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The Derby began on April 26th at 6 a.m. and ended at 12 noon on April 27, 2025.
571 contestants of all ages fished Cachuma Lake during the tournament hoursand were also able to fish from shore at any time during the Derby including Saturday night. Nature Center volunteer, retired Division Chief Mike Marlow, fired the flare off at 6 a.m. at the harbor to start the Derby on Saturday.
This year’s event was attended by anglers of all ages with 571 registered to fish in the Derby and many others along for a weekend of camping and fun at Cachuma Lake & the Nature Center. This hardy lot of anglers (men, women, boys, and girls) fished in rain, sun, and even under rainbows! Best of all lots of fish were caught in all categories, making for happy anglers.
The Fish Derby is a benefit fund raiser for the Neal Taylor Nature Center which is located at Cachuma Lake and offers programs and exhibits on the history, flora, and fauna of Cachuma Lake and the Santa Ynez River Watershed.
61 volunteers planned and operated the derby, raffle and children’s activities bringing in over $38,000 through sponsorship, donations, and registrations with an additional $12,000+ in merchandise donations for door prizes and raffle prizes.
Awards Program
The Awards program held on Sunday, April 27th at 1 PM was emceed by the amazingly talented father and daughter team of Captain David Bacon & Captain Tiffany Vague. Captain Bacon and Captain Vague did a fantastic job with Alison McCullah, Jeff McDonald, and Julie McDonald on stage to help pass out raffle, door prizes and checks to the cash winners.
Two Very Special Fish Derby Families Remembered
The program got off to a wonderful start with the affectionately named “Hot Dog Hooligans” which included “Hot Dog” Heather’s parents (Dirk & Joy Levens) and friends passing out over 150 warm-in the bun hot dogs to the hot dog lovers in the crowd and “Peanut” Pam & Steve LoGuercio’s family tossing hundreds of bags of peanuts to attendees in celebration and memory of Pam and husband Steve and how much they loved the Derby!
The folks that attend the Derby annually have become like family to the Nature Center. Many of the participants first attended as kids with their parents and now are bringing their kids and in many cases, their kids, and grandkids! It is a fun-filled event for a great cause & the support of the community on such a caring level is a gift!
Beautiful Custom Rod:
Later in the program, Captain David Bacon auctioned off his daughter’s high performance, hand wrapped and designed rod that she handcrafted for this event. This year’s design was pirate themed! Tiffany is a skilled fisherwoman and an artist. She has melded these two passions and skills into being one of the top handmade custom rod designers in the world! The rod was hand crafted by Tiffany and made for fresh water and/or ocean fishing. This beautiful rod was auctioned off and the winning bid was made by Thomas Workman of Colfax, California. A special thank you to Captain Tiffany Vague for this generous donation and to Thomas Workman for his generous winning bid.
FISH DERBY 2025 – WINNERS
$599 Heaviest Trout Caught
WINNER: Brian McElhiney, age 66 from Oxnard
Trout / 7.63lbs. / 25.5”
Donated by
Tracy Angel in Memory of Raymond Angel
$300 2nd Heaviest Trout Caught
WINNER: Julies Hain, age 70 from Lompoc
Trout / 7.58lbs. / 24”
$599 Heaviest Bass Caught
WINNER: Kayla Maher age 30 from Lompoc
Bass / 4.41lbs. / 20.5”
Donated by
Jerry & Sandi Witcher
$300 2nd Heaviest Bass Caught
WINNER: Van Lang, age 12 from Santa Ynez
Bass / 4.41lbs. / 19.5”
$599 Heaviest Crappie Caught
WINNER: Kelly Holcomb, age 33 from Templeton
Crappie / 1.9 lbs. / 15”
$300 2nd Heaviest Crappie Caught
WINNER: Kyle Perez, age 36 from Arroyo Grande
Crappie / 1.68lbs. / 14”
$599 Heaviest Catfish Caught
WINNER: Max Diamond, age 7 from Carpinteria
Catfish / 7.8lbs. / 24.5”
Donated by
Dr. Bill and Vivien Foran
$300 2nd Heaviest Catfish Caught
WINNER: Waylon Estes, age 8 from Santa Maria
Catfish / 6.35 lbs. / 24.25”
Donated by
Dr. Bill and Vivien Foran
$300 Heaviest Carp Caught
WINNER: Bodhi Druckman, age 11 from Goleta
Carp / 11.02 lbs. / 27.5”
Donated by
Ian Eldridge in Memory of Jodi Ellsworth
$150 2nd Heaviest Carp Caught
WINNER: Bryan Belluz, age 39 from Lompoc
Carp / 8.68 lbs. / 26.5”
$125 Heaviest Fish caught by Girl 11-15 yrs.
