Power forward Kevin Garcia blows by an Escondido defender during VC’s 59-53 victory last Friday night. Photos by Lenny Kerbs If last Friday night’s encounter with nearby rival Escondido wasn’t exactly a must-win for the host Valley Center Jaguars, it was darn close. It was all but imperative that the Jags get it done against
This year’s event was exceptionally successful, with both attendance and fish landed increasing over several past years. The seventh annual tournament saw 174 people take part and in the process catch 166 fish. The tournament is hidden length in nature, so its winners are based on the luck of the draw. How the derby works is entrants catch their fish and photograph it with an entry given out at registration. Once any fish is caught and released, they return the form and the time of entry is noted. When the lengths are drawn, the person who has caught the fish closest to that length wins. In the event of a tie, the fish caught at the earlier time wins.