Elkhead Reservoir Fishing Classic Tournament: June 22 – June 30
The 2024 Elkhead Reservoir (Moffat and Routt counties) Fishing Classic tournament will take place June 22 through June 30. This tournament will target smallmouth bass and northern pike. Anglers will earn an angler ticket for every smallmouth bass and northern pike that they catch from this reservoir and turn in during the tournament. One northern pike and one smallmouth bass will be tagged internally and released immediately prior to the tournament with individually numbered 2024 passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Fish will be checked for tags at the CPW fish scanning station. If the 2024 tagged smallmouth bass and/or northern pike are/is caught during the tournament, the respective angler(s) will receive a cash award (check) of $1,500 per fish on the day the fish is caught. If only one or neither of the 2024 PIT tagged fish are caught during the tournament, the remaining cash awards (checks) for this category (either one or both awards) will be drawn for and presented by CPW during the angler ticket drawing at the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday, June 30.
At the conclusion of the tournament, two $750 checks will be awarded to the angler(s) who has/have caught and turned in the most northern pike and/or the most smallmouth bass across the nine day tournament.
Additional prizes totaling $5,000 will also be awarded daily after 5:00pm in the following categories:
- Northern Pike: smallest per day, largest per day, most caught per day
- Smallmouth Bass: smallest per day, largest per day, most caught per day
There is no bag or possession limit for northern pike or smallmouth bass at Elkhead Reservoir.
Tournament angling will begin at 6:30am on Saturday, June 22. Anglers need not register in advance of tournament angling, but anglers fishing prior to the 6:30am start of the tournament on June 22 will be disqualified. Tournament angling will conclude on Sunday, June 30. Anglers must have their catch of northern pike and smallmouth bass for that day turned into the CPW fish scanning station by 3:00pm on June 30 to qualify for tournament awards/prizes. Fish checked-in at the CPW fish scanning station after 3:00pm on June 30 will not be considered for awards/prizes for that day and/or the tournament overall. There are no daily time restrictions on angling within the official tournament period, other than the tournament start time of 6:30am on June 22 and final check-in of fish by 3:00pm on June 30.
With the exception of the last day of the tournament, Sunday, June 30, anglers must have their catch of northern pike and smallmouth bass turned into the CPW fish scanning station by 5:00 pm on the day the fish are caught (so the fish can be scanned for PIT tags) to qualify for the daily “most fish caught” prize. Fish caught after 5:00 pm must be presented at the CPW fish scanning station the following day to be entered into the current day’s prize tally.
Participants must register, and this can be completed when anglers first present their fish at the CPW fish scanning station located at the Elkhead Reservoir State Park maintenance shop near the Park entrance. Youth under 16 can fish without a license. All Colorado Fishing Regulations and Boating Regulations apply. It is recommended that anglers purchase their 2024 fishing license in advance of the tournament as licenses are not typically available at the reservoir.
There are 46 campsites available at Elkhead Reservoir State Park. Reservations are required.
For more information regarding the Elkhead Reservoir Fishing Classic, please see the Tournament Rules & Prizes Flyer or call the Yampa River State Park at 970-276-2061.
Ridgway Reservoir Smallmouth Bass Classic Tournament
The Ridgway Reservoir smallmouth bass tournament will not be conducted in 2024. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is planning to hold the tournament in alternating years, and plans to have the next tournament in 2025.
The data we have collected at Ridgway indicates that anglers are highly effective at reducing the numbers of adult smallmouth bass, but that CPW may be better at removing juvenile smallmouth bass with electrofishing. By alternating these approaches (tournament and electrofishing) on an every-other-year basis, we believe that we can optimize the control of invasive smallmouth bass in the reservoir.
The electrofishing will also be used to monitor the status of the fishery to inform management strategies for other sportfish species like brown and rainbow trout, sterile walleye and kokanee. We look forward to hosting another successful tournament in 2025.
For more information on fishing in the park, please call Ridgway State Park at 970-626-5822.
Be a partner with Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Smallmouth bass and northern pike are not compatible with endangered fish recovery in waters downstream of both reservoirs. Smallmouth bass and northern pike can escape from reservoirs and/or be moved illegally to waters where these species can predate upon native fishes and compete with natives for food and habitat. Anglers are asked to catch and keep all smallmouth bass and northern pike that they catch from these reservoirs. CPW reminds anglers that is illegal to move live fish from one water to another in western Colorado.
If the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program fails to make sufficient progress at recovering the four endangered fish species (Colorado pikeminnow, bonytail, razorback sucker, and humpback chub), all water users on the West Slope will likely be required to consult with the federal government if they need to use water for irrigation, to fill a pond or to supply drinking water.
Participating in these fishing tournaments will help assure a variety of future sportfish opportunities in Elkhead and Ridgway reservoirs. For example, with the help of local anglers, CPW has stocked: over 360,000 juvenile bluegill, 1,436,000 juvenile largemouth bass, and over 1,150 adult largemouth bass in Elkhead Reservoir since 2016. These species are compatible with native fish recovery and conservation efforts. In 2021, CPW installed 40 artificial fish habitat structures in Elkhead Reservoir to provide additional habitat for sportfish (Photo 1). The recently installed fish habitat structures increase the amount of cover habitat available for black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass in the reservoir and provide additional productive angling locations for those species. Additional habitat structures will be installed in 2024.
CPW strives to provide the best fishing opportunities that are appropriate for each body of water in the state. Biologists must carefully consider a variety of factors when managing fisheries, including: impacts to native fishes, water quality, habitat availability, size of water to be stocked, how water will be used, forage fish availability, federal and state laws, etc. Please help CPW manage YOUR fisheries by working with our biologists and not against them by illegally stocking fish!
Photo 1: CPW employees installing fish habitat structures at Elkhead Reservoir.
Illegal stocking hurts Colorado's anglers
Illegal stocking of fish is a significant issue that affects all Colorado anglers. In western Colorado, not every body of water or waterway is suitable for every species of fish. CPW must remedy fisheries where illegal stocking has taken place. This means the agency must expend significant resources that otherwise could be used to improve angling opportunities elsewhere. For example, in the fall of 2013, CPW spent more than $100,000 to eliminate smallmouth bass and restore the renowned trout fishery at Miramonte Reservoir in San Miguel County. In the spring of 2021, CPW spent more than $35,000 to eradicate northern pike and restore the warmwater and seasonal rainbow trout fishery at Mack Mesa Reservoir in Mesa County.
Help prevent illegal stocking
If you have information about illegal stocking of fish, please
contact a CPW office immediately, or call
Operation Game Thief at 1-877-265-6648. Tips can be given anonymously and rewards are possible.
