Al’s Ark Striper Derby this weekend

The North Bay’s popular fishing contest, the Al’s Ark Striper Derby, which starts tomorrow (Saturday), has Sonoma Valley roots that go back many decades.

It was established in honor of the late Al Church, who passed away in 1983.

Local contractor Ron Church, Al’s son, is still the sponsor of the contest, which attracts 150 to 200 participants every year.

His father, Albert William Church was born and raised in Sonoma Valley at his family ranch in Schellville. He was a tugboat captain on San Francisco Bay by day and an avid hunter and fisherman the rest of the time. His name regularly appeared in Jordan Basileu’s fishing and hunting column in the Index-Tribune.

Al had a houseboat, which locals called “Al’s Ark,” moored in the southern part of Sonoma Valley in Napa Slough Number 2, not far from the Skaggs Island Naval Station.

With his ark as his base, Al could spend a lot of time catching the striped bass that used to prowl our local sloughs in large numbers well into the 1960s and 1970s. It was not far from Al’s Ark that I caught my first striped bass as a boy fishing off the bank with my dad.

Ron Church sponsored the first Al’s Ark Derby in 1984 and has kept it going ever since.

Bill Basileu, who succeeded his dad, Jordan, as the hunting and fishing columnist for I-T, won both first and second place in that first derby in 1984 with a 34-1/2-pound striped bass and a 14-1/2-pounder. Sonoman Ray Brunton took third place with a 13-1/2-pound striper. Jim Meehan took the booby prize with a three-pounder. Stripers as big Basileu’s are not as common these days, but the derby still attracts a lot of anglers.

You can still register today for the contest at the following locations: In Sonoma at Steiner’s Tavern on First Street West, or at Sweeney’s Sports at 1537 Imola in Napa and at the Napa Sea Ranch at 3333 Cuttings Wharf Road.

The entry fee is $30, $15 for kids under 15.

Virtually all of the entry fees are returned to participants as cash prizes. The first place winner usually takes home more than $500. There will also be awarded in the women’s and kids divisions for the largest striper.

There are also awards for the sturgeon closest to the “target size,” which will be announced at 6 a.m. on Saturday. You can get that size by calling 938-0133 after 6 a.m.

Weigh-ins will be at Cuttings Wharf Boat Ramp, 6 Cuttings Wharf Road, Napa, both Saturday and Sunday between 4:30 and 5 p.m.

Camping is also available at Napa Sea Ranch. Sign in at the Fisherman’s Barn.

For more information contact Ron Church at 938-0133.

In other fishing news, I got a report from Steve Kyle that he and Patrick Shea caught lots of nice trout on the lower Sacramento River near Redding last week.

Guide Hogan Brown says that dry-fly fishing for trout on the lower Yuba River near Marysville has been good this week, the best he has seen in years. You can get more information by calling him at 530-514-2453.