Prizes handed out at 2023 Ridgway smallmouth bass tournament

John Livingston
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / [email protected]
@CPW_SW

RIDGWAY, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife concluded its ninth Ridgway Reservoir Smallmouth Bass Classic in August and handed out $7,750 in cash prizes.

This year’s event ran from July 8 to Aug. 6. The harvest incentive tournament has helped CPW effectively reduce the population of smallmouth bass and protect native fish and water users downstream of the reservoir now for nearly a decade.

“We estimated that we removed around 25% of the adult population over the course of the tournament,” said CPW aquatic biologist Eric Gardunio. “We have been seeing higher numbers of juvenile smallmouth bass in the last couple of years, but our population modeling indicates that the tournament should remain effective at long-term suppression of this population.”

In 2023, 41 anglers harvested smallmouth bass to participate in the tournament. Of the 2,820 fish turned in, Lawrence Cieslewicz finished with the most with 1,504 to earn a $4,000 prize. Additionally, Cieslewicz caught five of the 29 tagged fish worth cash prizes to collect an additional $700.

Chris Cady placed second in the tournament with 630 bass turned in to claim a $1,500 prize. He also caught one tagged fish that was worth $1,000.

Youth angler Tobias Vigil took third place with 118 smallmouth turned in for $500.

Smallmouth bass, introduced illegally to Ridgway Reservoir more than a decade ago, are predatory fish that can survive in western Colorado rivers, including the Uncompahgre River which flows from the reservoir. There is a risk of smallmouth bass escaping from the reservoir into the river where they could reproduce and consume native fish species that are found nowhere else in the world. Smallmouth bass have escaped other impoundments in western Colorado and are adversely affecting populations of native fish in several rivers.

There are no bag or possession limits on smallmouth bass at Ridgway Reservoir, and anglers are encouraged to continue to harvest these fish. Fish tissue sampling conducted in a joint effort between CPW and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has shown that smallmouth bass from Ridgway Reservoir are safe to eat

CPW will again host the tournament for its 10th edition in the summer of 2024.