Toni Young, an accounts payable employee at Black Bird Shopping Center in Medford, was there in 1998 when the company hosted its first annual rainbow trout derby.

“It started out at Lost Creek (Lake) and just went from there,” she said Monday. “It’s gotten bigger and bigger.”

Young has worked for the company for 38 years.

“It’s just something we do because we like to give back to the community,” she said.

The next Black Bird Rainbow $5,000 trout derby is Saturday, June 24, at Diamond Lake, 85 road miles from Medford. Last year, 700 people registered. For every person registered, $1 goes to charity.

Cash prizes go to the anglers who catch the 30 biggest rainbow trout. Top prize is $1,000. The smallest prize is $50. The top five biggest fish caught by children 11 and younger win sporting goods. Five registrants will win $100 prizes.

Two prize boats cruise the lake handing out bags of goodies, including lures, candy and lip balm.

“If you’re wearing your Black Bird T-shirt, we try to throw it into your boat,” Young said. “We try to get to everybody.”

It might be a bit cool to wear a tee. The National Weather Service predicts that Friday through Sunday will be partly to mostly sunny, with high temperatures in the low 60s and overnight temperatures in the low 40s.

“A lot of people put it over their jackets,” Young said, referring to the T-shirts. “They’ve hung it from a pole.”

T-shirts go to the first 500 registrants.

For every entrant, $1 is slated to go to the Jackson County Community Long-term Recovery Group, which was organized in the wake of the 2020 Almeda and South Obenchain fires. People may donate larger amounts separately.

Participants must have a fishing license and must register and pay a $25 fee by the close of business Friday, June 23.

The Middle Rogue Steelheaders will act as weighmasters. If entries weigh the same, the tie-breaker is length. If those entries are the same length, then time of weigh-in is used to determine a winner.

Participants must agree to take a polygraph examination at the discretion of the tournament committee, although Young said there’s never been any cheating that she’s aware of.

The U.S. Forest Service is scheduled to have its campgrounds around the lake opened by Friday, though almost all of the 419 or so spots are already reserved, and the resort is full. All boat ramps are open and are expected to be busy.

The lake, known as “the gem of the Cascades,” has an 11-mile paved hiking and biking trail around it. A USFS guide to the lake advises visitors to “expect mosquitoes.”

Also, expect fish to be a little hard to catch, according to employees at the resort’s marina, where all the boats have been reserved or rented out for the weekend.

“I’m expecting that this bug hatch will slow the catch down,” marina employee Darien Dybowski said Monday. “I’m not going to lie to you. The fish do get kind of filled up on those bugs.”

He advised anglers to roll their bait in the bugs to attract fish. Dybowski said he’s seen four fish that have been close to four pounds.

Another marina employee, Hawley Puett, agreed that the fishing might be tough, although a few anglers have reached their limit.

“The last couple days have not been all that great,” Puett said. “It could be the weather. It could be the midges.”

“Bringing the fun over here is going to work,” she said.

Rainbow trout, which are the most widely stocked and distributed trout in the state, occur naturally in many rivers and streams and are stocked in ponds and lakes, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. They prefer cold, clear water.

Rainbow trout are variable in color and are often silvery with a light pink to red stripe along each side. They can reach up to 30 inches in length. Their diet consists of minnows, crayfish, insects and other small aquatic life, making them susceptible to a well-presented spinner, flatfish or fly.

Diamond Lake also has been stocked with tiger and brown trout, which are intended to assist in controlling illegally introduced tui chub and are catch-and-release only.

What: 2023 Black Bird Rainbow $5,000 Trout Derby.

When: Saturday, June 24.

Where: Diamond Lake.

Key rules: The 30 biggest fish win. Also, children 11 and under catching the five biggest fish in that age group win sporting goods. One fish per entrant may be weighed in. A fishing license is required.

Start time is one hour before sunrise. Last check-in to weigh a fish is 3 p.m. All fish must be freshly and legally caught at Diamond Lake.

First place is $1,000, second place is $750 and third place is $500, with smaller prizes for lower places, down to $50 prizes for places 21-30.

Entrants must register by the end of business on Friday, June 23. Register at the Black Bird Shopping Center, 1810 W. Main St. in Medford; at theblackbird.com; or at Diamond Lake Resort.