The Greater Maple Valley – Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Maple Valley Rotary and the City of Maple Valley, presents the 17th annual celebration of “Hooked On Fishing” Opening Day Trout Season on Lake Wilderness! The fun begins at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon with tent camping in Lake Wilderness Park. The fishing derby begins at Midnight and the Rotary Fishermens breakfast begins at 5:00 a.m. with all events concluding at noon on Saturday.
The event includes the trout derby with prizes for almost everyone (derby ticket $2) and the tagged fish derby ($5 ticket must be purchased prior to midnight on Friday). Fish school for young anglers 9 and under opens at 6:30 a.m. on the dock. Maple Valley Rotary also fires up the grill for hamburgers and hot dogs at 5 p.m. Friday night.
For this once a year event, the City is allowing limited overnight tent camping in The Park for derby participants only. (NO RV’s -parking is limited to one space per participant! Additional boat trailer parking will be available at the Maple Valley Community Center) Campers will be able to register and set up campsites beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday evening.
Tagged Fish Ticket sales begin in early April at these selected locations:
• BECU in the Maple Valley Town Square
• Johnsons Home & Garden
• Maple Valley Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce
• Wilderness Auto Service & Chevron in Wilderness Village
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday – April 26
3 p.m. – Camping In The Park, BECU tent
All Trout Derby Tickets On Sale
5-9 p.m. – Hot Dogs & Hamburgers on sale by Maple Valley Rotary
6-7 p.m. – Fun & Games with Team Fred Meyer
7-8 p.m. – Big Fish Tales on the Beach – Story Time presented by THS Interact Club
Dusk – Outdoor Movie “Cars” sponsored by Black Diamond Maple Valley Kiwanis Club
Midnight -Tagged Fish Tickets Close
Saturday – April 27
12:01 a.m. – Derby Starts
5 a.m. – Maple Valley Rotary Breakfast until 11:30a.m.
6:30-10:30 a.m. – Fish School at the Fish Pen, 9 yrs., and under – sponsored by Maple Valley Vision & Hearing Clinic
Free ‘Fins & Grins’ photo Op sponsored by RE/Max Select Real Estate- Tina McDonough & Cody McDonough
11:30 a.m. – $2 Tickets Sales Close
Derby ends and you must be in line for Weigh-In
Noon – Awards sponsored by Les Schwab
3 p.m. – Campground Closes: Park closes at dusk
Fishing Derby Rules
There are 4 ways to win a prize with your $2 derby ticket; Must be present to win:
- “Top 50”:Enter one of the 50 largest trout caught from the lake, (not the net pen fish school). Your fish must be weighed/measured at the official weigh station by noon. KEEP YOUR TICKET, you will select your “quality” top 50 prize in order (biggest fish first) at the end of the derby and surrender your ticket when you pick your prize.
- “Top 51-100”: Fall in the 51-100 range? Same rules as Top 50 apply but you will select a prize from a special table prior to the unveiling of the Top 50. KEEP YOUR TICKET and surrender it after you pick your prize.
- “Get It Now”:Choose to not wait, and select from the “Get It Now” prize table. Also if/when your fish falls out of the “Top 100” group (as posted at derby headquarters) you should select your prize immediately from this table. All fish caught/entered from the Fish School Net Pen will receive their prize here. You must surrender your ticket when you receive your prize.
- “It’s Not Over Yet”:All those who caught their fish in Lake Wilderness outside the net pen fish school, AND selected their prize from the “Get It Now” table may enter their derby ticket in this drawing for 5 additional “quality” prizes to be drawn at the end of the derby. Tickets must be deposited before 12:00 noon. ANY SIZE FISH CAN WIN!
The $5 Tagged Fish Ticket: Ticket must be purchased before midnight Friday, April 26, 2019. Tagged fish, if caught, must be accompanied by an official “tagged fish” derby ticket and verified by the derby chairman before 12:00 noon on April 27, 2019. Cash Prize for catching the tagged fish is $300.00.
Tagged Fish Tickets are on sale in early April at these locations: •Johnsons Home & Garden •Wilderness Auto Service & Chevron •BECU, Maple Valley Town Square •Chamber Office
For the up-to-date Parking Information and Campsite Registration on our event calendar go to https://www.maplevalleychamber.org/schedule/maple-valley-featured-events/hooked-on-fishing/2018-04-27
All Washington State Fishing Regulations must be obeyed see their website at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing.
