- $5,600+ in Cash Prizes
- Over $38,000 raised for the Nature Center
- $12,000 + in Merchandise Prizes Awarded
- 535 men, women, and children registered.
THANK YOU to our many generous donors and volunteers!
Neal Taylor Nature Center’s 29th Annual Fish Derby
The Derby began on April 18th at 6 a.m. and ended at 12 noon on April 19, 2026. 535 contestants of all ages fished Cachuma Lake during the tournament hours and were also able to fish from shore at any time during the Derby, including Saturday night. Nature Center volunteer, William “Ross” Ross, 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 535 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 from the break of dawn on Saturday through Sunday at 12 noon, enjoying light winds and lots of sunshine! Best of all, lots of fish were caught in all categories, making for happy anglers. The Fish Derby is a benefit fundraiser 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.
45 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 19th 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 and Julie McDonald on stage to help pass out raffle, door prizes, and checks to the cash winners.
New Cash Prize This Year Donated by Schafer Family Foundation in honor of Johnny Schafer
Johnny had an unwavering love for trout fishing which began at a young age ice fishing with his dad and brother. His interest grew over time leading him to fly fish, tying his own flies, and spending time in incredible places like Mammoth Lakes and Alaska. He became a champion for the protection of trout and religiously practiced catch and release. To memorialize Johnny’s incredible life and love of fishing, the Schafer Family Foundation donated an incredibly generous $5000, and dedicated the award for the longest trout to him.
Two Very Special Fish Derby Families Remembered
The program got off to a wonderful start with the affectionately named “Hot Dog Heather and her Hooligans” which included “Hot Dog” Heather’s parents (Dirk & Joy Levens) and dear friends Chuck & Dianna Bente to make and then deliver over 200 warm-in the bun hot dogs to the hot dog lovers in the crowd and “Peanut” Pam & Steve LoGuercio’s family better known as the “Gang on the Hill” 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 who 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 Auction
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 in honor of Chumash and Native American culture and tribes. The hand-wrapped design glimmered in the sun and besides being a high-performance rod, it was absolutely beautiful!
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 handcrafted by Tiffany and made for freshwater 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 Winners
$599 Longest Trout Caught
Donated by Schafer Family Foundation in honor of Johnny Schafer
WINNER: Brian McElhiney Jr, age 39 from Camarillo, CA
Trout / 5.11 lbs. / 24”
$599 Heaviest Trout Caught
Donated by Tracy Angel in memory of Ray Angel
WINNER: Brian McElhiney Jr, age 39 from Camarillo, CA
Trout / 5.11 lbs. / 24”
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$300 2nd Heaviest Trout Caught
Donated by Charles Faulding
WINNER: Rawad Fadil, age 30+ from Santa Maria
Trout / 4.63 lbs. / 22”
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$599 Heaviest Bass Caught
Donated by Sandi & Jerry Witcher
WINNER: Martin Brian, age 48
Bass / 4.76 lbs. / 20.75”
$300 2nd Heaviest Bass Caught
Donated by Lee Geisler, and Troy Stewart on behalf of Channel City Lumber
WINNER: Lee Geisler, from Santa Ynez
Bass / 4.41lbs. / 19.5”
$599 Heaviest Crappie Caught
Donated by Matt Naretto - on behalf of Nargan Fire & Safety
WINNER: Brian McElhiney Sr, age 67 from Camarillo, CA
Crappie / 5.11 lbs. / 24”
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$300 2nd Heaviest Crappie Caught
Donated by Hauling 24/7, LLC owner Hayden Aquilon
WINNER: Andrew Arrastia, age 39 from Santa
Crappie / 1.50 lbs. / 15”
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$599 Heaviest Catfish Caught
Donation of $300 by Special Team Plastering, owner Jaime Melgoza
WINNER: Eoner Guadarrama, age 44 from Santa Barbara
Catfish / 5.07 lbs. / 23.25”
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$300 2nd Heaviest Catfish Caught
Donated by Ian Eldridge in memory of John Eldridge and Jodi Ellsworth
WINNER: William Norman, age 6 from Santa Ynez
Catfish / 5.03 lbs. / 24”
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$300 Heaviest Carp Caught
Donated by Leo & Patti Sandow
WINNER: Lilian Guadarrama, age 12 from Santa Barbara
Carp / 9.87 lbs. / 25 3⁄4"
$150 2nd Heaviest Carp Caught
Donated by James and Christine Gaskin, Paula Hill, Robert Mainer
WINNER: Bodhi Druckman, age 12 from Goleta
Carp / 8.95 lbs. / 27.5"
$125 Heaviest Fish caught by Girl 11-15 yrs.
