Anglers, biologists join forces in Midwest Walleye Challenge

Anglers and biologists are joining forces to bring a new kind of fishing tournament to Nebraska.

The Midwest Walleye Challenge will give anglers in states across the Midwest a chance to compete for prizes while collecting important data for biologists.

The collection of angler catch data during the Nebraska challenge, which runs March 30-June 30, can help the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission learn more about Nebraska walleye fisheries. In the process, Nebraska anglers can see how their walleye fisheries compare to others in the Midwest.

Anglers can choose to be part of the free prize pool or, with a $25 entry, compete for cash prizes.

Prizes includes:

• “Tough Luck” prizes for anglers who do not catch any walleyes. This is important data because it allows biologists to know the times when no fish are caught.
• Prizes for the longest walleye caught.
• Two categories of participant — $25 entry fee category where cash and non-cash prizes will be awarded, and a free category, where anglers can participate for non-cash prizes.
• Random draw prizes will be awarded to any participant who catches a walleye. Entrants will have a chance to win a prize regardless of size of walleye caught. This provides anglers an incentive to report all walleye caught and helps encourage representative sampling of all sizes of walleyes.

This event uses the mobile app MyCatch to record the length of each walleye caught. Anglers will have to photograph fish on a measuring device using the app. Once the fish is reviewed by the catch team and meets rule requirements, it will appear on a live leaderboard.

Go to anglersatlas.com and click on “Find Events to Join” to learn more. View the rules and register at AnglersAtlas.com/event/768.