It was a dark and rainy morning as the first fishermen arrived at Lake Hennessey for the annual George Carl Kids’ Fishing Derby.

Members of the Active 20-30 Club of Napa diligently set up the check-in station near the launch ramp as the downpour increased to “buckets” intensity.

But many young anglers were undeterred by the unseasonably wet weather.

Clad in raincoats, mud boots, and even a few umbrellas, kids took up positions with their parents along the shoreline and in boats to see what they might find to bite their hook that day.

The fish that found hooks were not great in numbers, but there were some real lunkers brought in! The biggest fish of the day was landed by 5-year-old Damian Vargas, who hauled in a monster 20-inch bass!

Being a true sportsman, Damian released the fish back into the lake immediately after measuring.

Winning first place in the 8-11 age group was Rocky Pence with his 151⁄2-inch largemouth bass.

Unfortunately, these were the only two entrants in the bass category this year. It seems the unstable weather had put these fish off the bite.

It takes real skill and determination to land a nice bass on days like this, so congratulations to Damian and Rocky for their catches!

Likewise was the story in the bluegill category, as the inclement skies dampened that bite as well. But this didn’t stop young Ben Franklin from fooling a hefty 111⁄2-inch bluegill, good for a first-place trophy in the 8-11 age group and a nice prize!

Coming in just barely before the noon final buzzer was the only other bluegill of the day. Alisha Cilluffo scored first place in the 3-7 age group with her 101⁄4-inch catch.

In the trout category, in most years of this derby, the leader board has been filled from top to bottom with entries.

The Department of Fish & Game normally does a special trout stocking on the day of the derby, providing plenty of hungry trout for the catching.

In past years there have been so many trout entered, that only the biggest few in each age group qualified for awards.

But in 2009, thanks to our overzealous environmentalist “friends” and their legal shenanigans, trout stocking is temporarily banned at Lake Hennessey while they study the potential impacts these planted trout have on other wildlife.

So with no new trout plants since last summer, there was but one lonely entry in that category this year.

Zack Graham searched high and low all over the lake, and finally found a trout.

His 103⁄4-inch rainbow earned him first place in the 8-11 age group.

With the fish feeling uncooperative, some kids turned their attention to catching other kinds of creatures.

The “anything that swims” category was expanded to “anything that breathes” to accommodate creative entries such as lizards, salamanders and millipedes.

Perhaps the most unusual entry was by youngster Kyle Yenor, who brought in a baby bird that had fallen from its nest.

The bird was quickly measured (51⁄2-inch wingspan), and then Kyle climbed the tree and returned the frightened bird to its home.

Kyle was awarded a trophy for his efforts.

Though registering at this derby is not required before fishing, all kids who checked in any time during the morning received a personalized certificate of participation, a set of hooks and night crawlers, and other goodies.

All winners received a trophy and prizes of fine fishing tackle donated by Sweeney’s Sports.

Additional donations and support were provided by Wal Mart, Frye’s Printing and Gaw Van Male.

The event organizers estimated that between 75 and 100 kids participated in the derby.

Though not the kind of numbers seen in past years, it was great to see so many come out even in the questionable weather.

And those who stuck around until mid-morning saw the rain subside and a few hints of sunshine break through.

Despite the meteorological and political events that conspired against anglers, kids had great fun and enjoyed a day in the outdoors.

Guy Carl is a CPA and partner with BDCo Accountants and Advisors in St. Helena (www.bdcocpa.com). Contact Guy at GC.outdoors@sbcglobal.net.