by Mike Carey, June 07, 2020

Fishing derbies are a sport enjoyed by many in the Pacific Northwest. Every year hundreds of derbies are held by various private organizations for just about any species of fish you can name. Salmon, bass, trout, and walleye are certainly the most popular. Kokanee is another fish that has gained a lot of interest in the derby circuits. I’ve even seen perch derbies. In short, if you’re into competition and like to fish, it’s a great way to combine the two passions.
But what if, like me, you’re not necessarily into competition but you like to fish, and you’d like a chance at some cool prizes for catching something? Well Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has something that will be just up your alley!

Did you know that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have their own derby? Yup!

The WDFW 2020 Trout Derby is the most far-reaching simultaneous fishing derby in the State of Washington, bar none. Imagine not just one body of water, but over one hundred lakes statewide being fished on any given day by anglers throughout the state. And, you don’t have to buy a derby ticket! The process is as simple as go fish for trout, catch a tagged fish, and submit a form at a participating business location to claim your prize. Too easy you say? Nope and here are the specifics you need to know.

WDWFW has stocked over 100 lakes with trout that have a yellow tag attached to their fin. Here’s a link to the lakes that have tagged fish: WDFW 2020 Derby akes . These are the lakes to target trout. As you can see from the picture, there are lakes throughout Washington that have tagged fish.

If you catch a trout with a yellow tag, you’re a winner! Save the tag. You’ll need it to claim your prize. The tag has a unique identifying number on it. Fill out this online form. When you click “submit” you’ll be given information on how to pick up your prize.

There are five categories your fish could win in for the following prizes:

Trophy - $1000 and over
Keeper - $500-999
Tackle - $250-499
Cast - $100-249
Catch and Release - $99 and under

As you can see, there is some serious money to be had and some just plain fun with the added excitement of the chance at catching a tagged fish. Best of all, you don’t have to do anything other than enter your tag number to claim your prize!

Check out the WDFW link for the details and go fishing! WDFW 2020 Fishing Derby

Northwest Fishing Reports will be joining in the fun! If you catch a tagged fish, be sure to take a picture and submit a report on our web site. Let us know and we’ll send you some NWFR swag to add to your prize. See you on the water!