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CPW invites anglers to participate in Seventh Annual Elkhead Fishing Tournament

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Rachael Gonzales
Northwest Region Public Information Officer
970-773-8587 / [email protected] CPW invites anglers to participate in Seventh Annual Elkhead Fishing Tournament

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Elkhead Reservoir State Park, located in the beautiful Yampa valley of northwest Colorado. This 900 acre reservoir provides endless recreational opportunities.

Craig, Colo. - Anglers, mark your calendar. Colorado Parks and Wildlife invites you to join us at the Seventh Annual Elkhead Reservoir Fishing Classic. With almost $10,000 in prizes this year, anglers of all ages should plan on attending this annual event from June 18 through 26 at Elkhead Reservoir State Park. 

There are no bag limits on northern pike and smallmouth bass at Elkhead Reservoir, and during the nine-day tournament anglers have a chance to win multiple awards and prizes for legally harvesting these species. One northern pike and one smallmouth bass will be tagged internally and released to start the tournament. The angler(s) who catches one or both of the tagged fish will receive $1,500 per tagged fish caught. If one or neither of the tagged fish are caught, the remaining award(s) for this category will be drawn for and presented by CPW during the angler ticket drawing after the tournament on Sunday, June 26.

In addition to the tagged fish prizes, the angler(s) who turn in the most northern pike and or smallmouth bass during the nine-day tournament will win $750 (per category). Additional prizes will be awarded daily after 5:00 p.m. from June 18 - 25 and 3:00 p.m. on June 26 in the following categories:

  • Northern Pike: smallest fish per day, largest fish per day, and most fish caught per day.
  • Smallmouth Bass: smallest fish per day, largest fish per day, and most fish caught per day.

Tournament angling will begin at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 18. Fish caught before the start of the tournament on June 18 will not qualify. Tournament angling will conclude on Sunday, June 26. Anglers must have their catch of northern pike and or smallmouth bass for that day turned into the CPW fish scanning station by 3:00 p.m. on June 26 to qualify for tournament awards and prizes. Other than the tournament start time and final check-in of fish, there are no time restrictions on angling during the tournament.

Registration before the event is not required. Participants wishing to compete for awards and prizes must register when turning in their first fish at the CPW fish scanning station located at the Elkhead Reservoir State Park maintenance shop near the Park entrance. There is no tournament entry fee, but an Annual or Daily State Park pass is required to enter Elkhead State Park. Anyone 16 years and older will need a valid Colorado fishing license. 

For more information about the tournament, visit the 2022 Elkhead Tournament page or contact Elkhead Reservoir State Park at 970-276-2061.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.