It's all about the fish

With the annual Brite Lake Fishing Derby scheduled for April 18, the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Park District sought out the restocking of Brite Lake with fish that make fishing exciting.

Although the Fish and Game Department is restocking the lake, as it does each year, there are additional Rainbow Trout being added to the lake, especially for this year’s Derby.

“We checked with the Rec. Department up at Lake Isabella and they were stocking their lake with ‘Nebraska Tailwalkers’, so we contacted a fish hatchery in Nebraska and now we will be stocking the lake with 1,000 pounds of these Rainbow Trout,” Recreation Supervisor LeeAnn Williams said.

Two to 10 pound Tailwalkers will be added to the Brite Lake on April 15.

“We will be closing down access to the lake on the fiftieth, sixteenth, and seventeenth to give the fish time to adjust to their new habitat,” Williams said.

The lake will be open on Saturday, April 18 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the annual derby.

“We choose the Nebraska Tailwalkers because the fish tend to jump and are said to, at times, appear to walk on their tails,” William said. Which makes it fun to fish for them.

“The fishermen are very excited that we are bringing in the Tailwalkers for this derby,” Williams admitted.

This year’s Fishing Derby has Albertson’s, Bank of the Sierra, Big Papa’s, Big Willy and Benz Sanitation to thank for their sponsorships, Williams acknowledged.

“We are still selling the armbands so you can avoid the long lines on derby day and we will be taking early sign-ups as well,” Williams reminds.

For more info about participating in, or being a spectator at, the annual Brite Lake Fishing Derby contact the TVRP at 661-822-3228, come into the District office at 490 West “D” Street or go to TVRPD.org Brite Lake is located at 22902 Banducci Rd, Tehachapi.