. The bass bite continues to improve over most of the Lake. The water temperature is up to 60 degrees and from the activity it appears that the spawn may only be a week or two away. The catfish bite is good with the Log Boom being the best area to catch one. The bluegill bite is slow.

FISH STOCK
LAST STOCK: Thursday, March 12 was 2,500 pounds of rainbow trout plus trophies
NEXT STOCK: Wednesday, March 25 will be 1,500 pounds of rainbow trout

EVENTS
Hours ??? During the month of March the gates to Lake Poway will open at 6:00 AM. There is fishing and boating on Wednesdays through Sundays.

NOTICES
Fishing Requirements - Adults (anyone 16 years of age and older) require both a California State fishing license and a City of Poway Adult Fishing permit to fish at Lake Poway. Youths between the ages of 8 and 15 years of age only require a Youth Fishing permit. Youths under the age of 8 only require a Youth Fishing permit when their accompanying adult is not fishing. All permits and licenses can be purchased at the Lake Poway Grill & Tackle.

Witch Creek Fire Damage Recovery - Lake Poway suffered severe damage during the Witch Creek fire. Lake Poway is a domestic water reservoir serving the City of Poway and its integrity must be protected. The erosion control curtain is again a few feet offshore in three areas of the Lake (the back of Hidden Bay, from the rocks next to Boulder Bay around to the end of Jump Off point and in the second half of Half Moon Bay). The purpose of this curtain is to catch debris, ash and mud before it enters the main body of water.

As a result, the rules for Fishing in a Boat now include these additional requirements:
?? There is now one restroom across the lake near Bucktail Bay. You may beach your boat between the orange markers in order to use the restroom. There is no fishing while beached at the Restroom Landing. Beaching of a boat anywhere else is prohibited. Beaching your boat anywhere except at the restroom landing may result in immediate loss of boat privileges and possible eviction from the lake. Beaching your boat on the curtain, driving into the curtain or tying up to the curtain may also result in immediate loss of boat privileges and possible eviction from the lake.
?? The 100 foot rule is now in effect in all areas where there is shoreline fishing
?? Casting near or over the curtain may result in snagging. You cast at your own risk. We are not responsible for anything you lose.

You may fish on the shoreline in the areas where the curtain is in the water. Casting near or over the curtain may result in snagging. You cast at your own risk. We are not responsible for anything you lose.

We recognize that these conditions are not ideal for fishing. We request that you work with us and understand that they are necessary to allow Lake Poway to recover from the effects of the fire damage.

Quagga Mussels -The Quagga mussel is not in Lake Poway. It is known that there are Quagga mussels in other lakes. In order to protect the integrity of the Lake Poway water system the following temporary restrictions are now in effect. Until further notice, the following items are prohibited at Lake Poway:

?? Float tubes
?? Private motors and anchors
?? Live Bait Containers
?? Fish Finders
?? Floating Catch Baskets
?? Live Bait (shiners, crawdads, etc) from any source other than the Lake Poway Concession
?? Any other items, determined by Staff, to be potential contaminants

No Smoking at Lake Poway -Smoking is prohibited on Lake Poway, in the park and on the trails. Smoking is only permitted in the designated smoking area that is located on the Northeast side of the Lake Poway Grill & Tackle building.

INFORMATION: Lake Poway Information Line: (858) 668-4770, Lake Poway Grill & Tackle: (858) 486-1234