Walleye fishing challenge offers prizes to anglers for fishing data

Johnathan Hogan, Port Huron Times Herald
Bill Taylor of Port Huron fishes at Pine Grove Park for salmon and walleye on May 22, 2024. He says Walleye are easy to find all along the St. Clair River, but will become less common in June as the summer heat sets in.
Bill Taylor of Port Huron fishes at Pine Grove Park for salmon and walleye on May 22, 2024. He says Walleye are easy to find all along the St. Clair River, but will become less common in June as the summer heat sets in.

Fisherman across Michigan can win prizes this summer by reporting their walleye catches.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is partnering with other state agencies and Angler's Atlas to hold the Midwest Walleye Challenge.

Walleye are a freshwater fish species that live in several rivers and lakes across Canada and the northern United States. They prefer cooler temperatures, sometimes swimming into murkier waters to avoid sunlight.

The idea, according to a news release from Michigan DNR, is for participants to use Angler's Atlas' MyCatch app to report where they catch walleye as a way for the department to study the fish's population across various lakes and rivers.

Angler's Atlas, a company based in Canada, developed the MyCatch app to help fishermen identify the best fishing locations while providing a tool for researchers to collect data. The location data collected as part of the fishing challenge will be anonymous, which the news release states will allow participants to keep their favorite fishing spot secret.

Participants who report their catches are eligible for biweekly prizes within their state. All catches from every region will qualify for several grand prizes which will be awarded at the end of the challenge on June 30. Only participants who pay a $25 fee are eligible for cash prizes.

"We're interested to see what new information we can learn from Midwest Walleye Challenge participation,” Seth Herbst, manager of the DNR Fisheries Division’s Research Section, said in the 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."

According to Herbst, walleye have seen a regional population decline as a result of warming waters and competition from invasive species. He said data from the challenge can help DNR determine if efforts to restock the fish have been successful. The data can also help researchers determine if there have been any unidentified concerns facing the walleye population.

Participants can register for the challenge online at Angler's Atlas' website.

Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Walleye fishing challenge offers prizes to anglers for fishing data

Advertisement