Michigan DNR hosts statewide walleye fishing challenge with cash prizes: What to know

Through June 30, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is partnering with the MyCatch by Angler's Atlas mobile app to host a statewide walleye fishing challenge across all inland waters.

Anglers can participate in the challenge to earn cash and non-cash prizes by entering catch data into MyCatch, which maintains anonymous location data so anglers' secret fishing spots can remain a secret. Then, Michigan DNR fisheries' biologists can use that data to better assess and evaluate walleye populations across the state and determine whether the DNR's walleye stocking efforts have been successful or need to be improved in future years.

"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, in a news release. "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. ... The more anglers who join this challenge, the better data we’ll have for future management decisions.”

More:Michigan fishing guide 2024: Licenses, regulations, more

The challenge extends beyond Michigan throughout the Midwest and Canada as a part of a larger research project funded by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, but Michigan anglers compete only against other Michigan anglers for biweekly prizes. At the end of the event, all catches from across the Midwest qualify for grand prize drawings of up to $500.

To qualify for all prizes, including cash payouts, anglers must pay a $25 fee. Or participants can enter for free and only quality for noncash prizes.

For additional information on prizes, rules, and more, visit anglersatlas.com. Questions about Michigan's Walleye Fishing Challenge can be emailed to Angler's Atlas at events@anglersatlas.com, and questions about Michigan’s walleye fishery and statewide fisheries management can be emailed to Seth Herbst at HerbstS1@michigan.gov.

To brush up on Michigan's fishing rules and regulations, visit michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/fishing.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan anglers can win prizes in DNR's walleye fishing challenge