Plan to attend the Watonga Trout Derby, March 6-8 at Roman Nose State Park.
The event is co-sponsored this year by the Friends of Roman Nose State Park and the Watonga Chamber of Commerce.
Pre-registration is available this year. Contact the Watonga Chamber of Commerce office at (580) 623-5452 for details. On-site registration will begin at 7 a.m. each morning and continue through 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
All fish must be weighed in by 3 p.m. Sunday, which will mark the end of the derby.
The three-day event gives fishermen an opportunity to catch tagged trout for prizes. One hundred tagged trout are put in the lake in conjunction with the normal trout stocking done by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. A drawing from the tags of all registered trout will determine the $300.00 grand prize cash winner. A $100.00 Sr. division and a $50.00 Jr. division prize will be given for the heaviest stringer or trout and will be awarded at the close of the derby. All tagged trout are worth cash or gifts.
An exciting new feature of this year’s Trout Derby is the addition of a guaranteed boat give-away. One registration will be drawn to win a Bass Brat sponsored by Buster Boats of Stillwater, OK., equipped with an aerated live well/ice chest, depth finder and troll motor.
Also, this year’s prizes will once again include an opportunity to win a pickup with a value of at least $20,000.00. You must be 18 years of age with a valid driver’s license & be a registered participant of the 2009 Trout Derby.
The winning numbered tagged trout for the pickup will be randomly selected prior to the start of the derby by the sponsor of the truck. The lucky winner of this truck will be a derby registrant having caught the matching tagged trout during the event. There will only be one tagged trout eligible to determine the winner of the pickup.