PIERRE, SD (KELO.com) — The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks is announcing a groundbreaking, online, walleye fishing challenge. The Midwest Walleye Challenge, hosted by Anglersatlas.com and the MyCatch app, will include South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, and will run from April 1 – June 29. This online challenge is part of a multi-state research project aimed to assess the walleye fishery across the Midwest. This is a Citizen Science event, so anglers reporting all of their catches is very important. Reporting all catches ensures that the data collected are representative of the angler’s actual fishing effort and qualifies them for more prizes.
“South Dakota has many waters which cannot all be surveyed each year. Anglers can provide walleye lengths to show biologists what is present in more waterbodies than we can reach,” said Brian Blackwell, regional fisheries biologist. In addition to information on lakes not surveyed for the year, Blackwell said that on lakes GFP did survey, they can compare angler-caught fish lengths to the Department’s sampling efforts. “Reported catches will also provide data on walleye recruitment,” said Blackwell. “We can use this information to see if young year classes are present and to what extent.” “Another important use of this data is to see where anglers are fishing and could result in increased fish management and access improvements or projects,” Blackwell said.
The South Dakota angler data can be compared to other regional states participating in the Walleye Challenge. “We think this is a great way to get information from the people who are out fishing,” Blackwell said. “Our anglers love our quality fisheries, and this is a way for them to share their knowledge and data with us.”
The Midwest Walleye Challenge is $25 to enter, but upon entering their first fishing outing, participants will receive a $20 gift certificate to Discount Tackle. For more information go to: https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/848/2025-midwest-walleye-challenge-south-dakota .
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