Colorado Parks and Wildlife will be hosting the Elkhead Reservoir Fishing Classic starting on Saturday, June 21, at Elkhead Reservoir State Park. With nearly $10,000 in prizes, anglers of all ages are encouraged to participate.

Tournament angling will begin at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 21. Fish caught before the start of the tournament will not qualify. Tournament angling will conclude on Sunday, June 29. Anglers must have their catch of northern pike and or smallmouth bass for that day turned into the CPW fish scanning station by 3 p.m. on June 29 to qualify for tournament awards and prizes. Other than the tournament start time and final check-in of fish, there are no time restrictions on angling during the tournament.

There are no size or bag limits on northern pike and smallmouth bass at Elkhead Reservoir, and anglers have a chance to win multiple awards and prizes for legally harvesting these species during this nine-day tournament. One northern pike and one smallmouth bass will be tagged internally and released prior to the start of the tournament. The angler(s) who catches one or both of the tagged fish will receive $1,500 per tagged fish caught. If one or neither of the tagged fish are caught, the remaining award(s) for this category will be drawn for and presented by CPW during the angler ticket drawing after the tournament on Sunday, June 29.

In addition to the tagged fish prizes, the angler(s) who turn in the most northern pike and or smallmouth bass during the nine-day tournament will win $750 (per category). Additional prizes will be awarded daily after 5:00 p.m. from June 21 – 28 and 3:00 p.m. on June 29 in the following categories:

Northern Pike: smallest fish per day, largest fish per day, and most fish caught per day.
Smallmouth Bass: smallest fish per day, largest fish per day, and most fish caught per day.

“We are looking forward to another great tournament,” said Area Aquatic Biologist Gage Dean. “This is an essential part of our fishery management at Elkhead Reservoir. This approach enables us to focus on enhancing the fishery with sportfish like largemouth bass and tiger muskie, which support our conservation and recovery efforts for native fish in the Yampa River basin.

Participants are not required to register before the event. However, those who wish to compete for awards and prizes must register upon arrival at the park or when turning in their first fish at the CPW fish scanning station located at the Elkhead Reservoir State Park maintenance shop near the park entrance. There is no tournament entry fee, but a State Park pass is required to enter Elkhead State Park. Any individual aged 16 years and older will need a valid Colorado fishing license.

For more information about the tournament, visit the tournament website or contact Elkhead Reservoir State Park at 970-276-2061.