WINNER: Chloe King, age 12 from Solvang
Bass / 2.73 lbs. / 17.75”
Donated by
Dennis Wynn
$100 2nd Heaviest Fish caught by Girl 11-15 yrs.
WINNER: Allana Gaytan, age 13 from Lompoc
Trout / 2.69 lbs. / 19”
Donated by
Linda Small
$50 3rd Heaviest Fish caught by Girl 11-15 yrs.
WINNER: Sadie Palmer, age 11 from Filmore
Bass / 2.38 lbs. / 16
$25 4th Heaviest Fish caught by Girl 11-15 yrs.
WINNER: Hannah Hirsch, age 13 from Lompoc
Bass / 2.2 lbs. / 16.5”
$125 Heaviest Fish caught by Boy 11-15 yrs.
WINNER: Bodhi Druckman, age 11 from Goleta
Carp / 11.02 lbs. / 27.5”
$100 2nd Heaviest Fish caught by Boy 11-15 yrs.
WINNER: George Taylor, age 14 from Santa Barbara
Trout / 6.01 lbs. / 25”
$50 3rd Heaviest Fish caught by Boy 11-15 yrs.
WINNER: Van Lang, age 12 from Santa Ynez
Bass / 4.41 lbs. / 19.5”
Donated by
James Eldridge III
$25 4th Heaviest Fish caught by Boy 11-15 yrs.
WINNER: Mateo Pena, age 14 from Lompoc
Bass / 3.17 lbs. / 18.25”
Donated by
Linda Small
$125 The Dutch Wilson Prize (the fish caught by the oldest angler)
WINNER: James Lemp, age 80 from Filmore
Trout / 6.35 lbs. / 24”
Donated by
Craig Juratsh & Jill Moulton
$250 with $25 ea. to first 10 kids 10 yrs. & under to catch a fish! ($25 prize &1 rod per kid)
Winner #1: Abigail Belluz – age 6 from Lompoc
Bass / 0.92lbs. / 13”
Winner #2: Blaine Evans; age 6 from Buellton
Bass / 1.63lbs. /15-3/4”
Winner #3: Max Diamond; age 7 from Carpinteria
Bass / 1.1 lbs. / 14.5”
Winner #4: Adilyn Batchelor age 9 from Santa Maria
Trout / 0.35 lbs. / 13”
Winner #5: Duke Harmony age 7 from Goleta
Crappie / 0.66 / 11.5”
Winner #6: Remington Abundis age 9 from Santa Barbara
Bass / 0.97 lbs. / 13.25”
Winner #7: Waylon Estes age 8 from Santa Maria
Crappie / 0.84 lbs. / 13”
Winner #8: Dane Harmony age 5 from Goleta
Crappie / 0.84 lbs. / 12”
Winner #9: Ariana Hernandez age 7 from Goleta
Bass / 2.07 lbs. / 17.25’
Winner #10: Maxwell Emerson age 10 from Auburn
Bass / 1.28 lbs. / 13.75 “
$250 Donated by
Vince & Linda Gomez
10 Rods
Donated by
Hook, Line, Sinker (Ben Miller)
The Fish Derby is the major fundraiser for the Neal Taylor Nature Center, which is a non-profit organization that operates the Nature Center
FISH DERBY SPONSORS
A Fundraising Benefit for the
Neal Taylor Nature Center a Nonprofit Organization, and in Cooperation with Cachuma Lake Recreation Area
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
Mechanics Bank
Schafer Family Foundation
In Memory of Johnny
Royal Coachman
Dr. Bill & Vivien Foran
Stevens & Associates Insurance Agency, Inc
The Filter Factory, Inc
MarBorg Industries
Vague Rods & Mike Lum
Derby Sponsor
Tracy Angel in Memory of Ray Angel
Jerry & Sandi Witcher
Dr. Lowell & Shirley McLellan
Buellton Rotary Club Foundation
Brian & Kris Kittle
Leo & Patti Sandow
Rotary Club of Los Olivos
ExplorUS, Advenco LLC
James & Christine Gaskin
Rincon Broadcasting
Santa Barbara Currents
News Channel ABC, NBC, FOX & TELEMUNDO TV
Thank you to our volunteers and many generous donors!
About the Neal Taylor Nature Center
Neal Taylor Nature Center (NTNC) is located within Cachuma Recreational Area in a picturesque old ranch house. Developed and operated by a corps of committed volunteers, it offers exhibits on the local valley and mountain environment for all ages, emphasizing hands-on exhibits for children of all ages.
Nature Center & Gift Store Hours
Thursday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sundays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Nature Center Admission: Donations Appreciated
