Utah State Parks will sponsor or host several upcoming ice fishing tournaments.
SALT LAKE CITY – If you want to add an extra challenge to your ice fishing this winter, a tournament might be just the thing. Plus, you can help many Utah fisheries and often win prizes!
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah State Parks will sponsor or host several ice fishing tournaments across the state from January through March. Anyone over the age of 12 must have a valid Utah fishing license to fish at any of the events. Each participant should be familiar with the ice safety recommendations on the Utah State Parks website.
Here are a few tournaments to try out:
Buckboard pupulation control competition
Hosted by the Buckboard Marina in Flaming Gorge and sponsored by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, this third annual fishing competition is aimed at controlling the population of small lake trout (pups) in the Flaming Gorge. This competition started on October 20th and will run until June 12th, 2022 so anglers can continue to participate during the ice fishing season. Anglers who catch a marked lake trout and hand it in will automatically win a cash prize. Other raffles are also available for registered participants.
Find out about the competition rules and register online on the Buckboard Marina website.
Burbot Bash
The Burbot Bash will be held at the Flaming Gorge Reservoir January 28-30, 2022 and will be hosted by the Flaming Gorge Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by DWR and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. This annual ice fishing tournament helps control the population of burbot, a cod-like fish that reproduces rapidly and prey on other sport fish in the reservoir. US $ 30,000 cash and prizes are awarded to anglers who catch the most burbot, largest and smallest burbot, and tagged burbot.
Due to the security precautions for the COVID-19 event, all participants must register online between December 28th and January 24th. There is no on-site registration for the tournament. For more information about the competition or to register, please visit the Quappe Bash website.
East Canyon Ice Fishing Derby with Fins & Fur
Fins & Fur Guide Service is partnering with East Canyon State Park to host this ice fishing competition on January 15, 2022. Cash prizes are awarded to those who catch the top four fish, with additional hourly prizes for the largest fish caught that hour. Information on registration and competitions can be found on the Fins & Fur website.
Ice Addiction Tournament at Rockport and Steinaker State Parks
Hosted by Tightline Outdoors and Utah State Parks and presented by Clam, this ice fishing tournament will take place on January 22, 2022 at Rockport Reservoir and on February 5, 2022 at Steinaker Reservoir, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. All anglers must register online for the Rockport Tournament by January 20th at 8pm and online for the Steinaker Tournament by February 3rd at 8pm.
Millsite On Ice fishing tournament
The sixth annual Millsite on Ice Fishing Tournament will take place January 7-8, 2022 at Millsite State Park. This event is sponsored by Emery County. A team tournament for two people will take place on the first day of the tournament (January 7th). The second day (January 8th) will be a single event.
All registration revenue is included in the cash prizes, so there will be up to $ 2,000 in cash rewards and thousands in raffle gifts every day. The tournament is currently full, but people can sign up for the waiting list on the Millsite on Ice website if a spot becomes available.
Monster Cisco Disco & Tournament
While technically this isn’t “ice fishing” as Bear Lake doesn’t usually freeze over, this annual winter fishing event is well worth a visit. The Monster Cisco Disco Tournament is part of the Bear Lake Monster Winter Festival and will be held at Bear Lake State Park on January 22, 2022 from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants will have the opportunity to dive into Bonneville-Cisco, a species of fish unique to Bear Lake.
Unless you have a current day pass to Utah State Parks, you will need to pay the entrance fee to Cisco Beach, which is located in Bear Lake State Park. The largest Cisco receives an award. Please visit the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest website for more details and tournament rules.
Rockport Ice Fishing Tournament
Rockport State Park and The Marina at Rockport are jointly hosting an ice fishing tournament on January 15, 2022. The top three winners will win a cash prize and everyone has the chance to win some great raffle prizes. Registration for the event costs $ 40 per person and will remain open until January 15th. Find out more and register on the eventbrite page of the tournament.
Slotbuster ice fishing tournament in East Canyon and Lost Creek State Parks
This is the first year for the Slotbuster Ice Fishing Tournament. This trout-focused competition will be held January 29-30, 2022, 7:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at East Canyon and Lost Creek State Parks. The tournament is held every day in a state park and individuals can sign up for both dates and locations, or just one. This competition has a size limit – all fish under 22 inches caught in Lost Creek must be released and do not count towards the competition. Fish over 22 inches are called “slotbusters” and can be kept in the tournament or used for measurement. Food trucks and measuring stations will be on site during the tournament.
Visit slotbustericecomp.com to register and view more details.
Hunger ice cream bowl
This popular event will take place at Starvation Reservoir in Fred Hayes State Park on February 12, 2022. Contestants target trout and pikeperch for the competition, and prizes are awarded based on fish length. Registration is $ 60 per team, and state park entry requires either a daily fee of $ 5 or an annual pass per vehicle. All teams must be assigned a team number. For more information on the competition, visit the Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation website.
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