Volunteers were hard at work this Wednesday morning planting several thousand trout in Isabella Lake for the 24th Annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby being held this weekend.

More than 30 volunteers used nets to lift trout from holding pens located off of French Gulch Marina and load them into tanks on waiting boats. The fish were then transported in specially equipped tanks assuring ample oxygen until they were planted along shoreline around the lake.

The fish, which have been fed by dedicated volunteers three times a day since November, handled the final stage of transportation beautifully.

Official tagging of an additional 1000 trout will take place on Friday and will be placed into the lake ready to make fishermen's dreams come true on Saturday.

Come join in the fun this weekend. Great weather, lots of water and some fine looking trout await you at Isabella Lake!