(photo by Steve Weisman) Travis Harman displays a Hawg Trough that must be purchased by anglers participating in the optional Walleye category for Walleye Weekend.
By Steve Weisman
After several years of not having the Largest Walleye category during the Walleye Weekend tournament, the Largest Walleye category is back. The category was eliminated when boaters were required to drain their livewells, when they left the lake to help prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other potential exotics. The Largest Walleye category is back for 2018 through a new format: catch, photo/measure and release.
There is an entry fee for entering, and it is an optional part of the weekend. Anglers can enter the general Walleye Opener, but do not have to enter the Largest Walleye category. However, to enter the Largest Walleye category, anglers must enter the general Walleye Weekend tournament. Anglers can get their entry at Fisherman’s Factory Outlet, Kabele’s Trading Post, Oh Shuck’s, and Stan’s Bait & Tackle, or online at www.okobojichamber.com.
Travis Harman, owner of Stan’s Bait and Tackle located in Milford, is helping spearhead this effort. “John Wittkamp, previous owner at Stan’s, and I really wanted to get the Largest Walleye category back in the tournament. This format has become pretty common in the South where they have a lot of kayak bass tournaments. Since they don’t have livewells, they have gone to the catch, photo and release format. More and more tournaments are doing this. Obviously, it is better for the fish, because they aren’t held in a livewell.”
To recognize the leaders of the Largest Walleye category, Stan’s Bait and Tackle will be awarding over $2000 in prizes for the top three placers. According to Harman, he reached out to several of his tackle suppliers. “They were all excited to help sponsor the prizes for the Largest Walleye category. So, Stan’s Bait and Tackle is partnering with them to award well over $2000 in prizes for the top three placers.
First place will take home a Legend 6’10” M/L rod and a Pfleuger Patriarch reel combo, a softside Yetti cooler, a Skinzit fish cleaner and a tackle pak of lures and tackle provided by local lure manufacturers. All of this valued at over $1000 retail value.
Second place will be a JT 6’ Panhandler rod and Pfleuger Supreme reel combo, a softside Yetti cooler and a tackle pak of lures and tackle provided by local lure manifacturers. All of these prizes are valued at $750.
Third place will be two Vexan 5’ trolling rods and two Okuma reels valued at over $300.
The $10 registration fee for the Largest Walleye category will go to support the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club (IGLFC). Harman is excited about this donation. “The IGLFC supports clean water and all of the waters in this area. They work closely with the Iowa DNR, giving back to our fisheries and also work with area youth.”
According to Terry Thomsen, President of the IGLFC, “We greatly appreciate this donation to help us continue projects that support our local waters and fisheries. Recently, we have donated money to the Lakeside Laboratory on West Okoboji, fishing seminars and DNR nights for club members, fishing clinics for youngsters, scholarships to area youth entering the environmental field, the Okoboji Blue Water Festival and the fishing seminar during the Festival.”
The process for entering Largest Walleye category
First, anglers can register for the Largest Walleye Contest at any of the bait shops. Deadline is 11:59 PM on Friday, May 4, 2018.
The next step: Using a smartphone, go to Apple Store or Google Play and search for the “TourneyX” app. Cost: The app is free to download, but the cost to register for the contest will be $5. Details: Download and open the app. Register yourself by clicking Need an Account? Register. Be sure to select Walleye Weekend as the Tournament. Note: if you do not have a smartphone, you may share with someone you will be with. However, you do still need each participant to register separately on that phone in the app. Just make sure you are logged into your account (look at bottom left corner) when you go to submit a catch.
The next step: Purchase a Hawg Trough board at any of the local bait shops. Cost: $11 Details: This is the required measuring board for this contest—no other measuring device will be accepted. This is a one-time payment as participants can share a Hawg Trough board and use in future years as well.
The next step: Pick up your identification card. Free Details: These look similar to business cards. Once the tournament and contest officially begin, the TourneyX app generates a 4-digit code/ identifier for each angler participating. This code can be found under the Identifiers tab in the app. Once you select the Identifiers tab, select the Walleye Weekend tournament. A window will appear with a blue, 4-digit code. Before you start fishing, write your code on the identifier card so it will be ready to put in the photo with your measuring board and fish.
The next step: Learn to navigate the app There are 6 icons. Registration: search and register for tournaments. Identifiers: view identifiers that will be in each photo for the tournament. Livewell: holding area of submitted fish during low/no cell service. Manage Catch: view and manage submitted fish. Standings: check standings of current and past tournaments. Submit Catch: submit catch to a tournament.
The next step: Note the hours of the contest. The contest will begin at the same time as the Walleye Weekend tournament, but it will end two hours earlier for judging purposes. The contest begins at 12:01 AM on Saturday, May 5th and ends at 10 AM on Sunday, May 6th.
The next step: Catch the biggest walleye you can! Once you catch a Walleye you would like to submit, place the fish on the board. The mouth must be touching the front of the board. The mouth must be closed, have a non-pinched tail, and be held with only one hand. Make sure the piece of paper with your 4-digit code is right next to the board, visible in the photograph. Take the photo. Remember that submissions will not be accepted if all rules are not followed.
The next step: Submit the photo Open the TourneyX app. If you are sharing a smartphone with someone else, look in the bottom left corner to make sure you are logged in to your specific account. Click Submit Catch. Choose the tournament name from the pop-up list. Browse your camera roll to select the best photo, and select given photo. Then enter the length of the fish. Be sure to enter it as a 4-digit number without a decimal. For example, 32.00 would be 3200. Submit your catch to the leaderboard.
Finally: Watch leaderboard, continue to fish, and wait for results Once a fish has been submitted, view the uploads in the Manage Catch tab. The contest closes 2 hours before the tournament ends—10 AM on Sunday, May 6th. Results will be announced and $2,000+ in prizes donated from Stan’s Bait Shop will be given at the Luncheon on Sunday. The Luncheon is free to Walleye Weekend participants. It begins at noon on Sunday at the Dickinson County Expo Building. In the case of a tie, the photo submitted first will win.
For more information or questions, contact any of the local baitshops.
