Prairie State Wire

Illinois anglers targeting walleye, sauger, or saugeye are invited to join the 2024 Midwest Walleye Challenge. This virtual competition is organized by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) in collaboration with other states, provinces, and Anglers Atlas developers and researchers.

The data collected from this event will aid Illinois in providing valuable information to anglers and enhance biologists' understanding of different waterbodies. Kevin Irons, assistant chief of the IDNR fisheries division, emphasized the importance of such competitions: "Competitions like this are incredibly valuable to our understanding of the Illinois fishery," he said. He reassured participants that their secret fishing spots would remain undisclosed as biologists will only access information about the water body.

Participants will use the MyCatch mobile app to document their catches by photographing each fish on a measuring device. Once verified by the catch team and meeting all rules, these entries appear on a live leaderboard for competitors to track progress.

Sean Simmons, founder and president of MyCatch, expressed enthusiasm for expanding this tournament format beyond Iowa: "We're excited to bring this new Walleye tournament format to other states across the Midwest and into Canada," he stated.

There are two categories for participants: one with a $25 entry fee offering cash and non-cash prizes, and a free category with non-cash prizes. The prize structure aims to meet fisheries biologists' data needs through unique categories such as "Tough luck" prizes for those who don't catch any fish and "Most waterbodies fished" prizes. Standard awards for longest fish caught are also available alongside random-draw prizes that encourage reporting all catches.

Anglers interested in participating can review rules and register online.