The lake shimmered with reflected sunlight as a light breeze grazed its surface, sending cascading ripples across it. Many fishing lines were cast into the water of Dixon Lake, Escondido, each coming from different fishers but with a common goal: to catch the largest fish. Royce Neal (10), among other contestants, carefully observed his line. His gaze followed the school of fish nearby when suddenly, a swift force almost toppled him off the shoreline. There was tension coming from his line. He tightened his grip on the rod before reeling in the fish to reveal his first-ever lightning trout that granted him the grand prize of the 2025 Dixon Lake Kiwanis Trout Derby, Nov. 22.
This fishing competition was a two-day tournament with more than 2,000 local fishing enthusiasts coming together to compete and connect with each other. All the proceeds from the event went towards supporting low-income families of Escondido. Neal said this was the largest local fishing event he knew of, but also one he was not expecting to win a grand prize for.
“I was hoping to catch my first trout of the season, because that was the first time I’ve gone trout fishing [this season],” Neal said. “I wasn’t really caring about the [competition] because I’ve gone multiple years before. I hadn’t caught a fish large enough to [win] it, though. So there wasn’t really anything on the line for me. But this year, the very first fish I caught ended up being the 5.18-pound lightning trout, which entered and won the competition.”
After years of experience, the opportunity had finally arrived for him. Neal said he was proud after catching the grand prize-winning fish.
“I was on the shore when I cast my line,” Neal said. “I saw this big lightning trout that I hadn’t seen yet right in front of me, which went exactly vertical right on top of it. I [first] thought that it passed my lure, but then, I felt tension. I assumed that I was snagged because there were a lot of weeds in that area. I reeled it in, then I just saw the big yellow flash of the trout I had just seen. It was definitely the hardest fight of a trout I’ve had yet. It wasn’t [because] of long runs, but it would just go left and right, and into debris. It was trying to find any possible way to cut the line. I was using a normal mini jigging technique but really slow. It was just trial and error with those finicky trouts. I did not expect to catch it at all. I was super excited because that was my first lightning trout, and I was scared because I barely had it hooked. Less than a centimeter of his mouth was caught.”
The five-pound trout won Neal the grand prize of the event, meaning his fish was the largest out of all fish from all divisions of the competition. He had also received $150 from the Kiwanis Escondido organization for his prize. Neal said he has come a long way to reach where he is now.
“I’ve been fishing for my entire life,” Neal said. “I started fishing because my dad liked fishing. I would go with him now and then when I was younger, I started to really like it, so my dad got me my first fishing rod. After that, my uncle started taking me on boats. I feel like that kickstarted it. Then I started to ask to go constantly, just got better at it, and asked for stuff related to fishing for Christmas. I just grew [my passion] from there.”
This hobby which was deeply integrated into his family tradition had quickly become a critical part of his life.
“I liked fishing when I first started it,” Neal said. “I enjoyed it, and fish are cool. I love spending time with my friends and family while fishing, too. The more I did it, the more I fell in love with the sport. Now it’s my favorite thing to do.”
He said fishing not only allows him to strengthen the bonds with his loved ones but also makes him feel a sense of accomplishment and joy.
“Another part of it is the feeling when you work hard, and you catch a fish,” Neal said. “It’s super rewarding knowing that you put in all these efforts like paying for your own gear, paying for the trip, taking cast after cast, and more. Then you end up catching the fish because you put in that work. It’s definitely a break from everything that’s going on with school and whatnot. If I ever get stressed about grades or tests, fishing is something that will totally distract my mind from those thoughts. And all I can think about is fishing itself.”
With fishing becoming such a significant part of his life, Neal said he hopes to pursue a future in fishing.
“I’m going to try to go to Cal Poly Maritime Academy,” Neal said. “My future goal is to own my own six-pack private charter boat, which is a really nice boat that people pay to go out on. I want to captain a boat and go out there to fish for life.”