Donated by Judy Duncan
WINNER: Lilian Guadarrama, age 12 from Santa Barbara
Carp / 9.87 lbs. / 25 3⁄4"
$100 2nd Heaviest Fish caught by Girl 11-15 yrs.
Donated by Paula Hill
WINNER: Katie Rodriguez, age 11
Trout / 2.91 lbs. / 20.5”
$50 3rd Heaviest Fish caught by Girl 11-15 yrs.
Donated by Chris Farro
WINNER: Chloe King, age 13 from Solvang
Catfish / 2.73 lbs. / 19.75”
$25 4th Heaviest Fish caught by Girl 11-15 yrs.
Donated by Julie McDonald in honor of Jeff McDonald
WINNER 1: Chloe King, age 13 from Solvang
Trout / 2.20 lbs./ 18.5”
WINNER 2: Rosalie Shaw, age 12 from Maricopa
Trout/ 2.20 lbs./ 18.5”
$125 Heaviest Fish caught by Boy 11-15 yrs.
Donated by Judy Duncan
WINNER: Bodhi Druckman, age 12 from Goleta
Carp / 8.95 lbs. / 27.5”
$100 2nd Heaviest Fish caught by Boy 11-15 yrs.
Donated by Judy Duncan
WINNER: Bodhi Druckman, age 11 from Goleta
Carp / 6.74 lbs. / 24.5”
$50 3rd Heaviest Fish caught by Boy 11-15 yrs.
Donated by James Eldridge III
WINNER: Jackson Morin, age 14 from Goleta
Carp / 6.61 lbs. / 24.5”
$25 4th Heaviest Fish caught by Boy 11-15 yrs.
Donated by Judy Duncan
WINNER: Lincoln Emerson, age 12 from Auburn
Carp / 5.25 lbs. / 23”
$125 The Dutch Wilson Prize (the fish caught by the oldest angler)
Donated by Craig Juratsch & Jill Moulton
WINNER: Gilbert Echevarria, age 81 from Santa Barbara
Trout / 2.56 lbs. / 19.75”
$250 ($25 each for first 10 kids 10 yrs. & under to catch a fish!
Donated by Mike DePonce
Winner #1: Dane Harmony. age 6 from Goleta
Bass / 1.28 lbs. / 15.25”
Winner #2: Waylon Estes, age 9 from Santa Maria
Trout / 2.42 lbs. / 19.34”
Winner #3: Abigail Belluz, - age 7 from Lompoc
Bass / 1.37lbs. / 15.50”
Winner #4: Bennett Evans, age 4 from Buellton
Blue Gil
Winner #5: Blain Evans, age 7 from Buellton
Blue Gil
Winner #6: Andrew Parra, age 8 from Santa Maria
Trout / 0.44 lbs. / 11.5”
Winner #7: Max Diamond, age 8 from Carpinteria
Bass / 0.71 lbs. / 12.5”
Winner #8: Mathew Parra, age 9 from Santa Maria
Bass / 0.88 lbs. / 12.5”
Winner #9: Bodhi DuMong, age 6 from Santa Barbara
Bass /0.48 lbs. / 12.5”
Winner #10: Adam Enticknep, age 5
Crappie / 0.53 lbs. / 12.75 “
A rod each for the first 10 kids 10 yrs. & under to catch a fish!
10 Rods Donated by Hook, Line, & Sinker – Owner, Ben Miller
FISH DERBY SPONSORS
A Fundraising Benefit for the Neal Taylor Nature Center a Nonprofit Organization, and in Cooperation with Cachuma Lake Recreation Area.
Silver Sponsor
Schafer Family Foundation in
Honor of Johnny Schafer
Bronze Sponsor
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
Mechanics Bank
Rotary District 5240 including Clubs of Solvang, Santa Ynez, Buellton, Los Olivos, & Lompoc
Royal Coachman
Dr. Bill & Vivien Foran
El Rancho Market
Vague Rods
Derby Sponsor
Tracy Angel in Memory of Ray Angel
Jerry & Sandi Witcher
Matt Naretto on behalf of Nargan Fire & Safety
Dr. Lowell & Shirley McLellan
Dr. Craig Juratsch & Jill Moulton; Judy Duncan; Mike Lum
Brian & Kris Kittle
Rotary Club of Solvang
ExplorUS, Advenco LLC; MarBorg Industries
Rincon Broadcasting
News Channel ABC, NBC, FOX & TELEMUNDO TV
A very special thank you to our merchandise donors that make our raffle, door prizes, and other derby activities possible:
All 2026 Fish Derby Donors (in Alphabtical Order)
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: Donation
