Looking for another reason to get on the water? How about the Midwest Walleye Challenge? The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is partnering with MyCatch by Angler’s Atlas on a statewide walleye fishing challenge that includes all inland waters and runs through June 30.
The MyCatch mobile app maintains anonymous location data, so anglers’ secret spots stay secret, while Michigan DNR fisheries biologists get valuable information – generalized lake and river catch data entered via the app – to better assess and manage walleye populations. Specific catch locations from anglers are not listed on public leaderboards.
“We’re interested to see what new information we can learn from Midwest Walleye Challenge participation,” said Seth Herbst, manager of the DNR Fisheries Division’s Research Section. “We have hundreds of waters in the state where we manage for walleye, but because of the vast amount of lakes and rivers in Michigan we have a limited ability to monitor the status of those fisheries.
“The challenge provides a unique opportunity to supplement our survey data and have a better understanding of the status of walleye populations throughout the state. In particular, we are excited to learn whether our walleye stocking efforts are resulting in successful trips for anglers. The more anglers who join this challenge, the better data we’ll have for future management decisions.”
The challenge
This year’s challenge includes several states across the Midwest and into Canada as part of a larger fisheries research project funded by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
Michigan anglers compete only against Michigan anglers for biweekly prizes, while all catches from across the Midwest qualify for the grand prize drawings at the end of the event. Full details about prizes and qualifications are available on the prizes tab of the main event webpage.
Participants can choose the free entry option to qualify for noncash prizes or pay the $25 fee to qualify for all prizes, including cash payouts.
