TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Despite the rain expected to wet the San Joaquin Valley this weekend, the 3rd Annual Buena Vista Trout Derby will still be the best local spot to catch a limit of lunker trout Saturday and Sunday. Planted with nearly two tons of fighting rainbow trout, plus the holdover fish from other recent plants, the event promises outstanding fishing for all entrants.

Anglers can expect the trout to eat well on Saturday but the bite should improve on Sunday when more and more fish get acclimated to their new home in Lake Evans. The fish will be hungry after ridding themselves of any hatchery truck illnesses after being planted late in the week, so be prepared to fish both days.

My favorite techniques vary with the activity level of the fish. Right after the start of the event, I expect a lot of the rainbows will pursue and strike shiny lures like Kastmasters and Roostertails. Many larger fish are taken during the first few hours of any derby, so be ready to do battle with some extra large trout right away. Smooth drags are the rule, believe me.

By the way, the best trick to lure fishing for trout isn't a trick at all, but a simple sharpening stone to keep the hooks needle sharp at all times. I'll even go so far as to slightly open up the gap on the hooks I use to ensure solid hookups with the gossamer lines I tend to use.

After the initial bite wears off, I'll probably switch over to a small, mini-jig-type lure with a plastic skirt. Far and away my favorite choices, "Canyon Lures Mini Jigs" are at the top of their class for quality hooks, skirt longevity and color combination. These lures work best with light lines in the 2- to- 4-pound test range and the trout will occasionally want the jigs suspended under a small bobber.

Tipping the artificial with a live meal worm also draws a ton of strikes. Adding a drop of super glue to the head will also help prevent the skirts from tearing or falling off the tiny 1/16-ounce heads I use.

While "Power Baits" in varied colors and "tastes" have been the rule over the years, so far this season, the best baits seem to have been night crawler combinations fished just above the bottom. Injecting the worms with a shot of air will keep the baits squirming right in the faces of the fish, rather than forcing them to dig the baits off the mucky bottom. Also, my friends and I have found that shorter 10- to 14-inch leaders are working better than the traditional 2-or-3-foot ones most people use, so experiment.

Baby boomer fishing class

With most of the Baby Boomer generation retiring or getting ready to, the "Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning" will hold an evening "Learn to Fish" class at Bakersfield College on Feb. 21. Intended for Boomers 50 or older, the class will cover basic fishing skills for those under the premise that many Boomers might like to "go fishing" when they retire, but their careers simply did not afford them the time to learn how.

And, at the risk of turning off the majority of already interested parties, the instructor will be no other than yours truly, which may smell fishy to some of you, which it's supposed to, I guess. I'll be addressing simple and extremely effective methods for knot tying, bait and lure selection, light line finesse fishing, structure and cover concepts, rod and reel selections, targeted species, fish fighting concepts, local hotspots, timing of local fish runs, casting and state regulations.

There is a nominal $10 fee to cover the class materials -- a very low cost for learning to fish for a lifetime. The adage about "give a man a fish feeds him for a day, but teach him to fish feeds him for a lifetime" has no greater truth than what this class has to offer. Contact Dianne Hardisty (661) 330-2417 for more information.

NRA dinner and auction

The Southern Valley Friends of the NRA invites the public to attend the 2012 NRA Dinner and Auction Fundraiser held Feb. 3 at the Elks Lodge, 1616 30th St., in Bakersfield. Live and silent auctions, plus special drawings for limited edition firearms, custom knives, NRA commissioned art and a Ladies Merchandise Raffle headline a night of fun.

Sponsor/dinner table packages are still available. Contact Cyndi Benson (661) 205-8569; Kari Auge (661) 316-7959 or John Lindgren (661) 699-4568 for more important information.